Collaborative agency in educational management: A joint object for school and community transformation

Abstract

This research paper discusses activities developed in a school located in a favela in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, and its surrounding community to deal with the issue of flooding. First, I present a review of the literature on educational management suggesting an expansive learning perspective, then I introduce the notion of collaborative agency as theoretical background. Methodologically, this study focuses on critical collaborative research and formative intervention, which implies different subjects taking part and negotiating decisions to be made during the research beyond school settings. The analysis is based on categories of description and argumentation, which contribute to the scrutiny of different voices and activities in the respective school and community. Thus, I discuss how collaborative agency contributes to the transformation of the given context: first, how the community becomes involved in the activities of the school, and second, how the school is involved in the activities of the community to overcome the problem of flooding.