A gestão educacional no marco normativo da Argentina, do Brasil e do Paraguai: divergências e similitudes

Abstract

This research is linked to the State, Policy and Management of Education Research Group and to the Policy and Management of Education line of the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of Grande Dourados. It is also connected to the multilateral network research project Comparative Analysis of National Educational Policies in Countries of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur): contexts, management, teacher education, and the right to education, funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The study aims to understand educational management within the normative frameworks of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, analyzing its conception and characteristics, as well as its similarities and differences, and examining whether the recommendations of the Incheon Declaration and the Mercosur Action Plans exert influence on it. Inserted within the field of educational policies, the investigation is based on a qualitative approach of documentary and comparative nature, grounded in national legislation, international and regional documents, as well as theoretical references that discuss educational management, with emphasis on contributions related to democratic management and New Public Management (NPM). The analysis revealed that international declarations and regional plans present a conception of educational manage ment guided by directives such as planning, monitoring, evaluation, and accountability, associated with an organizational logic focused on efficiency and results, with NPM as a management conception. Within the countries analyzed, it was identified that educational management assumes a hybrid character, articulating elements of democratic management and NPM, although with different levels of institutionalization. Brazil stands out for explicitly establishing democratic management as a constitutional principle, while Argentina highlights the centrality of federal articulation, and Paraguay presents greater normative centralization and lower institutionalization of social participation. It is concluded that, although there are similarities among the countries and alignments with international and regional agendas, educational management assumes distinct configurations, mediated by specific historical, political, administrative, and educational contexts. These differences demonstrate that the incorporation of international guidelines does not occur homogeneously, being reinterpreted according to the particularities of each country. In this sense, the research contributes to deepening the understanding of educational management within the Mercosur context, by highlighting both the influence of global orientations and the persistence of national specificities in the organization and implementation of educational policies.