FORMAÇÃO CONTINUADA DE GESTORES ESCOLARES COMO POLÍTICA SISTÊMICA: O CASO DE SOBRAL (CE)

Abstract

This article analyzes the continuing education of school principals as a strategy to strengthen school management and improve educational outcomes, taking the experience of Sobral, Ceará, as a reference. It is based on the understanding that school management is a strategic dimension of school organization and of the creation of institutional conditions favorable to learning. Considering the expansion of responsibilities assigned to school principals and the fragility of systematic policies for principal development in Brazil, the study seeks to understand how continuing education, when structured as a systemic policy, can contribute to strengthening school leadership. This is a qualitative study developed through bibliographic review and documentary analysis. The theoretical discussion addresses the relationship between school management and learning, the complexity of the principal’s role, and continuing education as a response to the demands of the position. It then examines the case of Sobral, highlighting the articulation between technical selection, continuing education, on-the-job support, and accountability for results. The findings indicate that Sobral’s experience shows principal development as a structuring component of educational policy, integrated with learning improvement and the development of school leadership.