GESTÃO ESCOLAR DEMOCRÁTICA E PARTICIPAÇÃO DA COMUNIDADE: ENTRE O DISCURSO E AS PRÁTICAS DE PARTICIPAÇÃO

Democratic school management is enshrined, in the Brazilian context, as a legal and political principle reiterated in legal frameworks and educational policies that emphasize the participation of the school community in decision-making processes. Nonetheless, the gap between the normative discourse of “democratic management” and the concrete practices of participation by teachers, students, and families remains one of the main challenges to the realization of this principle. This article analyzes how school management builds – or constrains – spaces for effective participation in a public basic education school, problematizing the role of school councils, student unions, and parent meetings as arenas of deliberation, social oversight, and dialogue. From a theoretical standpoint, it articulates contributions on democratic management, school collegial bodies, and student participation with the contemporary debate on accountability and its tensions with democratic management projects. Methodologically, it develops a qualitative case study supported by document analysis, observation of meetings, and semi-structured interviews with school leaders, teachers, parents or guardians, and students. The results show that, although the school mobilizes a discursive repertoire aligned with democratic management, the observed practices reveal power asymmetries, predominantly consultative participation, and a strong centrality of the school leadership in decision-making. Finally, the article points to possibilities for reinventing democratic management by strengthening collegial bodies, improving listening processes, and expanding student and community protagonism.