EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR PUBLIC PROJECTS

Abstract

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/yc.v9i16.0660

This theoretical study analyzes the interaction between educational leadership and community development as a strategic axis in the implementation of public projects with territorial impact. The research starts from the recognition that schools, as social institutions, actively participate in community dynamics, and therefore their leaders are called upon to play a key role in articulating local actors, institutional resources, and public policies. Educational leadership is examined as a situated practice that develops both within school structures and in the social environments where these institutions operate, requiring mediation skills, collective organization, and inter-institutional coordination. Community development is considered in this analysis as a collective process that involves building consensus, distributing responsibilities, and actively engaging citizens in public management. In this context, educational leadership acts as a facilitator of these dynamics, promoting the formation of networks, the integration of knowledge, and the consolidation of locally grounded projects. The articulation between these two concepts allows for a rethinking of the school leader’s role not merely as a pedagogical manager, but as a social agent committed to territorial transformation. Through a theoretical review, this paper establishes an interpretive framework that understands educational leadership as a strategic practice for the success of public initiatives aimed at generating positive community impact, fostering social cohesion, institutional sustainability, and democratic participation.

Keywords: educational leadership, community development, school management, public projects, social participation.