The article deals with curricular reforms for high school, promulgated through the enactment of LDBEN (Law no 9.394/1996) through to the approval of the BNCC – EM. The aim of the work was to analyze the production of reforms and the perceptions of practicing teachers on the principles and objectives and the processes for its execution in the school. The theoretical and methodological premises are based on the Policy Cycle Approach, and the materials used for the analysis include legal documents and the teachers’ responses to a questionnaire about their knowledge and practical implementation of these policies in the school. The results show that teachers recognize the school as a space for access and dissemination, but that there are limited opportunities for discussion and interpretation of the legal texts. We also found that studies and discussions promoted at the university are important to ensure that teachers not only have a knowledge of the documents but understand their effects, and the role of the context of practice as a space for the production of reform.