From clients to partners: Collective imaginaries of management teams about families in the context of a pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover SMTs (school management teams) collective imaginaries about families and school relationships during a health crisis. Through comparative case study, we worked with four public schools in the Metropolitan Region, conducting role analysis interviews, group interviews and individual ones, all of them with SMTs' members. Through a Reflective Thematic Analysis, we were able to identify three thematic nuclei: a) principals' representations about family-school relationships, b) how and on what basis these imaginaries are created and c) the possibilities of action offered by these imaginaries. We conclude that perceptions on families are transformed: they pass from being clients stigmatized by their absence and vulnerability to being collaborators involved in the educational process. The work of both families and schools, the relationship among them has been strengthened, setting up promising conditions for student learning. It is finally, also an opportunity to further innovate on teaching and learning practices, putting family knowledge at the center.