Carolina Martinelli’s paper addresses how to build integrity in public education institutions and improve learning outcomes by analysing a specific case of success: the public education institution of the State of Ceará, located in the Northeast of Brazil. It provides an overview of the education in Ceará and the sharp increase in basic education outcomes this state has achieved in the last 15 years. It then analyses the improvement of education in the state of Ceará through the lens of public integrity theory. The paper concludes with a set of key recommendations on how to build integrity in education public institutions. In brief, it recommends: 1) fiscal incentives; 2) a robust monitoring system; 3) sharing of good practices; 4) autonomy of municipalities; 5) technical support; and 6) valuing teachers financially and symbolically.