Examining the Role of Curriculum Evaluation in Schools: A Challenge for Pedagogical Leadership

The challenge of leading learning in schools has shifted the role of school leadership teams towards a more pedagogical approach to managing and evaluating curriculum implementation. In this regard, the objective of this study is to examine the involvement of educational actors in the curriculum evaluation promoted by school leadership teams to enhance teaching and learning processes in schools. Along these lines, the research adopts an interpretative qualitative methodology with a multiple case study design comprising 12 schools in the La Araucanía region of Chile. The participants consist of 117 education professionals serving in managerial positions or as class teachers. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The findings reveal that curriculum evaluation in the schools studied is concentrated primarily within the leadership teams and heads of pedagogical-technical units (UTP), who guide most evaluative practices from a hierarchical standpoint. Classroom teachers are only marginally involved, while student participation is almost absent. The most widespread practices include the review of teacher-designed assessments and the administration of diagnostic tests, both present in all cases. Although teachers value the feedback they receive, many perceive it primarily as supervisory and controlling. The study concludes that pedagogical leadership in schools must advance towards more democratic and collaborative practices that acknowledge teachers and students as active agents in curriculum development, thereby fostering a school culture that is more reflective, inclusive, and oriented toward educational improvement.