School Culture as a Setting for the Reproduction of Conflict and the Weakening of Schooling
School Culture; Educational Leadership; Institutional Conflict; Pedagogical Leadership;/ Organizational Culture; Hannah Arendt; Critical Reflection; Public Education; Democratic Education; Educational Ethics.
AuthorsAbstractSchool culture plays a decisive role in shaping educational processes, institutional relationships, and the quality of pedagogical leadership. While teacher education emphasizes ethical commitment, democratic participation, and the protection of students' rights, the realities of school organizations often reveal tensions that challenge these foundational principles. This study analyzes how school culture may become a setting for the reproduction of institutional conflict and the weakening of educational processes through a qualitative pedagogical systematization of leadership and administrative experiences in a public educational institution. The analysis is supported by the theoretical contributions of Hannah Arendt, Paulo Freire, Michel Foucault, Stephen J. Ball, and Teun A. van Dijk to examine the relationships between power, institutional communication, leadership, and ethical responsibility. The findings indicate that organizational conflicts are sustained not solely by individual actors but by institutional cultures characterized by polarized communication, the normalization of uncritical practices, fragmented leadership, and power dynamics that undermine democratic dialogue and collective responsibility. The study further highlights how institutional responses centered exclusively on administrative changes, such as replacing school leaders, fail to address the structural conditions that generate and perpetuate conflict. Instead, the evidence suggests that strengthening organizational ethics, reflective leadership, transparent communication, and collaborative decision-making are essential for transforming school culture. The paper concludes that educational institutions should be understood as democratic spaces where critical reflection, plurality, and shared responsibility constitute the foundation for pedagogical leadership and the effective guarantee of students' right to a high-quality education. Recovering the ethical and political dimensions of educational practice is therefore essential for strengthening institutional trust, promoting professional responsibility, and fostering educational environments committed to human dignity, equity, and social justice. 1. Introduction Schools are expected to serve as democratic spaces that promote human development, social justice, and the comprehensive education of future citizens. Beyond their instructional function, educational institutions are responsible for cultivating ethical values, critical thinking, coexistence, and civic responsibility, thereby enabling students to participate actively in the construction of equitable and inclusive societies. Within this framework, the role of teachers extends far beyond the transmission of academic knowledge. Rather, teaching is understood as an ethical, political, and pedagogical practice grounded in the recognition of students as rights-bearing individuals whose holistic development constitutes the primary purpose of education (Freire, 2002). Initial teacher education programs seek to prepare professionals capable of designing meaningful learning experiences while fostering dialogue, participation, diversity, and democratic coexistence. This vision assumes that educational practice is inseparable from ethical responsibility and social commitment, encouraging teachers to become reflective practitioners who contribute to the formation of autonomous, critical, and socially responsible citizens. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ejprd.org- Published by Riset Publishing Services LLC.
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