SCHOOL MANAGEMENT - CHALLENGE FOR THE CONSTITUTION OF A DEMOCRATIC SPACE

Desafio para a constituição de um espaço democrático

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the main challenges of public school management, from the perspective of directors of state schools in the region of Varginha-MG, considering their weaknesses and strengths. 72 school principals participated in this qualitative study, of the 105 invited guests, who responded to an online questionnaire, the objective of which was to analyze the sociodemographic profile of school principals; understand the initial and continuing training processes; as well as professional trajectories, their understanding of the concept of school management and management practice. The data were initially processed using the SPSS software and then the content analysis technique was used, considering the theoretical framework and the research context. The results showed that principals understand that financial, administrative and people management take up a large part of the time allocated to school management and that, if there is no planning, pedagogical management can remain in the background. The directors pointed out that exercising the profession requires a multiplicity of skills, related to teamwork and conflict mediation, as well as calm, patience, resilience, and dedication, which suggests that there is a certain precariousness of this task.