Publications
The ESCXEL Project publications include studies, reports and other outputs produced as part of its activities. These publications reflect the research carried out within the project and its close connection with educational practice.
Developed within the framework of the Amadora Municipal Strategic Education Plan, this study examines the transfer of educational responsibilities to local government and the role of sociological knowledge as a mediator in building consensus between the municipality and educational stakeholders. Using an action research approach, the research team not only mapped local interactions involved in the development of this public policy instrument but also worked directly with local actors to test and implement the strategic guidelines defined for the municipality.
Building on the recent process of educational decentralisation in Portugal (Law No. 75/2013), this study examines the capacity of local stakeholders to participate strategically in the development of the Amadora Municipal Strategic Education Plan, in partnership with the ESCXEL Network. Based on focus groups conducted across school clusters, the findings reveal that, despite the municipality's specific socio-economic context, educational stakeholders display a limited capacity to reflect on and make decisions regarding the municipality as a whole, as well as a weak perception of their role as active agents in improving and governing education at local level.
The ESCXEL Network updated its Educational Project model by integrating the curricular and pedagogical dimension, positioning the Curriculum Project as a central instrument for school autonomy and strategic management. By combining research with teaching practice, this approach enables national policy guidelines to be adapted to the specific context of each school, strengthening the Educational Project as a flexible framework for guiding schools through the challenges of educational policy.
