Abstract:

Introduction:
Chilean policy has promoted school leadership via the Principal Training Plan and the Framework for Good School Leadership and Management. This study analyzes how mentoring supports leadership effectiveness, especially transformational practices that drive school improvement.

1) School leadership in Chile:
Reforms shifted the principal’s role toward pedagogical leadership and added strategic demands. Policies outline practices, resources, and competencies needed for effective leadership in diverse contexts.

2) Leadership principles:
Leadership consists of teachable actions. Solid methodological work is required to organize and strengthen pedagogical management. Principals report overload and training gaps that create tensions and implicit role demands. Core domains: instructional leadership (supervision, learning monitoring, mentoring), administrative management (resources, organization, regulation), and systemic leadership (community engagement).

3) Transformational/transformative leadership:
Leadership intertwines with management and school culture (vision, shared project). Administrative and curricular–pedagogical axes coexist, while bureaucracy can displace pedagogy. Transformational leadership elevates capacities and motivation; its hallmarks are inspiration and change, reinforced by collaboration and mentoring. In vulnerable contexts, transformative leadership centers equity, inclusion, and social justice, recognizing power dynamics and promoting deep, equitable change.

4) Mentoring for principals:
Mentoring is a priority in continuous training. Although often limited to initial preparation, it generates evidence on trajectories, strengths, and opportunities, aligning leadership with contextual needs. In Ibero-America it is a path to professionalization; in Spain, a process of meaningful, consented support. Overall, mentoring links teacher development, improvement plans, and problem-solving, becoming an organizational lever for effective leadership.

Method:
A qualitative interpretive case study used semi-structured interviews with experienced principals in Chile’s Metropolitan Region to examine practices, feedback, and mentoring, and to identify transformational traits. Ten interviews were coded with Atlas.ti; rigor included auditability, saturation, and evidence–category coherence.

Results:
(1) Mentoring mainly targets teachers; few actions focus on principals.
(2) Administrative workload displaces pedagogical focus: time concentrates on administration, then instructional and systemic leadership; contingencies and paperwork reduce observation and feedback. ´
(3) Reported mentoring aligns with leadership frameworks: classroom observation with feedback, shared criteria, collaboration, inclusion-oriented mentoring, socioemotional support, and monitoring.

Discussion and conclusions:
Mentoring largely targets teachers while administrative burdens limit pedagogical leadership. When mentoring is institutionalized (clear criteria, protected cycles, data use), it aligns vision and practice and enables transformational change. Future studies should test whether mentoring principals as recipients enhances strategic skills and eases administrative tension.

Impact:
Systematic mentoring of leadership teams can strengthen capacity and reduce organizational incidents. Structured cycles, protected time, and evidence-based feedback can bolster principals’ pedagogical management.

Keywords:

Leadership, Mentoring, School Leaders, Leadership Practices.