Networks and collaboration in Spanish education policy

Abstract

Background: Networks play an important role in today's societies. As a consequence, changes are apparent in the political, economic, cultural, educational and social agendas. Purpose: The main goal of this article is to map the situation of school networks in Spain. The research questions are focused on what forms collaboration and networking take in the Spanish education system; how policy and practice are providing a framework for the development of networks; and what the main barriers to fostering school-to-school collaboration in this context are. Methods: A mix of case studies and documentary analysis was used. Two regions located in the Southwest (Extremadura and the Canary Islands) were selected to examine their legislation about networks in education. The following aspects were considered: aims and aspirations, areas of interest, organizational structure, benefits and incentives, network project, and evaluation and improvement proposals. In this way, Spain is presented as an example of a country that is exploring the possibilities offered by networks. Findings and conclusions: There is no common state policy to support networking between schools. Rather, every local educational authority acts with different purposes and a variable extent of development. This particular situation offers a diverse map of education networks. The case studies show that networks are being developed bottom-up, through topics of interest, such as library, ecology, health-promotion, equality, emotional intelligence, educational research, enterprise and physical education. The paper concludes by reflecting on and discussing the current landscape of educational networks. Some barriers identified are related to: the networks' structures that could be more inclusive, the loose culture of collaboration, the weak mechanisms to link social and professional capital provided by policy makers, the importance of belief in the network society and community power by stakeholders, and also to the necessity to increase incentives for people involved, in terms of working-time conditions and resources.

Diseño y evaluación de un plan para la atención del alumnado inmigrante con desconocimiento del español

“…Estas redes han de funcionar de manera efectiva para otorgar, en tiempo y forma, una respuesta ajustada a las necesidades que presenta tanto el alumnado como sus familias. A este respecto, estudios recientes apuestan por el trabajo en red y la construcción de puentes para el apoyo y la colaboración en el ámbito socioeducativo (Azorín, 2017;Azorín y Muijs, 2017). En esta dirección, Simón et al (2016) concluyen que la posibilidad de tener un espacio para compartir y reflexionar entre centros, intercambiar experiencias y compartir saberes, permite avanzar hacia una educación más inclusiva.…”

Building a Common Project by Promoting Pedagogical Coordination and Educational Leadership for School Improvement: A Structural Equation Model

“…], encouraging and motivating the department's teachers to work on curriculum development (Albashiry et al 2016, p. 402). These are key aspects of successfully engaging teaching staff who typically deem working on a shared project to be an additional burden lacking in incentives (Azorín and Daniel 2017).…”

The Journey towards Inclusion: Exploring the Response of Teachers to the Challenge of Diversity in Schools

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