Principal leadership in schools that overcome contextual barriers

Abstract

School leaders are key factors in achieving good schools and this is especially relevant in contexts of inequality such as Latin America in general and Argentina in particular. The research objective is to understand how school leadership operates as a factor of equity and effectiveness in schools. A qualitative approach is taken of a multiple case study focused on the practices of the directors of four public high schools in the City of Buenos Aires. For the selection of schools, the results base is taken from the Index of Equity and Quality of Buenos Aires Education (IECEP) prepared by the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires for its secondary schools and as an indicator of educational vulnerability, the educational level of the average mother per school is considered calculated by the same ministry.The results provide effective leadership conceptions and practices developed in these schools, which consist of sustaining a critical and reflective vision around the problems of inequality, building a shared project with a sense of community, maintaining high expectations and pedagogical commitment, and promoting equitable and inclusive strategies. The findings are consistent with the research literature on pedagogical, inclusive and distributed leadership. The research contributes to educational policies for the development of school leadership, aimed at achieving higher quality and fairer educational systems.