Heads of educational institutions and expansion of autonomy with accountability. The mediating role of pedagogical leadership

Dirección de centros educativos y ampliación de autonomía con rendición de cuentas. El rol mediador del liderazgo pedagógico

Samuel Gento Palacios, UNED
Raúl González-Fernández, UNED
Ernesto López-Gómez, UNED

DOI

10.22550/REP81-3-2023-06

Abstract

This article aims to develop a critical approach to three key aspects for the proper functioning of schools. First of all, school management, which includes collegial structures, the pedagogical leadership of the principal and the middle leadership of other educational leaders. Second, the autonomy of educational institutions, which lies between decentralisation and participation, and finally, accountability, as evidence of responsibility on the part of educational institutions. All three are considered substantive components, mediated through pedagogical leadership, for the promotion of continuous improvement of educational institutions. Thus, school management, autonomy and accountability create a logical structure of links that could improve the quality of such institutions. Various considerations that recognise the central position of pedagogical leadership in educational institutions derive from this analytical framework. These considerations lead to proposals capable of guiding policies aimed at improving the functioning of educational institutions in the context of the educational reform underway, towards which the LOMLOE (Organic Law 3/2020 of 29 December, which amends Organic Law 2/2006 of 3 May on Education) seems to be heading.

Please, cite this article as follows: Gento Palacios, S., González-Fernández, R., & López-Gómez, E. (2022). Dirección de centros educativos y ampliación de autonomía con rendición de cuentas. El rol mediador del liderazgo pedagógico | Heads of educational institutions and expansion of autonomy with accountability. The mediating role of pedagogical leadership. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 80 (281), 193-209. 10.22550/REP80-1-2022-07

Referencias | References

Altrichter, H. (2010). Konzepte der Lehrerfortbildung im Kontext von Veränderungen im Schulwesen [Concepts of teacher training in the context of changes in the school system]. In F. H. Müller, A. Eichenberger, M. Lüders y J. Mayr (Eds.), Lehrerinnen und Lehrer Lernen (pp. 17-34). Waxmann.

Balduzzi, E. (2015). Liderazgo educativo del profesor en el aula y la personalización educativa [Educational leadership of the teacher in the classroom and educational personalisation]. revista española de pedagogía, 73 (260), 141-155.

Bolívar, A. (2019). Una dirección escolar con capacidad de liderazgo pedagógico [A school management with pedagogical leadership capacity]. La Muralla.

Bolívar, A. (2021). La dirección pedagógica en la LOMLOE: no todos los pasos adelante requeridos [Pedagogical guidance in the LOMLOE: Not all steps forward required]. Boletín Dirección y Liderazgo Educativo, 2, 26-28.

Bush, T., & Glover, D. (2014). School leadership models: what do we know? School Leadership & Management, 34 (5), 553-571. https://doi.org /10.1080/13632434.2014.928680

Casanova, M. A. (2021). Gestionar la autonomía pedagógica: un factor de calidad reconocido [Managing pedagogical autonomy: a recognised quality factor]. REICE. Revista Iberoamericana sobre Calidad, Eficacia y Cambio en Educación, 19 (2), 9-22. 10.15366/ reice2021.19.2.001

Chi-Kin, J., & Day, C. (Eds.) (2016). Quality and change in teacher education. Springer.

Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). The right to learn. Jossey-Bass.

Day, C., Sammons, P., Hopkins, D., Harris, A., Leithwood, K., Gu, K., & Brown, E. (2010). 10 strong claims about successful. College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services.

Er, E. (2021). The relationship between principal leadership and teacher practice: Exploring the mediating effect of teachers’ beliefs and professional learning. Educational Studies, 1-20. 10.1080/03055698.2021.1936458

Fernández-González, N., & Monarca, H. (2018). Los sentidos de la rendición de cuentas en el discurso educativo [The meanings of accountability in educational discourse]. Perfiles Latinoamericanos, 26 (51), 379-401. https://doi. org/10.18504/pl2651-015-2018

Fullan, M. (2014). The principal. Three keys to maximizing impact [El director. Tres claves para maximizar el impacto]. Jossey-Bass.

Gento, S. (1994). Participación en la gestión educativa [Participation in educational management]. Santillana.

Gento, S. (1996). Instituciones educativas para la calidad total [ducational institutions for total quality]. La Muralla.

Gento, S. (1998). Implantación de la calidad en instituciones educativas [Implantación de la calidad en instituciones educativas]. UNED.

Gento, S. (1999). Autonomía del centro educativo, impulsor de la calidad institucional [Autonomy of the educational centre, promoter of institutional quality]. Acción Pedagógica, 8 (2), 30-45.

Gento, S. (2013). Relevancia del liderazgo de la dirección para la calidad de la institución educativa [Relevance of management leadership for the quality of the educational institution]. Participación educativa, 2 (2), 1-13.

Gento, S., González Fernández, R., Palomares Ruiz, A., & Orden Gutiérrez, V. J. (2018). Integración de perspectivas sobre el perfil metodológico de una educación de calidad [Integration of perspectives on the methodological profile of quality education]. Bordón. Revista de Pedagogía, 70 (1), 25-42. 10.13042/ Bordon.2017.50833.

