There is no educational administrator who, in recent years—in the face of such significant changes—has not sought new knowledge about management. This is because this topic is directly linked to the school’s success, as well as to the positive performance of the professional administrator. After all, today all organizations—whether public or private, including those in the third sector, such as educational, cultural, and religious institutions—are evaluated based on their results, which generally hinge on management capacity, or rather, on the capabilities of their managers.

In the field of education, it is this management capacity that defines a school’s performance, thus including other key metrics of quality and sustainability in the market—such as the impact of the school’s educational outcomes on society, graduation rates, employee retention rates, low student dropout rates, positive financial results, sound pedagogical decisions, the absence of disciplinary issues, and, finally, a high degree of credibility. 

When reviewing the literature, one curious fact stands out: schools—one of society’s most important institutions—are not analyzed from the perspective of their specific characteristics and, unfortunately, are at the mercy of the adaptation of purely business models to their administration. Even more astonishing is the realization that these institutions, which are responsible for producing knowledge, lack a theoretical framework to underpin their own management—perhaps because the subject is considered too complex.

In fact, in the specialized literature, universities are considered among the most complex organizations par excellence, differing from other institutions in that they are characterized by ambiguous objectives, professional heterogeneity, and an educational mission. As the late researcher and 16-year rector of PUCPR, Brother Dr. Clemente Ivo Juliatto, once said, universities are not (even “in all capital letters”) businesses like any other, and educational organizations (schools) also require their own form of administration because they are sui generis. 

On the other hand, the effectiveness of administrators is revealed in practice. And, recently, their ability has been put to the test amid the Herculean challenges faced by these education administrators. Among the most recent and impactful of these are: (a) the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on education amid the pedagogical and financial chaos facing institutions, shifting from remote to hybrid learning and then to the challenging return to in-person instruction governed by countless protocols; (b) the rapid and widespread adoption of new technologies for interaction, accelerated during the pandemic; (c) the significant pandemic-related effects on the emotional well-being of families, students, and educators; (d) the back-and-forth regarding the “New High School” reform, causing genuine uncertainty about continuity for schools, students, and teachers; and, finally, (e) criminal attacks on schools, which, unfortunately, have resulted in fatalities.

What does this mean for educational administrators? How well prepared are they to address and manage these “crises”? How can they channel their efforts, foster engagement, and establish a flow of communication with their community of teachers, families, and students? It is worth noting that the training of educational administrators in Brazil is heterogeneous and certainly lacks consensus. 

Within this same community, there are educators, engineers, administrators, lawyers, psychologists, and many others. It is a world where professional diversity reigns and often leads to conflicts of interest, given that the administrator represents a single school or a group of school operators, each with different perspectives on education and management. 

This is where management needs refinement, based on the understanding that—as Henry Mintzberg, an expert on the subject, professor at McGill University, and visiting scholar at leading universities around the world (from which he has received more than 15 honorary degrees), once said—management is pure practice. In other words: it is neither a science nor a profession, but a continuous practice acquired through experience and applied to the context. It would not be applied science, but rather the application of science. And in this application of science, the educational manager must bring a certain degree of “artistry”—like that of an incremental, careful, and meticulous artisan who, in practicing his craft, produces the “perfect” work with whatever materials are at hand. Applied to the field of educational institutions, these “hands” are the resources that are available. 

Management with “art”? Yes! “Art” is essential to ensure that the school remains a school. This is where administrators need to excel. Let’s recall, for example, the pandemic, when classes came to a complete halt; the unanimous request from families and society was for full-time online instruction. They forgot, however, that schools provide time for conversation, integration, interaction, recreation, meals, and social exchanges—activities that are extremely important and inseparable from the educational process. 

They overlooked the transition that all students were facing at the time and downplayed the process, focusing solely on providing a service. As in-person classes gradually resumed, schools were required to place physical barriers between children—as if they could be confined to actual acrylic bubbles—through extreme protocols that stifled all social interaction. It was then up to school administrators to adapt protocols and find a middle ground so that schools could return to an in-person rhythm without violating even the most basic rules.

In the face of a post-pandemic society that holds the world record for screen time, it has become clear—as studies have proven—that the limits of tolerance and recklessness have become apparent, affecting schools as well. WhatsApp groups have accelerated and precipitated opinions or judgments—most of which are distorted—and today, when not properly managed by the school, they do more harm than good. They demand that school administrators communicate infinitely faster to resolve problems that take on disproportionate proportions in the space of a single night of messaging. 

Last but not least, the attacks on schools. If it weren’t for school administrators working closely with security experts, schools would have been turned into cages or maximum-security prisons. Armed guards at the gates, metal detectors for students, educational weapons, revolving doors in schools... These were some of the suggestions that could have destroyed the school, which remains one of the safest environments in the world for students today. 

Let us remember that it is in these environments that many children find a safe haven where they can confide about bullying, abuse, hunger, neglect, disrespect, emotional distress, conflicts at home, and so many other social ills that undermine a child’s right to simply be a child. From the moment they walk in, school is a happy place with a welcoming atmosphere, open to imagination, where children can let their creativity run wild and develop the most important and relevant social-emotional skills for life.

In fact, this article aims to encourage administrators to continue being artisans of their management practice. Based solely on the evidence from a short but intense period in recent times—as described earlier—there is no doubt that the technical skills, combined with the artistic skills, of educational administrators have safeguarded the schools. 

Furthermore, social media and recent challenges require a great deal of creativity and artistry to devise strategies and forms of collaboration: (a) with their staff, engaging them in a shared purpose, combating turnover, and preventing a potential “teacher shortage”; (b) with families, developing a strong and reciprocal alliance that goes beyond the traditional partnership; and (c) with students, truly connecting with their intellectual and emotional needs. There is much to be done as part of an ongoing professional development effort. In this specific area, SINEPE/PR has contributed to the training of school administrators through targeted workshops on the Economic Situation and, more recently, on School Safety and Crisis Management, led by leading experts in the field.

Therefore, management is indeed a technical practice that does not compromise on effectiveness, seriousness, and high performance. But it is also an art that involves the development of new skills—such as the energy of engagement, intuition, creativity, innovation, courage, and great sensitivity—so that, for the sake of humanity, the School never ceases to be a School. Believe me, this is the noblest mission of educational management. 

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