Principal Digital Leadership Determines Educational Quality In Artificial Intelligence Era
TL;DR
Qualitative data indicate that principals actively build digital visions, foster collaboration, and apply data-based decision-making, although uneven teacher competencies and absent ethical standard operating procedures remain as obstacles.
Abstract
General Background Digital transformation constitutes a crucial agenda in modern educational management, requiring schools to adopt data-driven governance and technological innovations. Specific Background The emergence of Artificial Intelligence introduces new demands for school principals to establish secure governance, ethical guidelines, and advanced pedagogical tools at institutions like SMA N 17 Merangin. Knowledge Gap Despite technological availability, variations in teachers' digital competencies and the absence of standardized ethical guidelines for Artificial Intelligence utilization present significant administrative challenges. Aims This study analyzes the implementation of principal digital leadership in supporting educational quality during the Artificial Intelligence era at SMA N 17 Merangin. Results Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design with 26 respondents, quantitative findings reveal a significant positive relationship between digital leadership and educational quality (r = 0.758; p < 0.001), contributing 57.45% to quality variance. Qualitative data indicate that principals actively build digital visions, foster collaboration, and apply data-based decision-making, although uneven teacher competencies and absent ethical standard operating procedures remain as obstacles. Novelty This research specifically integrates Artificial Intelligence literacy, digital ethics, and data-driven supervision within the assessment of school leadership frameworks. Implications Educational institutions must strengthen policies regarding ethical Artificial Intelligence usage, provide continuous digital training, and establish comprehensive data-driven supervision systems to sustain academic excellence. Highlights Digital leadership significantly dictates educational quality through strategic vision and data-based decisions. Principals play a critical role in fostering collaboration and increasing Artificial Intelligence literacy among teachers. Uneven teacher competencies and the absence of ethical guidelines remain primary obstacles in technology integration. Keywords Digital Leadership; Educational Quality; Artificial Intelligence; School Principal; Digital Transformation