School managers as street-level managers: A typology of principals in Brazilian municipal schools

Abstract

Even though students’ socioeconomic background is central to comprehending educational results, there is a consensus in the literature that school managers influence students' learning. They have a central role in instructional coordination and in the relations with external and internal school communities, for instance. Nevertheless, few studies seek to better grasp the features of effective school management in Brazil. This paper aims to contribute to this debate by studying the types of leadership of school managers in sixteen Brazilian schools, seeking to incorporate the debate of school leadership with the literature on street-level managers. We develop four types of ideal-types of school leadership, which guided the quantitative analysis of data collected in in-depth interviews and observation. The analysis shows that school managers are key to changes and adaptations of policies according to specific school contexts. However, the sistemic view and previous experience of school managers had a major effect on schools' positive path, as allowed them to use resources more efficiently and customize solutions to their contexts, central in contexts characterized by institutional fragilities and social inequality.