Godfrey, D. (Ed.). (2020). School peer review for educational improvement and accountability: theory, practice and policy implications. Springer.

González-Fernández, R., Khampirat, B., López-Gómez, E., & Silfa-Sención, H. O. (2020). La evidencia del liderazgo pedagógico de directores, jefes de estudios y profesorado desde la perspectiva de las partes interesadas [Evidence of pedagogical leadership of principals, heads of school and teachers from a stakeholder perspective]. Estudios sobre Educación, 39, 207-228.

González-Fernández, R., López-Gómez, E., Khampirat, B., & Gento, S. (2021). Medición de la importancia del liderazgo pedagógico de acuerdo con la percepción de los evaluadores [Measur-ing the importance of pedagogical leadership as perceived by evaluators]. Revista de Educación, 394, 39-65.

González-Fernández, R., Palomares Ruiz, A., López-Gómez, E., & Gento Palacios, S. (2019). Explorando el liderazgo pedagógico del docente: su dimensión formativa. Contextos Educativos, 24, 9-25. http://doi.org/10.18172/con.3936

Grift, W. van de. (1990). Educational leadership and academic achievement in Elementary Education. School Effectiveness Improvement, 1 (1). 26-40. 10.1080/0924345900010104

Gumus, S., Bellibas, M. S., Esen, M., & Gumus, E. (2018). A systematic review of studies on leadership models in educational research from 1980 to 2014 [Una revisión sistemática de estudios sobre modelos de liderazgo en la investigación educativa desde 1980 hasta 2014]. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46 (1), 25-48. https://doi. org/10.1177/1741143216659296

Hanushek, E. A., Link, S., & Woessmann, L. (2013). Does school autonomy make sense everywhere? Panel estimates from PISA. Journal of Development Economics, 104, 212-232. http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.08.002

Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2019). Leading from the middle: its nature, origins and importance. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 5 (1), 92- 114. 10.1108/JPCC-06-2019-0013

Harris, A. (2013). Distributed leadership: friend or foe? Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 41 (5), 545-554. https://doi. org/10.1177/1741143213497635

Harris, A., Jones, M., Ismail, N., & Nguyen, D. (2019). Middle leaders and middle leadership in schools: Exploring the knowledge base (2003-2017). School Leadership & Management, 39 (3-4), 255-277.

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analysis relating to achievement [Aprendizaje visible: una síntesis de más de 800 metaanálisis relacionados con el rendimiento]. Teachers College Press.

Hattie, J. (2011). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning [Aprendizaje visible para profesores: maximizar el impacto en el aprendizaje]. Routledge.

Hopmann, S. T. (2008). No child, no school, no state left behind: schooling in the age of accountability [Ningún niño, ninguna escuela, ningún estado se queda atrás: la educación en la era de la responsabilidad]. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 40 (4), 417-456. 10.1080/00220270801989818

Hutt, E., & Polikoff, M. S. (2020). Toward a frame-work for public accountability in education reform. Educational Researcher, 49 (7), 503-511.

Ibáñez-Martín, J. A. (2009). Elementos básicos de un ethos escolar orientado a la excelencia [Basic elements of an excellence-oriented school ethos]. In J. A. Ibáñez-Martín (Coord.), Educación, Conocimiento y Justicia (pp. 315-318). Dykinson.

Kameshwara, K. K., Sandoval-Hernandez, A., Shields, R., & Dhanda, K. R. (2020). A false promise? Decentralization in education systems across the globe. International Journal of Educational Research, 104, 101669. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101669

Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2020). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management, 40 (1), 5-22. 10.1080/1 3632434.2019.1596077

Leithwood, K., & Riehl, C. (2009). ¿Qué sabemos sobre liderazgo educativo? In K. Leithwood (Ed.), Cómo liderar nuestras escuelas. Aportes desde la Investigación (pp. 17-34). Fundación Chile.

Levin, H. (1974). A conceptual framework for accountability in education. The School Review, 82 (3), 363-391.

Lipscombe, K., Tindall-Ford, S., & Lamanna, J. (2021). School middle leadership: A systematic review. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 10.1177/1741143220983328

Llorent-Bedmar, V., Cobano-Delgado, V., & Navarro-Granados, M. (2017). Liderazgo Pedagógico y dirección escolar en contextos desfavorecidos [School leadership and school management in underprivileged areas]. revista española de pedagogía, 75 (268), 541-564. https://doi. org/10.22550/REP75-3-2017-04

López Rupérez, F., García, I., & Expósito-Casas, E. (2020a). School leadership in Spain. Evidence from PISA 2015 assessment and recommendations. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 1-20. 10.1080/15700763.2020.1770806

López Rupérez, F., García, I., & Expósito-Casas, E. (2020b). Un marco analítico para la evaluación de la calidad de la gobernanza de los sistemas educativos [An analytical framework for the evaluation of the quality of governance of education systems]. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación, 83 (1), 53-76. https://doi. org/10.35362/rie8313672

López-Gómez, E., González-Fernández, R., Medina, A., & Gento, S. (2020). Proposal to promote quality of education: A view from Spain. In H. Flavian (Ed.), From Pedagogy to Quality Assurance in Education: An International Perspective (pp. 29-44). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Lowin, A. (1968). Participative decision making: A model, literature critique, and prescriptions for research. Organizational Behavior & Human Performance, 3 (1), 68–106. https://doi. org/10.1016/0030-5073(68)90028-7

Mortimore, P. (1993). School effectiveness and the management of effective learning and teaching. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 4 (4), 290-310. 10.1080/0924345930040404

Netolicky, D. (Ed.) (2021). Future alternatives for educational. Routledge.

