Educational Leadership and Citizenship Education: Evidence from the Chilean Case

Abstract

For more than a decade there has been concern about citizen disenchantment with politics, its correlate in the increase in the perception of distrust in political institutions and a reduction in electoral participation and in traditional political organizations. Given the decreasing formal political participation, the importance of school citizenship education arises, especially if previous evidence is considered that indicates that the civic behavior of young people is a strong predictor of their participation as adult citizens. On the odier hand, an extensive and long-standing line of research confirms the importance of school leadership in strident learning outcomes. This study analyzes the relationship between school leadership and the development of citizenship competencies in Chile, examining leadership characteristics that favor student outcomes in terms of their knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward citizenship. Through a mixed methodology that performs an analysis of quantitative secondary data and qualitative primary data, it reveals consistent evidence about the key role of educational leadership in the definition and importance of citizenship education in the school institution as a whole. Specifically, the study identifies that school leaders contribute to the consolidation of an educational project by promoting the generation of identity and a sense of belonging in students, which contributes to the development of their citizenship skills.