¿Formando ciudadanos? Instrumentos para la Participación Ciudadana en el Sistema Escolar Chileno

Purpose: The Chilean educative system is characterized by its heterogeneity. This work examines how different management instruments, plans, and programmes created by the legislative framework address and/or promote the participation of different members from the educational communities, exploring whether there are differences or similarities according to the nature of their funding (private, subsidised, municipal or public).
Design/Methodology: Thematic analysis of the legislative framework.
Results: At the school level, most of the plans and programmes do not discriminate by type of education (public or private). However, the legislation presents significant differences when advancing to the middle or district level. For private institutions, the norms protect their autonomy in supposed respect for their "educational project" and freedom of teaching, leaving aside participation and collective involvement principles.
Limitations/implications: This research was conducted in Chile, limiting its scope to this context. However, neoliberal-inspired reforms have been carried out in various countries, reaching their educational systems so that this inquiry can inform analogous analyzes in other contexts.
Originality: Chile has been described as an example of economic development but at the cost of accentuated inequality. Education is a field where these inequalities are visible with a highly segregated system. Examining legal frameworks could analyze the alignment and promotion of participation described in educational management instruments, plans, and programmes. At the local level, it contributes to the analysis of the Local Services of Public Education, which are still in the installation process.