Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This text focuses on the analysis of key tensions within Latin American school education, with a specific focus on the Chilean context, arising in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and intertwining with pre-existing critical situations. It identifies intra-system tensions, namely, a significant decline in learning outcomes, a growing rise in disengagement from schooling, and critical issues regarding school climate. Subsequently, it addresses macropolitical concerns linked to state rigidity, the diminishing social value of schools, authorities, and educators, as well as emerging demands to which schools lack clear responses. These elements present significant challenges for new designs and practices in schools, which educational leaders must consider in light of the increasing and simultaneous tasks they face.

Educational leadership and collaboration are highlighted as fundamental in the literature. However, research on this topic in vocational or technical-professional (TP) education is scarce. This case study examines a series of attributes of the actors in a Chilean school (role, gender, postgraduate possession, years in school), through a quantitative-descriptive analysis of the collaborative network, and the perceptions stated by these actors. The results indicate that, although most of them have not been in the institution for more than 5 years, the school shows a high cohesion and a prominent valuation among colleagues. In terms of leadership, the management team is mostly composed of men, and they are those with a postgraduate degree, being the most prominent actors in the collaborative network. Contrasting their perceptions on educational leadership, the vision of PT teachers is less optimistic about the current situation, although more optimistic about what can be achieved. This shows the relevance of probing the TP educational contexts, since the patterns of collaboration and distribution of leadership would be conditioned by the actions of its actors and their opinion about what is happening and future projections.

Professional teacher development plays a pivotal role in educational improvement, particularly in its online format (OPD), given its scalability. Despite the increasing number of OPD, few have undergone empirical evaluation. A cohort of 52 primary school teachers participated in a 152-hour, 4-month OPD with a focus on evidence-based practices in education (EBPE) for literacy. The study examined how they navigated online learning and identified the learning outcomes they perceived as relevant based on their participation. 84.6% of participants did not reside in the same city as the university responsible for the program, and 75% worked in public institutions. A mixed-methods research approach was employed. Quantitative data were collected on activity within the Moodle platform and task outcomes. Qualitative insights were gathered through 7 semi-structured interviews and 2 focus groups. 98% of participants successfully completed the OPD. They showed a preference for activities involving formative assessment. They valued acquired knowledge related to practical literacy activities and explicit vocabulary instruction. While they did not explicitly refer to theoretical content on EBPE, they emphasized gaining evidence-based support for justifying their practices. The findings suggest that OPD can be effective if they are contextualized in teaching practice, incorporate scientific evidence, and employ friendly, affordable, and accessible formats.

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis based on research studies published between 2010 and 2022 to address the question: How are the contents of natural sciences teaching organized, and what are their theoretical and methodological foundations? The search was conducted in the SciELO, Dialnet, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases using the following keywords: teaching and learning sequences, teaching sequence, learning sequence, didactic proposal, teaching proposal, didactic strategy, didactic unit, didactic sequence, classroom experience, classroom project, didactic system, and natural sciences (biology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology). A total of 85 articles were found and analyzed according to three categories: 1) general characteristics of the articles, 2) the nature of the proposed experiences, and 3) mediating elements in the construction. The study established that the most commonly implemented content organization systems are "teaching and learning sequence," "didactic sequence," and "didactic unit." It was also observed that teachers are increasingly considering the contexts and realities of students in both content and strategies. Additionally, important elements were identified for teachers when designing content organization, including the history of sciences, cognitive-linguistic skills, new information technologies, and evaluation.

The lack of tools available to teachers to promote innovation in the classroom constitutes one of the major challenges in the educational sector. Traditionally, it has been thought that the public sector is responsible for leading innovation processes and strengthening educational quality. However, research in the field of educational leadership suggests that actors such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and think tanks are beginning to emerge as leaders in the sector. This is a case study of the NGO Course Council, operating in Chile, which in 2018 implemented a pilot project for curricular innovation in Colombia. Using a qualitative approach, this study aims to understand the role of this NGO in the development of educational leadership processes in two educational centers in Colombia. Data collection involved conducting focus groups with teachers and program directors of the foundation. Findings suggest the need to promote a bottom-up transformative leadership approach that allows for the participation of more actors in curricular innovation processes. Consejo de Curso is a nongovernmental organization, based in Chile, and since 2014 has been working on the implementation of out of school education programs to close learning gaps. In 2018, Consejo de Curso implemented a pilot study in Colombia to assess the effectiveness of a new curriculum. The results from the intervention were used to make adjustments to the Spanish and Social Studies courses in the schools that participated in the pilot project. This study, qualitative in nature, aimed at understanding the role that nongovernmental organizations such as Consejo de Curso play in fostering educational leadership in Colombia. By conducting semi-structured interviews with the teachers and with the program directors in Colombia as well as by employing thematic analysis techniques, this study suggests the implementation of bottom-up transformational leadership strategies to incentivize participation of multiple actors.

