Um novo modelo de gestão das escolas: entre a retórica da mudança e o vazio das consequências

The presented study is on the directing practice/ leadership and management in school organizations and aims to evaluate which changes occurred with the Decree Law 75/2008 not only in the organizational level but also in teaching and learning levels. Data and the necessary elements were gathered in a preparatory school in a rural area in Beira Interior. We will have a reflexive and constructive approach on the top leaders and the consequences in the teachers, parents and students’ perspectives namely towards changes and innovation and what contributed to the school’s success. The work was done after a qualitative and quantitative analysis (interviews and inquiries), documents (minutes from the pedagogical council 2008-2012, the School’s Educational project and the School’s external Evaluation Report). Research is complemented with a quantitative research as inquiries to teachers, parents and teachers with the goal to complement, deepen and compare relevant data to the developed project. The results from the interviewees, inquiries and the multiples documents allow us to state that the Decree Law 75/2008 from April 22 was not a turning point in the traditional routines to empower leadership nor the accomplishment of new practices and matrixes associated to new teaching and learning models