Educational project and school government: from professional and administrative indulgence to teaching improvement commitment

Abstract

A research focused on elementary and secondary education in Canary Islands let us analyze educational policies’, schools’ and teachers’ change possibilities for educational improvement. The study is based on extensive survey questionnaires, focus groups and interviews with teachers, public representatives and academic experts. Our findings demonstrate serious difficulties both the initial training (experiential versus systematic and reflexive learning) and in-service teacher development (voluntary nature, inadequacy and poor effects), as severe organizational problems (extreme professional autonomy of civil servants and micropolitical struggles). Employment access and school government systems must be modified in order to prevent a strong teacher’s isolation, through options that fluctuates between managerialism (professional leadership and individual teaching career) and cooperation (personal but verifiable commitment with school elective projects). Also is necessary to diminish administrators’ bureaucratic voracity and combine seniority and teaching competence in teaching staff development.