Local Public Education Services: Key Tensions and Challenges for School Principals

Abstract

Law 21.040 of 2017 established the Public Education System in Chile, comprising  the Ministry of Education, the National Public Education Department, and the Local Public Education Services. These entities replaced the management and responsibility previously held by municipalities and educational establishments, forming specialized public organizations dedicated to educational management. They are decentralized both  functionally and territorially, with their own professionalized staff, legal personality and      assets. The aim of this study is to understand how school principals have experienced and managed the demunicipalization and transition to the Local Services, identifying the tensions and challenges they face. To this end, a mixed method study, with a sequential explanatory design, utilizing surveys and interviews with school principals belonging to Local Services, is proposed. The results indicate that principals consistently identify administrative management as the primary tension, the timely provision of resources, the involvement of Local Services with schools, the policies and regulations regarding school coexistence, and the monitoring of teaching and learning. The study concluded that significant challenges lie in establishing  specialized capacities and conditions within schools and SLEPs, to advance towards genuine quality in Chilean education.