DESAFIOS DA GESTÃO PÚBLICA DAS ESCOLAS ESTADUAIS DE MINAS GERAIS: análise da perspectiva dos diretores da regional de Varginha

Abstract

This work aims to investigate the challenges of public management in state schools belonging to the Regional Education Superintendence of Varginha-MG, considering the difficulties and strengths experienced by school managers. The work provides important considerations on democratic and participatory management in the school environment, as well as a critical view of public policies and the challenges of school management. It was also intended to understand which dimensions of school management guide the school principal's work and how this occurs in daily management, in addition to investigating how these principals identify the benefits that management can provide for strengthening teaching processes and learning. With a qualitative approach, this research had as participants the school directors of the Regional Education Superintendence of Varginha-MG. There are currently 105 directors. The following instruments were used for data collection: the questionnaire (sent online to all directors. The objectives of the questionnaire were (a) to survey the sociodemographic profile of school directors; (b) to understand the process of initial and continued training of these directors; (c) understand their time in school management, as well as their professional trajectory; and (d) investigate what the directors understand by school management, its concept, principles and practices. The objectives of the interview were (a) know the professional trajectories of school principals; (b) understand what the management practices of school principals are like; (c) identify how managers analyze their role and practices to promote teaching quality; (d) Understand what managers understand about teaching quality and how it happens at school; and (e) understand what the challenges (obstacles) and possibilities of school management practice are in the context of state public schools. The data from the questionnaire were initially processed by SPSS software. The interviews were transcribed and initially processed by the IRaMuTeQ software. After this moment, the data were analyzed using the Content Analysis technique and triangulated, considering the theoretical framework and the research context. The results showed that school managers feel insecure when taking on the role, even with time in the classroom, as the challenges of management are different from those experienced in teaching. They reported that they feel the need for a continuous training process, suitable for management, that works with dimensions related to financial management, people management and pedagogical management. For them, it would be essential for this training process to be linked to the State Department of Education itself, in order to align routines with the specificities of public management, striving for a teaching and learning process that works in favor of quality education and equitable.