Nguyen, D., Harris, A., & Ng, D. (2020). A review of the empirical research on teacher leadership (2003–2017): Evidence, patterns and implications. Journal of Educational Administration, 58 (1), 60-80. 10.1108/JEA-02- 2018-0023

Organic Law 2/2006, of 3 May, on Education (LOE). Spanish Official State Gazette, 106, 4 May 2006, pages 17158 to 17207. https://www. boe.es/eli/es/lo/2006/05/03/2

Organic Law 8/2013, of 9 December, for the Improvement of the Quality of Education (LOMCE). Spanish Official State Gazette, 295, of 10 December 2013, pages 97858 to 97921. https:// www.boe.es/eli/es/lo/2013/12/09/8

Organic Law 3/2020, of 29 December, which amends Organic Law 2/2006, of 3 May, on Education (LOMLOE). Spanish Official State Gazette, 340, of 30 December 2020, pages 122868 to 122953. https://www.boe.es/eli/es/ lo/2020/12/29/3

Pan, H. L. W., & Chen, W. Y. (2021). How principal leadership facilitates teacher learning through teacher leadership: Determining the critical path. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49 (3), 454-470. https://doi. org/10.1177/1741143220913553

Phillip, E., & Rolf, H. G. (2011). Schulprogramme und Leitbilder Entwickeln [Develop school programmes and mission statements]. Beltz. Pont, B., Nusche, D., & Moorman, H. (2008). Improving school leadership. OECD.

Schott, C., van Roekel, H., & Tummers, L. (2020). Teacher leadership: A systematic review, method ological quality assessment and conceptual framework. Educational Research Review, 31 (3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100352

Shaked, H., & Schechter, C. (2016). Systems thinking among school middle leaders [Pensamiento sistémico entre líderes intermedios de escuelas]. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 45 (4), 699-718. https://doi. org/10.1177/1741143215617949

Sugrue, C. (2015). Unmasking school. Springer.

Tian, M., Risku, M., & Collin, K. (2015). A meta-analysis of distributed leadership from 2002 to 2013: theory development, empirical evidence and future research focus. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 44 (1), 146-164. https://doi. org/10.1177/1741143214558576

Verger, A., Fontdevila, C., & Parcerisa, L. (2019). Reforming governance through policy instruments: how and to what extent standards, tests and accountability in education spread worldwide. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 40 (2), 248-270. 10.1080/01596306.2 019.1569882

Wang, L. H., Gurr, D., & Drysdale, L. (2016). Successful school leadership: Case studies of four Singapore primary schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 54 (3), 270-287. 10.1108/JEA-03-2015-0022

Wellisch, J. B., McQueen, A. H., Carriere, R. A., & Duck, G. A. (1987). School management and organization in successful school. Sociology of Education, 51 (3), 211-226.

Whitty, G., Power, S., & Halpin, D. (1999). La escuela, el estado y el mercado [The school, the state and the market]. Morata.

Author Biography

Samuel Gento Palacios. Retired Professor of Didactics and School Organisation. He has an honorary doctorate from the University of Latvia. He was a member of the National Education School Council and Inspector of Education of de Spanish Ministry of Education. He has acted as the ‘link convenor’ and is currently ‘honorary link convenor’ of Network 11 on “Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance” of the EERA (European Association of Research in Education). He belongs to the consolidated research group (ForInterMed, UNED / Ref. 125). His research interests focus on pedagogical leadership, education in diversity and educational quality.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5847-2911

Raúl González-Fernández. Assistant Professor at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED). He is ‘co-convenor’ of Network 11 on “Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance” of the EERA (European Association of Research in Education). He belongs to the consolidated research group (ForInterMed, UNED / Ref.125). His research interests include educational leadership, development of educational institutions and early education teacher training.

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5683-685X

Ernesto López-Gómez. Tenure Professor of Didactics and School Organisation, UNED. He belongs to the consolidated research group (ForInterMed, UNED / Ref. 125) and is ‘co-convenor’ of Network 11 on “Educational Improvement and Quality Assurance” of the EERA. His research interests include teacher training, university tutoring and higher education and pedagogical leadership.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0679-5241

Citación recomendada | Recommended citation

Gento Palacios, S., González-Fernández, R. y López-Gómez, E. (2022). Dirección de centros educativos y ampliación de autonomía con rendición de cuentas. El rol mediador del liderazgo pedagógico | Heads of educational institutions and expansion of autonomy with accountability. The mediating role of pedagogical leadership. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 80 (281), 193-209. 10.22550/REP80-1-2022-07