Current Perspectives On Educational Leadership: Opportunities And Constraints For Improvement

Abstract

The public management reforms promoted by the New Public Management (NPM) have produced several arrangements to the administrative structure and processes, distancing these from the classic bureaucratic paradigms. However, the power of this reformist current and its controversies have marked the application of reforms that claim to be inspired by it, opening a debate on its contents and sustainability over time. A central aspect in this controversy lies in the degree of adjustment that would exist between the assumptions underlying the NPM and the culture that tends to predominate administration. The literature on effectiveness and school improvement has highlighted the critical role that management plays in organizing good pedagogical practices in educational centers and increasing learning outcomes. A current review of research is made on how educational leadership is a first-order factor in improving results; However, new directions in research and educational policies are promoting pedagogical leadership. The management profile is therefore being extended to include pedagogical leadership. Leadership for learning, beyond management, must be extended in a distributed manner through the leadership of teachers and professional learning communities. The serious limitations that current management has in designing environments to improve learning for all students are also discussed.