Winds of change? Understandings about capacity-building among actors in the public education system in Chile

Capacity-building has been promoted by the central level in Chile, through a reform that resembles school districts, where the intermediate level is intended to provide pedagogical support for schools. However, this has proven to be challenging due to different visions about what capacity-building looks like and how it relates to school improvement. As part of a project that sought to adjust and validate a ‘Capacity-Building Model’ (MDC¹), a qualitative and exploratory inquiry about understandings of capacity-building was carried out. Data was produced through individual and group interviews with 32 professionals from the central and intermediate levels. Findings reveal that actors’ perspectives about capacity-building establish a distinction between capacity and practice. Participants also hold a vision of capacity-building aligned with the notion of pedagogical facilitation. Additionally, interviewees’ accounts show diverse challenges that must be faced to develop capacities at schools: low staffing; professionals’ lack of professional development; postponement of pedagogical issues to attend infrastructure and resource needs; disarticulation between improvement policies; and difficulties in assessing the progress of capacities. This study provides insights gained from a country that is in an initial stage regarding capacity-building approach, contributing with relevant knowledge about opportunities and challenges for other educational systems.