Abstract
The professional development of educational leaders is essential to achieve their contribution to educational improvement. For this, it must be carried out in a contextualized way and closely linked to the characteristics of the scenario where leadership is exercised. These requirements have given relevance to the analysis of practice problems as a source of reflection oriented towards professional development.
This article presents the results of a longitudinal study aimed at recognizing the practice problems defined by eight Chilean directors of vulnerable schools over three years. The results made it possible to identify prioritized types of problems and characterize them based on their level of refinement, link with the teaching-learning process, and agency based on their resolution.
Based on the findings obtained, methodologies are proposed that can be used to enhance the work with practice problems for professional development.