THE PRINCIPAL IN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

A HISTORICAL-LEGISLATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the historical trajectory of the function of principal in front of the Federal Institutions of Vocational Education, since its creation in 1909 as Schools of Apprentices and Artisans. The Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology emerged in 2008, from a historical trajectory that goes back to the Schools of Apprentices and Artisans. This is a bibliographic and documental study that used the exploratory method to resume the historicity of the function of the principal and legislative acts of different governments. It counted on the theoretical support of several authors, among them: Cunha (2005a; 2005b; 2014), Marangoni (2017; 2020), Paro (2012; 2015), Ramos (2014) and Souza (2010; 2012; 2017) to examine the macro context of the policies and their rebound on professional education and the principal's performance. Some official documents were analyzed that evidenced what was expected of the principal. From the tension between the theoretical and legal contributions, we conclude that, the delineation of policies for Vocational and Technological Education followed (and has been following) the political and market interests influencing the federal education network and reflecting in the legislations that deal with the attributions of the principal.