Leading organisational learning in disadvantaged, low-performing Chilean schools: adaptation and innovation in times of disruption

ABSTRACT

The crisis caused by COVID-19 disrupted education worldwide and intensified the difficulties faced by disadvantaged and low-performing schools, with school leaders playing a key role in developing capacity for organisational learning to face this challenge. Through a qualitative case study, this article explores how leaders of three Chilean schools, with support from external ministry advisors, developed adaptations and innovation in response to the disruption to ensure educational continuity, employing the perspective of absorptive capacity to identify, assimilate, and take advantage of information from external agents. Findings suggest that, during the pandemic, schools faced complex problems related with the disadvantage of their communities and their proposed solutions to these problems were mediated by their internal organisational conditions, the characteristics of external support agents and their interaction. The study discusses how school leaders can develop capacity for organisational learning with support from external agents to lead in disruptive times. Likewise, absorptive capacity provides a framework that facilitates the understanding of the factors that influence the opportunities for generating such adaptive solutions in disadvantaged and low-performing schools, while highlighting the importance of considering schools as part of an ecosystem that can enhance their capacity for improvement.

KEYWORDS:

• Leadership
• school improvement
• disadvantaged schools
• organisational learning
• COVID-19

Acknowledgements

This paper was funded by ANID/FONDECYT Iniciación 11191092.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by ANID/Fondecyt Iniciación N°11191092.

Notes on contributors

Álvaro González

Álvaro González works as research professor and director of the Research Centre for SocioEducational Transformation (CITSE) at the School of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the Faculty of Education at Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez. His interests are educational improvement, professional and organisational learning, educational leadership, evaluation and accountability. He is also co-host of the weekly podcast “Planeta Educativo”.

Jonathan Santana Valenzuela

Jonathan Santana Valenzuela is a science teacher and holds a Master's degree in Science Education. He has experience as a facilitator for teachers' and leaders' professional development and as a research assistant. He is currently part of the professional development unit of the Cristóbal Colón school in Santiago, Chile.