School achievement gaps and school failure are problematic issues in Latin America, and are mainly explained by the socio-economic status (SES) of the students. What schools can do to improve school achievement and reduce school failure is a critical issue, both for school management and teacher training. In this study, we present the association of individual and school-related socio-emotional variables with school achievement and performance, controlling for the effects of SES. A probabilistic sample of 4,964 students, drawn from 191 schools enrolled in year 10 in urban areas of Chile, answered questionnaires assessing subjective wellbeing, social wellbeing in school, school climate, school social wellbeing and students’ perceptions of teachers’ wellbeing. Using structural equation modeling, and controlling for SES, we modeled subjective wellbeing as a mediator of the relationship between school-related variables, such as school climate and perception of teacher’s wellbeing, and (a) school achievement, and (b) school performance. School achievement was computed as a product of (a) the probability of passing the school year, and (b) the percentage of yearly attendance at school. Data on school achievement was drawn from administrative registries from the Chilean Ministry of Education. School performance was computed as the estimated grade point average (GPA) at the end of the school year, based on the students’ previous 5-year GPAs, and was also obtained through administrative data of the last 5 years. Findings reveal the mediating role of subjective wellbeing in the relationship between school-related evaluations (students’ social wellbeing at school, their perception of teachers’ wellbeing and school climate) and school achievement. For school achievement, two variables were mediated (students’ social wellbeing at school and school climate). However, for school performance, no significant mediations were found. We conclude that, on the one hand, after controlling for SES, students’ individual subjective wellbeing is associated with their achievement and performance in school. We discuss the importance of improving school experiences that may protect and promote students’ subjective experience and school achievement and performance, and reduce the probability of school failure and dropout.

Habiendo logrado los desafíos de cobertura tras políticas de obligatoriedad y un sistema de financiamiento vía subvención a la demanda condicionada a la matrícula y asistencia, pero enfrentado al escenario de la segregación escolar, Chile ha decidido abrazar el sueño de una educación inclusiva y de calidad. En este artículo identificamos y analizamos tres nudos críticos que afectan las posibilidades de movilizarse hacia una educación inclusiva de calidad: a) una tensión entre la lógica de la integración e inclusión educativa, b) un modelo basado en el mercado que no considera los valores públicos, y c) una nueva arquitectura educacional, basada en la lógica de la rendición de cuentas individual, que coloca la posibilidad de mejoramiento educativo en sistemas de incentivos individuales atados al logro de pruebas de alto rendimiento. Discutimos la necesidad de abordar y destrabar estos nudos desde la investigación transdisciplinaria.

Do gifted students adjust poorly to their social environment? There are currently two competing positions: one that sustains that giftedness is by itself a risk factor for social adaptation, and another that holds that high cognitive abilities involve distinctive features that are protective and hence increase individual resilience. Empirical support has been provided for both positions. This paper provides data from a study performed with 50 Spanish‐speaking gifted children and adolescents using a comparison group of 50 average‐ability peers matched by sex and chronological age. The results show no significant differences between gifted students and their peers on global measures of adjustment. Instead, they suggest that gifted students are neither significantly more poorly nor better adjusted than their peers during different age periods. Our analysis of the results provides moderate support for the resilience position.

Muchos países de América Latina han promulgado políticas en relación a la convivencia escolar, observándose distintos énfasis en su conceptualización. Es importante estudiar la diversidad de comprensiones y propósitos de las políticas, puesto que de ellos se desprenden distintas estrategias e intervenciones. En este estudio analizamos las perspectivas de abordaje de la convivencia escolar, mediante un análisis cualitativo documental de políticas educativas de 18 países de la región. Los resultados describen cuatro perspectivas de comprensión y de acción para la convivencia escolar: democrática, de seguridad ciudadana, de salud mental infanto-juvenil y managerialista. Se discuten las implicancias de cada perspectiva para las prácticas de gestión de la convivencia escolar y para los desafíos educacionales de la región.