The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) today released new standards for education leaders that highlight key areas of impact.

ISTE received input and feedback on the Education Leaders Standards from over 1,300 educators and leaders from all 50 states and 36 countries.

The characteristics of effective leaders outlined in the ISTE Standards for Education Leaders are:

1. Equity and Citizenship Advocate: Leaders use technology to increase equity, inclusion and digital citizenship practices.
2. Visionary Planner: Leaders engage others in establishing a vision, strategic plan and ongoing evaluation cycle for transforming learning with technology.
3. Empowering Leader: Leaders create a culture where teachers and learners are empowered to use technology in innovative ways to enrich teaching and learning.
4. System Designer: Leaders build teams and systems to implement, sustain and continually improve the use of technology to support learning.
5. Connected Learner: Leaders model and promote continuous professional learning for themselves and others.

The ISTE Standards are a framework for rethinking education and empowering learners. ISTE began a cycle of updating the widely used standards when it released the new ISTE Standards for Students (in 2016), followed by the ISTE Standards for Educators (in 2017), culminating with the ISTE Standards for Education Leaders this year.

“As administrators, our responsibilities cover many areas, including technology, which has become a necessary component of living and work,” said Curt Mould, director of digital media, innovation and strategy at Sun Prairie Area School District in Wisconsin. “The world our students are walking into is increasingly global and diverse – and technology is often the leverage point needed to bring global and diverse ideas together. In this regard, technology can be a game-changer in our schools. We need a new plan to help operationalize our work for the long-term benefit of our students.”