The Headteacher's Digital Leadership in Managing Teacher Performance at SMPN 5 Salatiga

Abstract

This study investigates the principal's digital leadership in managing teacher performance at SMPN 5 Salatiga, grounded in five ISTE digital leadership dimensions: digital equity and citizenship advocacy, visionary planning, empowering leadership, system design, and connected learning. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, empirical data were gathered through in-depth interviews with the principal and 8 teachers, participant observation, and documentation analysis, followed by interactive data condensation, display, and verification. The findings demonstrate that the principal effectively enacted all five ISTE dimensions: guaranteeing equitable device access and modeling ethical citizenship; formulating a participatory digital vision and strategic plans; empowering educators through continuous upskilling and collaborative innovation; designing resilient IT infrastructure and data security protocols; and driving sustainable institutional change as an active, connected learner. This study contributes novel empirical insights by contextualizing the ISTE digital leadership framework within teacher performance management in resource-constrained secondary schools. Furthermore, it provides an actionable leadership model for school administrators to leverage digital systems for enhanced teacher efficacy and institutional adaptation.