Educação para a sustentabilidade e práticas de gestão em escolas cidadãs em João Pessoa - PB

Abstract

The debate about sustainability has been gaining space in contemporary society, being totally linked to the idea of development and a responsible future for the next generations. It´s notable that policies, programs, actions, and projects are being developed by public and private entities in order to promote sustainable development in its various dimensions, education being one of the main facilitators in these processes. In this context, the role of school principals in the Education for Sustainability process is crucial for the promotion and implementation of changes when these are oriented towards sustainability. Thus, the central objective of this work is to analyze the relationship between sustainable management practices and Education for Sustainability in Comprehensive Citizen Schools in João Pessoa - PB. The methodological path to reach the general objective is based on a totally qualitative and interpretative approach with the application of interviews with school managers of citizen schools in the city of João Pessoa - PB. Among the main discussions raised, we highlight the presentation of the managers' trajectories and their relationship with Education for Sustainability; the exposure of the main practices identified in Integral Citizen Schools; and the relationship between sustainable thinking and the reality of integral citizen schools. Moreover, based on the trajectories of school managers of integral citizen schools, it was observed that they were motivated by a love for education, as a way to change their professional careers, as skill development, and as a professional challenge. Such trajectories resulted in 11 groups of sustainability practices observed within the social, economic-financial, and environmental dimensions, thus reflecting the different conceptions of sustainability presented by these school managers.