Learning Convivencia at School: Lessons on Peaceful Coexistence Policy Enactment from El Salvador

Abstract

Policies and programmes on school convivencia (peaceful coexistence/positive school environment) have been broadly promoted in Latin America in recent decades, particularly in contexts of high levels of social violence, such as in El Salvador. In these settings, education is considered an essential instrument for strengthening peace and democracy. This chapter examines three unsuccessful attempts in El Salvador to achieve fundamental changes in interpersonal relationships in school convivencia. These attempts related to student participation in school governance, bullying, and sexual violence. Findings are derived from a comparative analysis of studies on each of these initiatives. An analytical framework centred on the interaction of ideas, actors, and institutions is used to examine the concept of convivencia, the role of actors at and across various levels of the education system, and the institutional strengths and weaknesses that affect the ability to formulate, implement, and evaluate these policies. The cross-case analysis demonstrates the complexity of addressing reforms focused on interpersonal relationships in schools that are, in turn, immersed in a broader cultural context. This chapter suggests the need to strengthen the role of multiple social actors, such as teachers, families, and local communities, in recognition of their power to enact or block a policy.