La importancia de asumir los procesos educativos desde un liderazgo transformacional en la educación chilena

Abstract

This theoretical article argues that transformational leadership, anchored in instruction, operates as a pedagogical, cultural, and ethical lever to improve learning and wellbeing in a system strained by inequalities and ongoing reforms. The case unfolds in three moves: the classical tradition (Burns; Bass & Riggio) as scaffolding; accumulated evidence of indirect yet substantive effects of school leadership (Leithwood; Hallinger; Robinson, Lloyd & Rowe; Day et al.; Marzano, Waters & McNulty); and a Chilean policy architecture that enables rather than prescribes (Good School Leadership Framework 2015/2021; Law 20,903; Law 21,040). Methodologically, this is a critical–hermeneutic essay grounded in a documentary review. We advance an operational model of ten practices with indicators, risks, and enabling conditions—shared goals, brief and frequent observation, targeted feedback, product-oriented professional communities, and formative use of data, among others. Guiding hypothesis: when leadership co-designs vision, joins teachers’ learning, and sustains improvement cycles with evidence and participation, change ceases to be episodic and becomes organizational culture. We also outline an applied research agenda (mixed-methods designs, impact evaluations, and implementation studies) to verify effects and mechanisms. We conclude with policy directions: prioritize instructional leadership, invest in situated professional development, institutionalize open-data governance, and embed formative evaluation of leadership.