Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 2020
PurposeThis essay explores the effects of school buildings closure during the coronavirus disease... more PurposeThis essay explores the effects of school buildings closure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Chilean teachers' and principals' professional role and values, highlighting implications for reconceptualizing educators' professionalism for the post-pandemic era.Design/methodology/approachCompeting versions of Chilean educators' professionalism during the pandemic were analyzed based on government guidelines, national teachers' association statements, news reports and testimonies from teachers and principals collected from webinars.FindingsThe guidelines that the ministry issued after school building were required to close motivated educators to challenge a version of professionalism founded on new public management (NPM) policies, which mandated external control and emphasized students' academic outcomes. By challenging the dominant NPM perspective of professionalism, educators advocated for professional autonomy as well as studen...
Principals are a key player in school improvement, especially in schools categorized as insuffici... more Principals are a key player in school improvement, especially in schools categorized as insufficient by performance inspection systems. This study uses an exploratory and qualitative approach, the objective of which is to describe the perceptions of the principals who lead the “most critical” schools in the Valparaiso region, Chile. To do this, according to the qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven school principals, in order to describe the reasons why they consider that their schools are in a deteriorating situation. It is concluded that the persons conducting this study report that the chronic deterioration situation is explained in a multifactorial manner. These factors can be grouped into five categories: (1) socioeconomic level of students and their families, (2) high rotation of top positions, (3) quality of pedagogical practices, (4) teachers´ commitment, and (5) idiosyncratic characteristics of the Chilean educational system. Recommendations...
Neoliberalism and Education Systems in Conflict, 2020
Chile is one of the countries that first and most decidedly implemented neoliberal policies in ed... more Chile is one of the countries that first and most decidedly implemented neoliberal policies in education, structured around a nationwide voucher system and school-choice policy. Recently, as in other countries around the globe, school leadership has taken a significant role in the education agenda regarding both policies and research. Despite the relevance of school leadership in Chile, the understanding of the influence of the context of privatization and competition in which principals' work is located has not yet developed. With few exceptions that focus specifically on this area, research has not provided enough evidence of how market-driven policies have influenced principals' practices. This chapter aims to contribute to fill such a gap by offering an analytical view of two main reforms that affect school leadership directly: the national voucher system and the national system of quality assurance through testing. The analysis also illustrates how recent reforms that prohibit selection of students challenge principals to move toward inclusive and collaborative approaches as they conflict with the historical way principals have react to the Chilean neoliberal agenda. The chapter ends by presenting current challenges for school principals and identifying areas for further research
This article focuses on the development of a network learning system to enhance professional lear... more This article focuses on the development of a network learning system to enhance professional learning in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) through collaboration in a university–school partnership. The Chilean education system, characterised by market-oriented reforms and competition, serves as a unique context where to explore the development of an initiative designed to reframe relationships between ITE staff and school teachers with the purpose of reducing the distance between academic preparation and the day-to-day realities of teaching in schools. The findings of this exploratory study offer optimistic insights on how the initiative becomes a space for building trust and relationships among professionals and disrupts boundaries between institutions enhancing teacher professional learning, which are particularly promising given the policy context
University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. April 2016. Major: Organizational Leadership, Policy,... more University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. April 2016. Major: Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Advisor: Karen Seashore. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 199 pages.
Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 2020
PurposeThis essay explores the effects of school buildings closure during the coronavirus disease... more PurposeThis essay explores the effects of school buildings closure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Chilean teachers' and principals' professional role and values, highlighting implications for reconceptualizing educators' professionalism for the post-pandemic era.Design/methodology/approachCompeting versions of Chilean educators' professionalism during the pandemic were analyzed based on government guidelines, national teachers' association statements, news reports and testimonies from teachers and principals collected from webinars.FindingsThe guidelines that the ministry issued after school building were required to close motivated educators to challenge a version of professionalism founded on new public management (NPM) policies, which mandated external control and emphasized students' academic outcomes. By challenging the dominant NPM perspective of professionalism, educators advocated for professional autonomy as well as studen...
Principals are a key player in school improvement, especially in schools categorized as insuffici... more Principals are a key player in school improvement, especially in schools categorized as insufficient by performance inspection systems. This study uses an exploratory and qualitative approach, the objective of which is to describe the perceptions of the principals who lead the “most critical” schools in the Valparaiso region, Chile. To do this, according to the qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven school principals, in order to describe the reasons why they consider that their schools are in a deteriorating situation. It is concluded that the persons conducting this study report that the chronic deterioration situation is explained in a multifactorial manner. These factors can be grouped into five categories: (1) socioeconomic level of students and their families, (2) high rotation of top positions, (3) quality of pedagogical practices, (4) teachers´ commitment, and (5) idiosyncratic characteristics of the Chilean educational system. Recommendations...
Neoliberalism and Education Systems in Conflict, 2020
Chile is one of the countries that first and most decidedly implemented neoliberal policies in ed... more Chile is one of the countries that first and most decidedly implemented neoliberal policies in education, structured around a nationwide voucher system and school-choice policy. Recently, as in other countries around the globe, school leadership has taken a significant role in the education agenda regarding both policies and research. Despite the relevance of school leadership in Chile, the understanding of the influence of the context of privatization and competition in which principals' work is located has not yet developed. With few exceptions that focus specifically on this area, research has not provided enough evidence of how market-driven policies have influenced principals' practices. This chapter aims to contribute to fill such a gap by offering an analytical view of two main reforms that affect school leadership directly: the national voucher system and the national system of quality assurance through testing. The analysis also illustrates how recent reforms that prohibit selection of students challenge principals to move toward inclusive and collaborative approaches as they conflict with the historical way principals have react to the Chilean neoliberal agenda. The chapter ends by presenting current challenges for school principals and identifying areas for further research
This article focuses on the development of a network learning system to enhance professional lear... more This article focuses on the development of a network learning system to enhance professional learning in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) through collaboration in a university–school partnership. The Chilean education system, characterised by market-oriented reforms and competition, serves as a unique context where to explore the development of an initiative designed to reframe relationships between ITE staff and school teachers with the purpose of reducing the distance between academic preparation and the day-to-day realities of teaching in schools. The findings of this exploratory study offer optimistic insights on how the initiative becomes a space for building trust and relationships among professionals and disrupts boundaries between institutions enhancing teacher professional learning, which are particularly promising given the policy context
University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. April 2016. Major: Organizational Leadership, Policy,... more University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. April 2016. Major: Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Advisor: Karen Seashore. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 199 pages.
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