EDUCATIONAL POLICIES AND SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN BUILDING THE SOCIAL QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Abstract

The realization of the right to education depends less on isolated normative statements than on the way planning, management, and participation are articulated within public education systems. Based on this understanding, this article aimed to analyze the relationships among educational policy, planning, the organization of education systems, school management, and collective participation in building the social quality of education. The study adopted bibliographic research, with a qualitative approach, a basic nature, and a descriptive-analytical purpose, drawing on works concerning power relations in educational planning, system autonomy, and democratic management in schools. The results indicated that the effectiveness of educational plans was conditioned by political and administrative stability, the availability of funding, and cooperation among federative entities. It was also observed that decentralization did not automatically expand decision-making power within school systems and institutions. At the institutional level, participation gained greater substance when councils, the political-pedagogical project, and management processes were supported by transparency, dialogue, and shared responsibility. It was concluded that the social quality of education requires coordination among public resources, policy continuity, institutional autonomy, and effective participation.