Participatory management, cooperation and moral development: theoretical foundations and contemporary articulations

Abstract

This article analyzes the interrelationships between participatory management, cooperation, and moral development in the context of contemporary public schools, based on the theoretical contributions of Paulo Freire (1996), Jean Piaget (1994), José Carlos Libâneo (2001), Heloísa Lück (2009), and Vitor Henrique Paro (2015). The study problematizes the discrepancy between the normative ideal of democratic management, established by the 1988 Federal Constitution and the LDB 9.394/96 (Brazilian Law of Directives and Bases of National Education), and its effective materialization in daily school life. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach of a bibliographical nature, articulated with an empirical counterpoint based on the perceptions of a group of teachers from the state education network regarding the decision-making process of the Political-Pedagogical Project (PPP). The hermeneutic analysis of the data reveals that, although collective construction is formally recognized, significant tensions persist, characterized by symbolic participation, where external guidelines and centralized processes limit teacher participation and cooperation. The results also indicate that the effectiveness of democratic management as a formative practice depends on overcoming bureaucratic legacies and creating dialogical spaces that promote civic education, based on moral development and the ethical engagement of individuals. It is concluded that school democratization requires a transformation in organizational culture that transcends formal mechanisms, consolidating the school as a space for the full exercise of citizenship.