TRANSFORMATION OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN THE DIGITAL ERA: ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Abstrak

The digital era has fundamentally transformed the paradigm of educational leadership, demanding strategic leadership transformation to optimize school performance. This research aims to analyze educational leadership transformation in the digital era and identify effective adaptive strategies for enhancing 21st century school performance. The research method employed is qualitative with a literature review approach through systematic analysis of journal articles, books, and research reports related to digital educational leadership from 2018-2024 obtained from academic databases such as Google Scholar, ERIC, and Scopus using keywords "digital leadership in education", "educational transformation", and "21st century school performance". The research findings reveal that educational leadership transformation in the digital era requires five main adaptive strategies: (1) development of school leaders' digital competencies including technology literacy, data management, and cybersecurity awareness; (2) implementation of digital platform-based collaborative leadership to enhance team communication and coordination; (3) integration of adaptive learning technologies that respond to individual student needs; (4) establishment of continuous innovation culture through virtual professional learning communities; and (5) implementation of data analytics-based evaluation systems for more accurate decision-making. This research concludes that transformative educational leadership in the digital era requires not only technology mastery, but also organizational culture adaptation capabilities, continuous human resource development, and leadership vision reorientation toward student-centered learning supported by integrated digital ecosystems.