FINALIDADES EDUCATIVAS DA GESTÃO ESCOLAR DEMOCRÁTICA SOB A ÓTICA DOS DOCUMENTOS OFICIAIS DA EDUCAÇÃO NACIONAL

Abstract

The study aims to analyze the educational purposes established for school management based on the principles of democratic management outlined in official documents. The research problem proposed for this scientific study was: What is the contribution of school management to the consolidation of democratic relations aligned with the Educational Purposes established by official documents? The study focused on this problem and was structured in three chapters guided by the following specific objectives: to understand the contextualization of studies on Educational Purposes and their complex relationship with contemporary educational policies; to highlight and discuss the relationship between the principles of democratic management and educational purposes, identifying possible changes from the 1990s onwards; and to analyze national official documents regarding school purposes and their impacts on democratic management. The methodological path adopted was based on bibliographical and documentary research of a qualitative nature, complemented by a literature review, using as theoretical basis not only the official documents but also the analysis and reflection of the academic production on the theme, such as articles, monographs, theses, and dissertations. For this purpose, the theoretical framework drew on the contributions of Lenoir (2013, 2016); Libâneo (2016, 2019, 2023); Pessoni (2017); Libâneo and Placco (2021); Azevedo (2021); Dardot and Laval (2016); Gentili (1994); Brazil (1988, 1996a, 1996b, 2014); Paro (2006, 2008); Lück (2006), among many other references that allowed a solid analytical foundation. Based on the analyses and reflections carried out, the study found that, although democratic management embodies the democratic aspirations established in official documents, it still suffers strong neoliberal influences embedded in the educational purposes proposed for school education. Democratic management is understood as a fundamental condition for building broadly democratic relations within schools, and it depends not only on a legal foundation but also on a continuous construction that involves its actors in the development of a democratic school culture. The results of this study reinforce the need to overcome the contradiction between the democratic discourse present in official documents and the managerial practices that still persist in educational policies. The effectiveness of democratic management is, therefore, directly related to the enhancement of school autonomy, the guarantee of material conditions, and the critical training of education professionals. Keywords: Democratic Management. School. Educational Purposes. Neoliberalism