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UNESCO is inviting proposals from individuals and organizations for the following work assignment. 

1. Background

The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report is an editorially independent, evidence-based annual report hosted and published by UNESCO. Established in 2002, its current mandate derives from the 2015 World Education Forum and focuses on monitoring education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the strategies outlined in the Education 2030 Framework for Action. Accordingly, each report has two parts: 

1. a monitoring part reviews the SDG 4 targets, education in the other SDGs and education finance.

2. a thematic part focuses on a relevant theme in the international education agenda, which is selected by the GEM Report’s Advisory Board; the last six themes in the GEM Report series have been: education and the other SDGs (2016), accountability (2017/8), migration and displacement (2019), inclusion (2020), non-state actors (2021/2) and technology (2023). The theme of the 2024/5 report is leadership in education.

Between the 2019 and 2023 GEM Report cycles, practically all regions of the world were covered through regional reports that examined the theme of the global report in individual regions in partnership with regional organizations and partners. Based on that experience, a new series of regional editions will be launched beginning from the 2024/5 GEM Report cycle, linked to specific aspects of the theme of the global report. 

The regional edition of the 2024/5 GEM Report will focus on the topic of distributed leadership in Latin America, as described in the . The GEM Report team will partner with the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) for the preparation of this regional edition. 

OEI is the largest multilateral cooperation organization among Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in Ibero-America. Created in 1949, and headquartered in Madrid, OEI works directly with the governments of its 23 member countries, by designing programs and projects to strengthen public policies in education, science, and culture. OEI member states include Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The organization works closely with the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the EU-LAC Foundation, who act as observers.

The regional edition will be consistent with OEI’s vision of education as a tool for human development and a creator of opportunities to build a better future. That means that education must be understood as a key element to achieve full and inclusive development in the Ibero-American region, with the required effort from governments. 

2. Work and Objectives

The Work will focus on the preparation of a case study on distributed leadership in Chile. 

Transposed from the management literature into education, drawing on the seminal work of Spillane et al (), distributed leadership refers to how school leaders interact with others in different situations, ranging from collaborative to individualistic approaches. It shifts attention away from personal characteristics often favoured in other leadership discourses and towards processes and structures. It is related to concepts, which help all members learn and grow, such as professional learning communities and communities of practice.  More generally, a distributed leadership approach can also be used to involve the school community in a democratic way to further the goals and purposes of education.

As schools have become increasingly complex environments, studies on leadership suggest that the role of principals and teachers have not consistently evolved in line with principles of distributed leadership, including in Latin America (). According to the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey 2018, principals from participating countries in the region reported a range of distributed leadership practices, as measured in terms of participatory culture ().

Distributed leadership is highly contextual and varies by leadership function, national education policy (), type and size of schools. In the case of larger schools, decision making responsibilities are likely to be distributed among leadership team members, even though it should be stressed that distributed leadership does not simply mean delegated leadership. As a result, distributed leadership in Latin America is found to vary also within school systems (). When applied, studies find that distributed leadership strengthens teaching commitment, and enhances collective efficacy of teachers, which may influence school and student performances (; ). Distributing leadership can be an important tool for promoting social justice, democratizing schools as organizations, and advancing student inclusion. 

Distributed leadership has been less investigated in Latin America, and literature has traditionally focused on school principals as main leaders (). The case study will explore how distributed leadership is manifested in Chile through a comprehensive analysis of its education policies and practices.

In particular, the case study will: 

• present the country’s school governance, national, local and institutional regulatory and policy framework;
• examine the literature on interactions and collaboration (a) between school principals and teachers and school personnel;  and (b) between school principals and students, parents and communities; and evidence on the existence of distributed leadership and its impact; and
• explore professional development programmes and other interventions aimed to strengthen the practice of distributed leadership within the school system.

The country case study will rely on a combination of secondary data and desk-based literature review and primary data collection, according to the methodology elaborated by the Contractor.

3. Outputs and Timeline 

Output

The Work will consist of a country case study of approximately 10,000 words (excluding appendices, annexes, and bibliographies) written in Spanish or Portuguese at a very good level and structured as follows:

1. Introduction (500 words) 
2. Country’s education governance, regulatory and policy framework for distributed leadership (1,500 words) 
3. Practices of distributed leadership in schools: How it manifests and evidence of impact, where possibly drawing on primary research (2,500 words)
4. Practices of distributed leadership in schools: Enabling and impeding factors (2,500 words)
5. Discussion (1,500 words)  
6. Conclusions (500 words) 

Bibliography (with hyperlinks if available online and PDFs if not) 

Appendix

The country case study shall not be circulated or published in any form without prior approval from the GEM Report. Once approved, the outputs should specify that work has been prepared for the 2025 regional edition on distributed leadership in Latin America. 

Background research shall follow the . 

Timeline

The Contractor shall submit to the GEM Report team for its approval:

1. A detailed outline of the country case study by 1 March 2024.
2. A first draft of the country case study by 29 March 2024.
3. A final draft of the country case study by 31 May 2024.

4. Submission of proposal

The GEM Report team hereby invites interested individuals and organizations to contribute to the preparation of case studies to inform the research. 

The proposal should include: 

• A maximum 3-page technical proposal including: 
  • proposed methodology, including data to be used, and workplan;
  • brief description of past research experience in this field and in the country; 
  • a financial proposal. 
• full CVs of expert(s) involved in the project, including academic record and list of publications, research grants and projects; 
• only for legal entities: proof of registration as a non-governmental/private organization including copies of registration certificate(s); please place the proposal on the organisation’s letterhead. 

The deadline for submission is 16 February 2024.

The following are the selection criteria: 

• Proven research record in distributed leadership; 
• Suitable research methodology for primary data collection and analysis in the proposed area; 
• Experience in conducting country case studies and literature reviews; 
• In-depth understanding of the education systems in Chile; 
• Capacity to carry out the assignment and to draft to a high standard in in Spanish or Portuguese.

Commissioning will take place in February 2024 and the country case study is expected to be completed by June 2024. 

Please send your proposal in Spanish or Portuguese along with the attachments in one PDF file to gemrpost@unesco.org, using the subject line 2025 Regional edition on distributed leadership in LATAM. Please also specify in your proposal if you are applying as an individual or an entity. 

Any requests for additional information should be addressed in writing to gemrpost@unesco.org. All responses to any queries or clarification requests will be collected and made available to all applicants on the GEM Report website via this link by 19 January 2024.

Participation in this call for proposals does not guarantee that the organisation or individual expert will be ultimately selected.