Democratic and Participatory Management in Military Schools

challenges and opportunities in addressing school bullying

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze democratic and participatory management in educational institutions, with an emphasis on military schools, investigating their contributions, challenges, and possibilities in addressing school bullying. The central problem concerns the difficulty of reconciling the rigid hierarchical structure of these institutions with the need to broaden community participation in school management. The theoretical framework was based on authors who discuss the democratization of educational management and its relationship with citizenship formation, highlighting tensions between discipline and autonomy. The methodology adopted was bibliographic research, descriptive in nature and with a qualitative approach, with searches conducted in scientific databases such as SciELO, Google Scholar, Capes Journals, and Redalyc. The results indicated that democratic management, when effectively implemented, favors the reduction of interpersonal conflicts and bullying episodes, although it remains limited by the militarized disciplinary structure. It was found that practices of dialogue, conflict mediation, and shared responsibility strengthen the construction of inclusive, collaborative, and safe environments. It is concluded that the integration of democratic principles into hierarchical spaces enhances the quality of school relationships and consolidates the school as a promoter of citizenship, especially in contexts of social vulnerability.