School Councils for wat? Analysis of an Experience With School Democratic Management

Abstract

This article reports the experience of two years of an extension project focused on strengthening the School Councils, carried out by members of the psychology course of an university in State of Sao Paulo. The project took place in three municipal primary schools, as part of the municipal council strengthening Program. He found theoretical support in references from school psychology and social psychology, articulated by historical and dialectical materialism. During the project execution period, actions were carried out such as: formation process with members of the school councils (teachers, staff, students and parents), participatory diagnoses, support in the electoral process and in the collective elaboration of work plans of the elected Councils, among others. Finally, connecting our experience with the theoretical framework, we conclude that despite the historical advances of democratic school management and the policy of stimulating Councils in the municipality, barriers were identified so that these instances are not figurative or auxiliaries to the instituted directions of the schools. The overcoming of this situation begins with the questioning of the limits of formal democracy itself, inside and outside school.