ABSTRACT
Chile is one of the countries that first and most decidedly implemented neoliberal policies in education, structured around a nationwide voucher system and school-choice policy. Recently, as in other countries around the globe, school leadership has taken a significant role in the education agenda regarding both policies and research. Despite the relevance of school leadership in Chile, the understanding of the influence of the context of privatization and competition in which principals' work is located has not yet developed. With few exceptions that focus specifically on this area, research has not provided enough evidence of how market-driven policies have influenced principals' practices. This chapter aims to contribute to fill such a gap by offering an analytical view of two main reforms that affect school leadership directly: the national voucher system and the national system of quality assurance through testing. The analysis also illustrates how recent reforms that prohibit selection of students challenge principals to move toward inclusive and collaborative approaches as they conflict with the historical way principals have react to the Chilean neoliberal agenda. The chapter ends by presenting current challenges for school principals and identifying areas for further research.
