Perceptions of management teams about leadership and school organization in disadvantaged contexts

Abstract

Research suggests that, in order to improve educational organizations, it is necessary to exert a leadership that is broadly distributed, inclusive, and learning-centered. In this article, we analyze how 21 members of leadership teams in eight educational centers located in disadvantaged contexts in Madrid (Spain)— and who are going to follow a leadership program for comprehensive education—perceive, exert, and distribute leadership, as well as the manner in which they organize their management time. The study is conducted by means of a sequential exploratory design of mixed methods, and the results of questionnaires and interviews show that management teams are aware of the importance of leadership in order to see an improvement. However, they find obstacles when putting it into practice, and the distribution of their managerial time does not agree with their theoretical assumptions. The article compares these results with those of other investigations and with the available academic literature, and it suggests some recommendations to improve leadership in these schools.