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.
The expansion of upper secondary vocational education in Portuguese public schools—driven by legislative reforms and the introduction of compulsory 12-year schooling—required schools to adapt to an increasingly competitive quasi-market environment. This study shows how schools evolved from an initially defensive stance towards the strategic development of vocational provision from 2011 onwards, ensuring organisational stability and safeguarding teaching staff within a highly regulated education system.
Portugal, 1991-2012
Commissioned by EPIS, this study identifies, through robust scientific evidence, the municipalities in Portugal where school dropout and educational underachievement—understood not merely as school-level issues but as expressions of broader social exclusion and shared community responsibility—are most pronounced. Combining Census data (1991–2011) with national examination results, the report maps the socio-economic and territorial dynamics influencing educational outcomes, using statistical models to identify contexts where schools succeed in overcoming the constraints imposed by social disadvantage and to support evidence-informed intervention.
This working paper proposes a methodology for constructing synthetic indicators of municipal socio-economic context based on multiple linear regression models applied to national examination results at lower secondary and upper secondary levels. By demonstrating the significant influence of local socio-economic conditions on educational outcomes, these indicators provide a reliable and concise measure for contextualising school performance and supporting future research, with the potential to extend the methodology to primary education and other units of analysis.
Vocational Education: Contexts and Constraints in Planning Educational Provision Marina Peliz (2013)
Focusing on upper secondary vocational education (Level 4 qualification), this study examines the context and planning constraints associated with developing educational provision that, despite its organisational complexity and the additional demands placed on schools, has contributed significantly to increasing participation in education in Portugal. The analysis considers the provision of vocational courses across public and private schools within the ESCXEL Network between 2006 and 2014.
Parental participation in formal school governance structures is a relatively recent development in Portugal, where families share responsibility with the State through General Councils, Class Councils and Parents' Associations. This study explores how school leaders and presidents of parents' associations perceive and put this partnership into practice within a context characterised by voluntary participation, traditionally low levels of civic engagement and a longstanding culture of schools operating in relative isolation from their communities.
Driven by socio-economic change and rising parental educational attainment, the relationship between schools and their communities has evolved significantly. This study shows that, regardless of whether schools operate within an Integrated or Segmented model, active parental involvement and high family expectations emerge as the key factors underpinning students' educational success.
Drawing on the framework established by the 1986 Basic Law of the Education System, this study examines the transition from the traditional "Educator State" model towards greater decentralisation and school autonomy through the relationships established between 35 ESCXEL Network schools and their local communities. Combining documentary analysis of Educational Projects with questionnaires administered to teachers and school leaders, the research maps perceptions, practices and the strategic value of school–community partnerships.
This ESCXEL Network report proposes a framework for the development of Educational Projects, positioning them within the broader context of strategic school management and clarifying their relationship with Curriculum Projects, Annual Activity Plans and Internal Regulations. Organised around five operational dimensions supported by summary tables and practical examples, the report aims to promote conceptual consistency and support school teams in planning and building a shared institutional identity, serving as a flexible guide rather than a prescriptive model.
