The world is a great book, of which they that never stir from home read only a page. Saint Augustine This work is built around a sociopolitical and theoretical analysis of the educational reality after the enactment of law decree nº 115-A/98, a new body of regulations for school management which increases school autonomy. It endeavors to take a closer look at the connections formed between the two organized aspects studied by organizational theory: the rational-bureaucratic aspect, with all its rigidity, stability and uniformity; and the political aspect, which has ambiguity, variability andconflict as hallmarks. These aspects were looked at in this report's first chapter through the models of bureaucracy and political system, while also referencing the model of ambiguity, noting at the end how all these models together form systems of domination that maintain complex relationships between themselves, from mutual reinforcement to reciprocal annulment. Theoretically we sought to comprehend how bureaucratic logic based on hierarchy, authority and conformity relates to political rationality based on instability, conflict and negotiation. We start with Crozier's assumption (1965: 159) that "a rigid system will not easily adjust to change, rather it will tend to resist it". By analyzing the Portuguese educational system's reality we can see that, for several years, it was marked by its rigidity and over-centralization, hence the resistance shown by its actors when new organs (especially the School Assembly) are implemented and the school's fundamental documents (specifically the Internal regulations, the School educational project and the school educational project) are written. The arrival of these regulations, however, was preceded by previous regulatory efforts which are described in a brief legislative history in the second chapter. In fact, looking back to the twentieth century we realize that challenges arose back then in the world of education, namely the new purposes and functions of the school. Thus, the school required a new organizational dynamic capable of dealing with the demands of mass education. In the particular case of Portugal, after the turbulent period that followed the 25th of April 1974 revolution, the implementation of a new administrative model for schools was sought, one that returns to the school the ability to choose the people in charge. Obviously, even though at this time schools would pick their own administrators, these were still directly dependent on the ministry of education. It was in the 1980's however, that the Portuguese school administration reform started. The enactment of a basic legal framework for education, Portugal's entry into the EEC and the release of various national and international studies placed importance on the school as a political decision center, hence the urgent need for global reform of the education system. This process began with the Basic Law of the Education System, which was altered by Law decree nº 43/89 of February 3rd until we arrived at the administrative model laid down in law decree nº 115-A/98, in which the concepts of autonomy, educational project and educational conceptions of authority and power, as well as the concepts of management, autonomy, leadership and decision making. The narrativeconcerning all the episodes and situations around this implementation process is presented in the third chapter of this report. In it focus is given to the installation of new school management organs and the various actors' perceptions of the process, aswell as to the relationships between them taking into account theoretical references and concepts. Concerning the management organs, a bigger role was given to the school assembly and executive council (connecting each others' powers, placing them in a local and regional central administration context), seeking contributions towards the building of school autonomy while keeping in mind the contradictions raised by the model's ambiguity. In fact, despite the legal importance placed on the school assembly, the executive council maintains its status as the most important management organ. On the other hand, this power-sharing scheme brought about fears of loss of importance in the faculty. There was reluctance, even resistance, on the part of teachers to open the school to other interested parties with educational responsibilities, some of them external to the school, especially parents and guardians. Effectively, throughout this narrative there is a very reserved attitude towards this law decree on the part ofthe faculty, perhaps because they expected the process not to move forward and that the status quo would be maintained. On the other hand, such attitudes were a reflection of the heavily bureaucratic, centralized and hierarchical administration that had been in place for decades. The creation process for the school's fundamental documents betrays this fact, as it resulted in mere reports that did nothing but praise the schools. As the implementation process moves forward, there is growing awareness that the actors' resistance, in this case the teachers, manifests itself through conflict when their personal interests, objectives and privileges are at stake. This creates a need for a controlling and vigilant attitude on the part of the Executive Installing Committee and later the Executive Council. This organ, imbued with the task of implementing the new management model, ends up personifying the law decree and becomes the target of mistrust and ill-will on the part of a group of teacher in the Blue school, a group comprised of senior tenured teachers. From this point forward, many episodes occurred, some of them unusual, in an attempt to divert that organ from its true purpose. This group's influence calls the instituted power into question, defies formal authority. The existence of "schools" within the Blue school becomes therefore visible. This scenario maintains itself as the new structure rises and school projects are made, the situation being worsened by the enactment of other regulations, like Law decree nº6/2001 (which face resistance due to the workings of the new non-disciplinary curricular areas) or the constitution of the vertical school groups (where teachers' reluctance to collaborate with teachers of other educational levels is felt). The third chapter closes with a summary of the various types of leadership. We recognize the complexity of this concept and the difficulty in distinguishing different models, so no one model should prevail over another. Looking at the issues exposed, a balance can be achieved through combined leadership, in other words, using the right strategy at the right time. It is also recognized that the desired autonomy didn't go beyond a mere relative autonomy, as we are still able to verify that there is an excessive dependencyon the central administration. Once again the convergence between political discourse and action did not occur, as we can see by the lack of power of local management relative to the central administration. Some unpleasantness notwithstanding, it was an extremely productive period thanks to the learning opportunities created and the collaborative work made with some teachers and guardians who adopted a supportive and hard-working attitude. They believed the new decree might bring about positive changes to the educational community. In the present day, the reading if these experiences, to which this present reflection contributed, allows for a different vision of school organization, one that is more conscious, deep and mature. In spite of the time constraints arising from various activities and responsibilities, not only in school but also in life, it was worth it. Fifteen years ago, not staying at home and taking the opportunity to read some more pages was worth it. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; (...) a time to break down, and a time to build up; (...) a time to seek, and a time to lose; (...) a time to keep silence,and a time to speak; (...) What gain has the worker from his toil? (...) So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Eclesiaste 3, 1-3;6-7;9;12-14
| Date of Award | 2014 |
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| Original language | Portuguese |
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| Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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| Supervisor | José Matias Alves (Supervisor) |
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