Digital Transformation in Educational Management: School Leadership Models for the Effective Integration of ICT in the Curriculum

Abstract

This research article analyzes digital transformation in Basic Education institutions, shifting the analytical focus from the mere provision of technological infrastructure to the critical role of directive management. In school contexts characterized by limited resources and high socioeconomic complexity, such as those present in the Durán canton, the acquisition of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) without a clear managerial vision usually results in superficial use that does not impact learning. The research problem lies in the prevalence of hierarchical-administrative leadership models that delegate digital integration exclusively to the computer science teacher, fragmenting the curriculum. The general objective of this study is to design, implement, and evaluate a "Distributed and Transformational Leadership Model" that enables a systemic digital learning ecology. Through a participatory action-research design, management processes in a school were intervened during an academic year, training the principal and area coordinators. The results show that when the management team assumes visionary technological leadership, modeling the use of management tools and empowering teachers as co-creators of the digital curriculum, the institutional digital maturity index rises by 72% and teacher technophobia decreases drastically. It is concluded that digital transformation is not a hardware problem, but a challenge of organizational culture; the effective integration of ICT requires principals who orchestrate pedagogical change with boldness, vision, and empathetic accompaniment.