Academic success in schools in the Algarve: When leadership is part of the solution and not of the problem

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a case study conducted among school principals in the southern region of Portugal, located in urban, suburban and rural settings. The five cases that comprise this study were subjected to a final rating of "Very Good" in the external evaluation process of schools, whose data were collected through semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis (regulations and educational project, reports of the external evaluation of responsibility of Inspeção Geral de Educação e Ciência de Portugal). The data collected in this exploratory study were systematized and analyzed according to the following indicators: the students' academic success, the teachers' professional development, the organizational development and the identifying features of schools principals. Overall, we cannot affirm the existence of differences according to geographical area, although some particularities which proved to be interesting and indicative of good leadership practices could be highlighted.