Estudio sobre las prácticas efectivas de liderazgo en el Instituto Las Américas del Distrito de Santa Marta

This article presents the conclusions and findings of a study designed to analyze the leadership practices that drive educational quality at the Las Américas Institute in Santa Marta. Its main purpose was to unravel the educational community's perception of the importance of leadership and quality in the institution's educational process. A mixed methodology was used. On the one hand, qualitative interviews with a phenomenological-descriptive design were used to gather valuable information from administrators and department heads, allowing for a deep immersion into their perspectives. On the other hand, a quantitative survey was administered to teachers, using a non-experimental design, which facilitated data collection on a larger scale. The preliminary results are revealing: it was evident that teaching managers are central figures who guide educational quality processes. Their abilities are manifested in the agility with which they respond to the various difficulties that arise in managing leadership within the community, thus consolidating a transformational leadership style. Similarly, teachers are not mere recipients; they are self-managers of their own leadership, with a clear initiative to enrich their knowledge and apply practices that are adapted to the realities of the classroom, that is, to how students arrive and learn. Ultimately, the type of leadership observed at Instituto Las Américas is intrinsically linked to partnership and transformation toward higher quality. This study identified five fundamental causal relationships between effective leadership practices and their impact on academic management, administrative management, strategic management, and the overall influence of school management on educational quality.