STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AS A TOOL FOR INNOVATION AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL CENTERS

Abstract

This article examines how strategic management can serve as a tool for innovation and continuous improvement in educational centers, especially when planning becomes part of everyday school routines rather than a formal document. The study is a bibliographic review with a qualitative approach and a narrative analysis of academic works and technical documents on strategic planning, monitoring, results-based management, and continuous improvement tools (such as the PDCA cycle). The findings suggest that strategic management supports clearer priorities, better process organization, stronger pedagogical follow-up, and evidence-informed decision-making, enabling more sustainable changes. The analysis also highlights practical constraints, including limited institutional time, weaknesses in monitoring, and discontinuity of initiatives, which reinforces the importance of a collaborative culture, systematic records, and non-punitive evaluation routines. The study concludes that, in this context, innovation in schools means building the capacity to learn from practice, adjust actions, and maintain consistency over time.