Education Policies and Organizational Structures in Argentinean Secondary Schools

VICENTE, MARÍA EUGENIA

International Journal of Educational Management

Emerald

Lugar: Bingley; Año: 2015 vol. 31 p. 1 - 24

Purpose:The objective of this paper is to review the link between public education policies and institutional practices in Argentina throughout history and today. Design/methodology/approach:The methodology used is in line with socio-educational management studies oriented to analyse educational practices qualitatively from an institutional perspective. Findings:The review allows a wider discussion about the characteristics of the traditional organizational structure in relation to the rules, order, purposes and homogeneity of educational institutions. Furthermore, the article shows there are some experiences and practices developed nowadays in Argentinian secondary schools that constitute a guide for social inclusion.Research limitations/implications:Throughout Argentina´s education history, Secondary School has supported its policies on a bureaucratic institutional structure rationally oriented to serving interests of a minority. Today, social inclusion policies and compulsory secondary schooling are presented as an opportunity to democratize the management of educational institutions.Practical implicationsIn the early 2000s, the education system in Argentina kept a traditional bureaucratic structure based on a selective education policy. In this regard, statistics are quite revealing as regards the degree of social exclusion in secondary school: only 11% of the students that begin first grade, finish secondary school. In 2006, after the enactment of the compulsory secondary education law, educational management is faced with the challenge to renew its institutional practices in order to make inclusion feasible. In this sense, the article shows that secondary schools are implementing certain management practices aimed at achieving greater social inclusion.Originality/value:The article focuses on the notion that the characteristics of management practices are related to the social interests of education policies. In this sense, the educational management of Argentinian secondary schools is undergoing a process of transformation from traditional selective practices towards more inclusive practices.