Bringing democratic governance into practice: policy enactments responding to neoliberal governance in Spanish public schools^*

* An earlier version of this article was presented at the 2015 AERA Annual Meeting held in Chicago, USA.

Abstract

This article explores different ways in which public primary schools sustain democratic governance structures created beyond those mandated by law in Spain. These new institutional designs, while not opposed to policy text requirements of having a governing body with representatives of parents, teachers and public administration, are being carried out against the grain of the hegemonic neoliberal managerial approach. The objective was to observe the different ways that some schools apply other institutional paths to the current governing bodies by aiming at widening decision-making not only to legal representatives but to all agents. Data come from focus groups, in-depth interviews and observations carried out in four public schools during fieldwork lasting two academic years. The findings show that while some schools are broadening current legal governing bodies, others generate ad hoc bodies transforming legal ones into new institutional arrangements.

Keywords:

• School governance
• public schools
• democracy
• policy enactment

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank the reviewers for their generous and valuable feedback.

Notes

* An earlier version of this article was presented at the 2015 AERA Annual Meeting held in Chicago, USA.

1. Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

2. Organic Law 8/1985, of 3 July, regulating the Right to Education.

3. Organic Law 5/1980, of 19 June regulating the Schools Statute.

4. Organic Law 9/1995, of 20 November, on the Participation, Evaluation and Governance of schools.

5. Organic Law 10/2002, of 23 December, on Education Quality.

6. Organic Law 2/2006, of 3 May, on Education.

7. Organic Law 8/2013, of 9 December, for the Improvement of Education Quality.

8. Law 12/2009, of 10 July, on Education in Catalonia.

9. The Pedagogical Renewal Movements were social movements made up of education professionals whose objective was to improve public schools from a leftist political perspective.

10. As of 2010, the leftist government that promoted the National Education Pact was replaced by a centre-right coalition of Christian Democratic and liberal inspiration.

11. http://www.edu21.cat/files/continguts/Centers_Educatius_11.pdf

12. Decree 39/2014, of 25 March, regulating the procedures for defining the profile and provisions of teaching places. DOGC, 6591, 1–25.

13. ORDRE ENS/16/2016, of 3 February, amending the Order ENS/330/2014, of 6 November, on teacher promotion procedure by stages. Retrieved on 5 March 2016 from: http://portaldogc.gencat.cat/utilsEADOP/PDF/7056/1474008.pdf

14. Fictitious names have been used to maintain anonymity.