This paper analyzes public policies for rural education developed by State Secretariat of Education and Culture (SEDUC-TO) in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. The research is bibliographical and documentary nature, and has as main data source documents such as projects, reports, and spreadsheets of the SEDUC-TO and others available on official agency sites, such as projects, edicts, regulations, resolutions, decrees, and laws. The results showed that the main programs of the Brazilian government to the Rural Education were developed in the public school system of the state of Tocantins from 1999 to 2013, although they are characterized as occasional actions.

Environmental Health is an area of knowledge that goes through many curricular components, especially in the Natural Sciences, an important field to develop it. It should be related to the teachers' preparation to work in a critical way with a bias towards scientific literacy. This study aimed to evaluate the challenges faced by teachers in the area of Natural Sciences to implement Environmental Health in the Final Years of Elementary School, in the state of Tocantins. A quantitative and qualitative research identified a high percentage of young teachers, with higher prevalence to teach expository lessons and little appropriation of scientific literacy. Although the teachers indicated little difficulty in working with the themes of Environmental Health, they reported the need for continued education.

A Saúde Ambiental é uma área do conhecimento que transita por muitos componentes curriculares, principalmente nas Ciências da Natureza, campo de destaque para desenvolvê-la. Deve estar relacionada com preparo dos professores para trabalhar de forma crítica com viés para o letramento científico. Este estudo propôs avaliar os desafios do corpo docente da área de Ciências da Natureza para implementar a Saúde Ambiental no Ensino Fundamental Anos Finais, no estado do Tocantins. A partir de pesquisa quantitativa e qualitativa, identificou-se alto percentual de professores jovens, com maior prevalência a ministrar aulas expositivas e pouca apropriação do letramento científico. Apesar de os docentes indicarem pouca dificuldade para trabalhar com as temáticas da Saúde Ambiental, relataram a necessidade de formação continuada.