Liderazgo pedagógico y liderazgo ético: perspectivas complementarias de la nueva dirección escolar

Pedagogical leadership is a critical factor in educational improvement and involves the adoption of measures that affect both the organization where it is developed and the institutional functioning in which its mission is framed. Seeking to strengthen the pedagogical orientation of school management, the objective of this study is to theoretically analyze the relationship between the emerging perspective of pedagogical leadership and ethical leadership. Firstly, three determining factors are identified that threaten the role of the managerial function in the centers: a) the mechanisms for improving learning are disadvantaged by bureaucratic burdens, making it difficult to distinguish between what is done and what should be done; b) the access route to the direction is open to personnel not necessarily qualified for the exercise of the pedagogical direction; and c) the lack of defined and person-oriented pedagogical leadership in all its complexity hinders the implementation of appropriate mechanisms that facilitate the implementation of future models of pedagogical innovation. In such circumstances, it could be affirmed that we are facing a clear institutional educational setback. However, the need to place the person as the first value of the organization, promoting educational equity, reinforces the importance of moral virtues in school leadership. Recognizing the inseparable link between ethical leadership and pedagogical leadership should guide the training, selection and empowerment processes of the new school leadership.