The Teacher Training at Schools: The Role of the School Principal

Ivana Corrêa de Souza Faour, Elisabeth dos Santos Tavares

(Universidade Metropolitana de Santos – UNIMES, Brazil)

Abstract: The present study analyzes the role of the school principal in the process of the elementary school teacher’s training and identifies the actions of the school principal in the construction of spaces in the school that guarantee this training for the teachers. This school principal is observed as able to commit himself seeking resources and being involved in the pedagogical process. It is identified, however, that he often appeals to the bureaucracy, being distant from the pedagogical practice, abdicating to establish valuable dialogues for the daily school routine improvement and the teacher training, he/she gets himself hidden. The methodology used in the research is qualitative with referral for case study. A semi-structured interview and a questionnaire were used as collection instruments. The researched school belongs to the private education network and it is located in the city of Santos, State of São Paulo/Brazil. The collected data indicate that the teachers point out the principal with a fundamental role in the teacher training, mainly a pedagogical role and besides the administrative function, he/she should accompany the teaching practice and the learning process, highlighting the excess of bureaucracy that involves the daily routine of this professional. The teachers demonstrated that they understand the demands that involve the role of the school principal, but they stressed the importance of this professional being closer to the teachers.

Key words: school principal, teacher training, democratic management