Education policies and organizational structures in Argentinian secondary schools

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose 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 paper 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 implications

In 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 per cent 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 paper shows that secondary schools are implementing certain management practices aimed at achieving greater social inclusion.

Originality/value

The paper 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.

Citation

Vicente, M.E. (2016), "Education policies and organizational structures in Argentinian secondary schools", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 913-928. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-04-2015-0040