Capacidades institucionales y transformación digital de la gestión escolar rural: desafíos para una innovación contextualizada

Digital transformation in educational management remains a challenge for rural schools, particularly when connectivity, technological resources, staff training, and administrative organization constrain the effective integration of digital tools. This article analyzes the institutional capacities involved in the digital transformation of rural school management, drawing on the experiences and perceptions of educational communities in rural schools in Cotorra, Córdoba, Colombia. The underlying study used a qualitative approach with an interpretive orientation and a participatory action research design. It involved 25 participants: four school leaders, twelve teachers, six family members, and three upper-grade students. The original study collected information through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. This manuscript offers an analytical reinterpretation of documented findings and does not claim new fieldwork or additional empirical results. The analysis is organized around five dimensions: infrastructure and connectivity; human capacities and training; integration of institutional processes; leadership and organizational coordination; and technological relevance and sustainability. The findings suggest that barriers to technology adoption cannot be explained solely by device availability. They also involve managerial overload, fragmented records, limited specialist support, and the need for shared institutional procedures. The article argues that context-sensitive digital transformation requires coordinated infrastructure, professional learning, planning, data protection, and community participation. It concludes that technology can contribute to more organized and participatory school management when embedded in a realistic, gradual, and sustainable institutional strategy.