ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE OF GOOD SCHOOLS: THE MEANING AND PRACTICES OF LEADERSHIP

The theme of this article is inserted in the scope of "organizational culture of good schools: the meaning and practices of leadership". Its main purpose is to analyze the meaning and the practices underlying the exercise of leadership in the context of "good schools". The theoretical frame focuses on three oriented lines: i) school organizational culture; ii) conception of "good schools"; iii) leadership logic in democratic schools. This is a qualitative study, with both a phenomenological character and a descriptive and interpretative incidence that incorporates quantitative instrumentation implied in the application of the questionnaire. The methodological procedures relapsed upon the study of multiple cases. Intrinsic specificities of three secondary schools were objectified, identified and characterized through the application of the following instrumentation: i) documentary source; ii) interviews destined to school headmasters and iii) questionnaires destined to teachers. The result analysis points out the practice of imparted democratic leadership strengthened by an organizational culture inlaid in the values for a democratic citizenship. The performed investigation also allowed the building of leadership dimensions in the scope of "good schools".