THE PRINCIPAL'S INNOVATION MANAGEMENT IN BUILDING A SUPERIOR SCHOOL BRAND BASED ON LOCAL WISDOM

Abstrak

In the midst of the challenges of globalization, schools are required not only to excel academically, but also to have a strong and distinct identity. One way to build this excellence is through school branding that is authentic and culturally relevant. Unfortunately, there are still many schools that ignore the potential of local wisdom values in their instutional image development strategies. In fact, this approach has been proven effective, both in increasing competitiveness through a brand image strategy based on positioning, identity and personality and emphasizing its importance. On the other hand, educational innovation based on local culture from an early age is the foundation for students character. This research aims to analyze how school principals manage managerial innovation inn building superior school branding that is rooted in local wisdom. Although many previous studies highlight the importance of leadership innovation and school branding strategies, the integration of both with local wisdom-based approaches has still been studied in depth. Through literature study with a descriptive qualitative approach from various current journals. The integration of local wisdom values into the school’s vision, mission, superior programs and communications has been proven to be able to increase competitiveness while strengthening the character of students. Through this study, it is hoped that a more comprehensive understanding will be obtained regarding the relationship between leadership innovation, local values, and branding strategies as one unit in creating superior and characterful schools.