No abstract

This study presents part of a research project currently underway which aims to characterise the best practices of highly effective schools in the Autonomous Region of the Basque Country (Spain). Multilevel statistical modelling and hierarchical linear models were used to select 32 highly effective schools, with highly effective being taken to mean any school with higher-than-expected student results after adjusting for the effect of contextual factors. Subsequently, qualitative techniques were used to record the perceptions of the management teams, educational advisors and inspectors of the selected schools regarding the practices in place in their organisations. This paper presents the results obtained in relation to leadership. These results indicate that leadership comprises a number of different competences that are manifested to different extents in the different schools, although a set of elements was identified as being common to the majority, namely: positive leadership in the school management, a clearly defined mission shared by all professionals, a positive attitude to training and lifelong learning, the ability to foster the commitment and motivation of the teaching staff in relation to a common school project, support for teaching and learning processes, attention paid to questions of peaceful and harmonious coexistence and well-organised coordination.

No abstract

No abstract

This study, part of a wider study, presents the results concerning school climate as examples of best practices in highly effective schools. Thirty-two primary and secondary schools were identified and selected using multilevel statistical modelling techniques and hierarchical linear models that identified schools with higher-than-expected student results from among all the schools in the Autonomous Region of the Basque Country. Once schools had been identified and characterised, the best practices were selected via a qualitative study involving 83 interviews with 3 groups of key informants: 25 inspectors, 26 educational advisors and 30 management teams from the 32 selected schools. Results show that school climate incorporates aspects related to academic climate, social relations and organisational structure. The development of school climate is linked to teachers' commitment to educational work, involvement, teamwork and participatory management. The ultimate aim of this study is for the best practices identified to serve as a useful tool in the design and implementation of the improvement actions carried out in all schools in the Spanish Autonomous Region of the Basque Country. Thus, one suggestion is to broaden our understanding of climate beyond peaceful coexistence between students, and to include teamwork processes and democratic participation in the peaceful coexistence plan.Keywords: School discipline, Educational innovation, Educational efficiency, Primary education, Secondary education.Este trabajo, fruto de una investigación más amplia, trata de dar a conocer que el clima escolar forma parte de las buenas prácticas de los centros escolares de alta eficacia. Se han identificado y seleccionado a través de técnicas estadísticas multinivel y modelos jerárquicos lineales 32 centros de alta eficacia entre todos los centros de la Comunidad Autónoma Vasca. La caracterización de sus prácticas se ha realizado con metodología cualitativa, a través de cabo ochenta y tres entrevistas a tres colectivos de informantes clave: 25 inspectores e inspectoras de referencia; 26 asesores de referencia y 30 equipos directivos de los 32 centros seleccionados. Dan a conocer que la dimensión clima escolar en estos centros incorpora aspectos relacionados con el clima académico, relación social y estructura organizativa. El desarrollo del clima del centro va unido a la implicación del profesorado en la labor educativa, trabajo en equipo y la gestión participativa. El objetivo último de este estudio es que las buenas prácticas identificadas sirvan como herramientas para diseñar e implementar acciones de mejora en los centros de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco. Así, entre las sugerencias se propone ampliar la perspectiva del clima más allá de la convivencia entre el alumnado, e incorporar procesos de trabajo en grupo y la participación democrática en el plan de convivencia.