The Colleges of Application were created in the wake of the educational movement known as Escola Nova. The movement began in Europe between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and reached the United States through educator John Dewey. Ordinance No. 959/2013 deals with the guidelines and general rules of operation of the Application Colleges, establishing them as basic education units maintained and managed by federal universities and whose purpose is to develop, in an inseparable way, teaching, research and extension focused on pedagogical innovation and teacher training in Basic Education.