Moving the school forward: Problems reported by novice and experienced principals during a succession process in Chile

Abstract

This article identifies the main problems faced by two groups of Chilean school principals involved in a succession process. Problems reported by novice public school principals (n=94) were compared to those reported by their more experienced peers (n=120). Data were gathered through an online survey and eight in-depth interviews. Findings showed that groups did not differ in the overall pattern of responses when problems were categorized at the system level (45%), interactions with people (33%), at the school and territory levels (15%), and within themselves (7%). Differences were observed when comparing the extent to which each group reported problems managing up (interactions with the municipal department of education and Ministry of Education) and managing down (initiating changes in the school's culture and structures). For novice principals, managing up was more challenging and for experienced principals managing down was more pressing. The high frequency and types of problems reported at the system level indicate the need to align policy reforms addressing leadership practices at intermediate and school levels. The findings also suggest guidelines for the professional development programs that extend beyond normative practices for effective school leadership, by also responding to country specific social and organizational structures.

Procesos de selección de directores escolares en Latinoamérica: Brasil, Chile, Colombia y Perú

“…En el caso chileno pese a que el proceso es liderado por el Servicio Civil, el Sostenedor considerando la aprobación del alcalde de la ciudad escoge dentro de los tres candidatos con más altas puntuaciones. En la mayoría de los casos, la decisión queda dentro de una esfera política más que una profesional (Donoso et al, 2019;Montecinos et al, 2018;Weinstein et al, 2016). Esto hace que, en múltiples ocasiones, los candidatos sean escogidos por sus colores políticos más que por sus méritos profesionales.…”

Giving voice to problems faced by school leaders in Portugal

“…In the last decade, researchers studying principals' problems around the world have increased notably, for instance: Abaya (2016) in Kenya; Brandon et al (2018) in Canada; Brooks and Sutherland (2014) in the Philippines; Demir (2016) in Turkey; Martínez-Ruiz and Hernández-Amorós (2018) in Spain; or Montecinos, Bush, and Aravena (2018), in Chile. Nonetheless, it is still needed to broaden the scope of this research topic to include different contexts and cultures.…”

The Role of Transformational School Leadership in Promoting Teacher Commitment: An Antecedent for Sustainable Development in South Africa

“…There is a relationship between school leadership practices and school performance. There is a high demand placed by national governments on school principals to ensure that schools deliver on their mandates particularly on quality curriculum delivery (Montecinos, Bush, & Aravena, 2018). Research indicates that there is a positive relationship between organizational productivity and transformational leadership.…”