La participación de los diferentes actores en la gestión educativa en Iberoamérica

In this report, we consider both formalized and non-formalized and spontaneous participation processes, as long as they facilitate the involvement of people in the functioning and improvement of organizations. It also considers the processes of internal and external participation in educational centers, as well as the regulations and experiences that may occur at the level of the educational system. Educational center, school system and immediate context must maintain a dynamic balance, not exempt from tensions, that allows the existence of open and functioning communication channels. If the educational center approaches and even identifies with the context, it may run into the danger of losing sight of the objectives and policies of the educational-school system and thus attention to more general needs than strictly local ones. If, on the other hand, the school becomes closer and identifies with the educational system, its functionality for students may be lost or at least its presence diminished. Now, the existence of real channels of influence is only possible when we are dealing with processes that relate elements on an equal footing. The relationship of the school with its internal and external environment will only be real, in this sense, if it is accompanied by participation processes that allow contradictions to be raised and discussed openly. In any case, we are interested in knowing the management processes linked to the participation activities that are carried out, understanding management as the set of operations and procedures that are used to carry out an idea, solve a problem or manage a reality. In any case, its reality in the field of participation is very particular to the contexts due to the quantity and variety of variables that influence each specific case. We talk, therefore, about the reality of participation in this text, presenting, commenting on and evaluating the organization and development of participation processes in non-university educational centers. It involves analyzing the formally established participation systems, but also the non-formal and informal participation mechanisms that can also be important and significant.