In the context of educational environments characterized by high socio-educational complexity, this study aims to identify the practices and strategies implemented by principals in elementary schools, which have an impact on improving the learning process of students. To carry out this research, a methodology based on a systematic review of the literature was used, focused on cases documented in Mexico by the International Project of Successful School Principals. The bibliographic search was conducted in various academic databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science. Nineteen documents were selected for an exhaustive review, including academic articles, conference papers, books and book chapters. The results obtained were organized into categories corresponding to transformational leadership and analyzed from a social justice perspective based on the theory of planned behavior. Among the strategies identified were the establishment of a cohesive vision in the school community, emotional support for staff, specification of shared values, and the fulfillment of established commitments.

Collaborative networking is one of the key principles of the new public education system in Chile. This reform establishes that public education will be progressively managed by local public education services (SLEP). Research on the implementation of SLEPs indicates that it is necessary to accelerate, strengthen and improve the articulation of territorial networks; however, evidence on their functioning is scarce. The objective of this research is to analyze the functioning of the educational networks coordinated by the SLEPs, with emphasis on their purposes, methodology and activities. Based on an online questionnaire validated in Chile and applied in 2022, 412 responses were obtained from 59 educational networks of six SLEPs. The results allow us to identify a medium level of coherence in the purposes defined by the educational networks. There is a predominance of activities in which the coordinators play a leading role, and the presentation of successful experiences of their participants in the network meetings. Significant differences have been found in the activities carried out by the SLEPs, so it is suggested to strengthen collaborative learning among the SLEPs from a systemic approach, especially on the leadership of the educational networks, to strengthen the professional capacities of their teams and their territorial accompaniment.

Contemporary society poses unprecedented challenges to education. We live in a global and varied environment, where not only access to knowledge is essential, but also the development of cognitive and interpersonal skills in students. Educational institutions must adapt to this context, which requires far-sighted leaders to transform the vision of learning. Current reforms, focused on performance and short-term goals, can hinder collaborative and democratic leadership. This qualitative study describes the results of the first phase of implementation of a deep learning facilitation program in educational institutions in Chile, focusing on understanding the resignification of the vision of learning, learning and challenges for school leaders in the period studied. From interviews, surveys and evaluations, it is reported that most understand deep learning, but with variations in its implementation. It also identifies the learnings and challenges of leadership teams, key aspects at the organizational level. The study reveals the challenges and achievements of leadership teams and the critical points at the organizational level, which leads to reflect on current educational practices and the structure of educational systems.

This study is based on educational leadership from a distributed leadership approach for educational improvement. The problem researched is the dropout of students in teacher training and the aim of the study is to know the causes of early dropout to address them through an improvement plan based on management through distributed leadership. The methodology used is applied educational research with a case study approach, qualitative with contributions from quantitative techniques that enriched the approach. The qualitative techniques were interviews and document analysis. As a complement, the survey technique was used. Two questionnaires were applied, one to the teachers and the other to the students of the group studied. The results show that disengagement is due to personal factors of the students, but also to intrinsic factors generated by the educational system. The research concludes with the design of actions that seek to address the problem with the involvement and participation of teachers and students, based on the leadership of the principal who shares and distributes it in order to reverse the situation through the improvement plan.

This study examines how the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup was utilized as an educational tool in schools across the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Using a mixed exploratory methodology, the research first analyzed the integration of the website Golazo. El mundial en la escuela into the school curriculum through a documentary review of activities published on the platform by 97 primary schools. These activities reflect a cross-disciplinary approach, with the World Cup incorporated into the teaching of natural sciences, social studies, mathematics, and other subjects. In the second phase of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty teachers from Bahía Blanca to gather their perceptions of the World Cup's impact on educational dynamics. The findings reveal that the World Cup not only significantly increased student engagement but also facilitated a more integrative and motivating pedagogical approach. This approach allowed teachers to use the event as a pivot for teaching various skills and values, highlighting the effectiveness of soccer as a cross-cutting educational tool.