REICE es una revista de periodicidad trimestral. Su objetivos son: colaborar en la difusión de la investigación educativa que se realiza en Iberoamérica por investigadores Iberoamericanos; Favorecer la utilización de los resultados de la investigación para la mejora de los sistemas educativos, las escuelas y las aulas; Fomentar la realización de investigaciones educativas de calidad.

O estudo das políticas de educação está sujeito a dois planos de análise: o das intenções declaradas ao nível das políticas educativas patentes nos normativos legais e documentos oficiais e o das decisões/práticas. Neste artigo procuramos compreender, por um lado, o enquadramento jurídico-normativo do regime de autonomia e administração das escolas dos 2.º e 3.º ciclos do ensino básico e secundário da rede pública da Região Autónoma da Madeira (RAM) e, por outro, analisar o nível das ações e das práticas. Procedemos a um estudo exploratório, de natureza qualitativa, assente numa abordagem descritiva e interpretativa, centrado num estudo de caso único - a dimensão normativa do regime de autonomia e administração das escolas na RAM. Utiliza-se como técnica de recolha de dados a análise documental e como técnicas de análise e tratamento dos dados a análise de conteúdo e a triangulação dos normativos legais. Ao nível das intenções declaradas, preconiza-se, desde a década de 80, a descentralização das políticas educativas e maiores níveis de autonomia das escolas, de forma a construírem a sua autonomia a partir da comunidade onde estão inseridas. Não obstante o discurso descentralizador e autonómico, não se verifica uma alteração significativa quer das políticas da administração central, quer das práticas das próprias escolas, assistindo-se a uma mera execução periférica das decisões definidas pelo poder central.

Inclusive education is a central pillar of contemporary educational policy worldwide, aiming to ensure equity, participation, and success for all learners. Understanding how inclusive policies are implemented in everyday school contexts is essential to identify both enabling factors and persistent barriers. In Portugal, this process has been shaped by a progressive legislative framework, notably Decree-Law 54/2018 and its regional adaptation in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) through Regional Legislative Decree 11/2020/M. This case study combined qualitative documentary analysis with a questionnaire applied to coordinators of the Multidisciplinary Teams to Support Inclusive Education (EMAEI) from 11 of the 14 secondary schools in the RAM (79% of the total). The questionnaire covered five domains: inclusive principles, leadership, professional development, resources, and diagnosis of learning barriers. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to interpret the data. Results show that coordinators share a strong ethical commitment to inclusion and recognize EMAEI as a strategic organizational structure. However, they point to irregular and insufficient training, delays and mismatches in resource allocation, and limited institutionalization of co-teaching and joint planning. Leadership emerges as a decisive enabler of collaborative cultures. The study concludes that ambitious legislation must be complemented by agile resource management, sustained context-based training, and distributed leadership for inclusive schooling to become everyday practice.

Introduction: The organization of school time plays a decisive role in shaping teaching practices, student learning, and school culture. In Portugal, semesterization has emerged as an alternative to the traditional trimester system, aiming to improve curriculum coherence and pedagogical depth. This study examines how semesterization was interpreted and implemented in a public lower secondary school in Madeira, and how educators perceived its impact on organizational functioning and teaching practices. Recent scholarship highlights that time-use reforms such as semesterization are more likely to succeed when mediated by adaptive and distributed leadership and supported by coherent policy. Methods: A qualitative-dominant mixed-methods case study design was adopted. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with school leaders and an online questionnaire completed by 41 teachers from different subject areas. The qualitative component was analyzed using thematic content analysis, identifying patterns related to leadership, curriculum organization, pedagogical adaptation, and assessment practices. Descriptive statistics from the questionnaire were used to complement qualitative insights, providing an overview of broader staff perceptions. Results: Participants perceived that semesterization contributed to a more coherent distribution of teaching time, supported thematic planning, and facilitated a steadier pedagogical rhythm for both teachers and students. Teachers described enhanced opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, more intentional curriculum mapping, and increased space for formative assessment. A majority also reported positive effects on student well-being. However, challenges were noted, including the substantial effort required to redesign planning tools, persistent bureaucratic demands, and concerns about achieving consistency in assessment practices across semesters. Teachers also highlighted increased workload during reporting periods, particularly in relation to mandatory mid-semester qualitative feedback. Discussion: The findings suggest that semesterization can act as a lever for school-wide innovation when supported by distributed leadership, collaborative planning structures, and clear communication. At the same time, the reform’s success depends on system-level coherence and adequate institutional support during periods of transition. Conclusion: Semesterization represents not merely a scheduling adjustment but a strategic rethinking of time as an organizational and pedagogical resource. The case offers transferable insights for education systems aiming to build more coherent, equitable, and learner-centered environments.

Este artigo analisa a génese e a institucionalização do movimento sindical docente na Região Autónoma da Madeira durante a transição democrática em Portugal, entre 1974 e 1978. A partir de um quadro histórico e sociológico, centrado nos legados autoritários e nos processos de profissionalização docente, discute-se o impacto daqueles legados na escola pública e as oportunidades geradas pela rutura revolucionária. Metodologicamente, a investigação recorre a uma análise documental qualitativa de fontes hemerográficas regionais e de documentação sindical primária, com destaque para as atas e os comunicados. O estudo reconstrói a transição de grupos de estudo clandestinos para uma estrutura sindical formal, enfatizando a gestão democrática das escolas, as disputas em torno da profissionalização e da carreira docente, a descolonização curricular e as tensões entre a unicidade e o pluralismo sindicais. Com base nas fontes disponíveis, sugere-se que a adoção de uma retórica radical poderá ter funcionado, em determinados contextos, como um mecanismo de defesa perante formas de insegurança ontológica vividas por alguns/mas professores/as, outrora agentes do Estado autoritário e subitamente confrontados/as com uma forte instabilidade institucional. Os dados analisados sugerem que o sindicalismo docente funcionou como um importante espaço de experimentação de formas de profissionalização emancipatória, contribuindo para questionar o paradigma educativo autoritário e para afirmar determinadas configurações de uma identidade regional autónoma.

This study analyses leadership perspectives in the exercise of school autonomy in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal. It examines the contradiction between what is legally prescribed and what is effectively practiced, emphasizing the role of leadership as a mediator between regulation and practice. Based on a qualitative case study, data were collected through document analysis and interviews with members of the school leadership and teachers. Findings reveal the coexistence of decreed autonomy, conditioned by hierarchical structures, and constructed autonomy, emerging from collaborative practices and distributed leadership. Drawing on Nils Brunsson’s theory of organizational hypocrisy and Anísio Teixeira’s democratic educational philosophy, the study argues that autonomy is not a static legal status but a relational and political process dependent on the ability of schools and their leaders to create authentic spaces of democratic participation.