the iste standards for education leaders support the implementation of the iste standards for students and the iste standards for educators and provide a framework for guiding digital age learning. these standards target the knowledge and behaviors required for leaders to empower teachers and make student learning possible. they’re focused on some of the most timely, yet enduring, topics in education today – equity, digital citizenship, visioneering, team and systems building, continuous improvement and professional growth.
Explore the Education Leaders Standards
1Equity and Citizenship Advocate
Leaders use technology to increase equity, inclusion, and digital citizenship practices. Education leaders:
Ensure all students have skilled teachers who actively use technology to meet student learning needs.
Ensure all students have access to the technology and connectivity necessary to participate in authentic and engaging learning opportunities.
Model digital citizenship by critically evaluating online resources, engaging in civil discourse online and using digital tools to contribute to positive social change.
Cultivate responsible online behavior, including the safe, ethical and legal use of technology.
Leaders engage others in establishing a vision, strategic plan and ongoing evaluation cycle for transforming learning with technology. Education leaders:
Engage education stakeholders in developing and adopting a shared vision for using technology to improve student success, informed by the learning sciences.
Build on the shared vision by collaboratively creating a strategic plan that articulates how technology will be used to enhance learning.
Evaluate progress on the strategic plan, make course corrections, measure impact and scale effective approaches for using technology to transform learning.
Communicate effectively with stakeholders to gather input on the plan, celebrate successes and engage in a continuous improvement cycle.
Share lessons learned, best practices, challenges and the impact of learning with technology with other education leaders who want to learn from this work.
Leaders create a culture where teachers and learners are empowered to use technology in innovative ways to enrich teaching and learning. Education leaders:
Empower educators to exercise professional agency, build teacher leadership skills and pursue personalized professional learning.
Build the confidence and competency of educators to put the ISTE Standards for Students and Educators into practice.
Inspire a culture of innovation and collaboration that allows the time and space to explore and experiment with digital tools.
Support educators in using technology to advance learning that meets the diverse learning, cultural, and social-emotional needs of individual students.
Develop learning assessments that provide a personalized, actionable view of student progress in real time.
Leaders build teams and systems to implement, sustain and continually improve the use of technology to support learning. Education leaders:
Lead teams to collaboratively establish robust infrastructure and systems needed to implement the strategic plan.
Ensure that resources for supporting the effective use of technology for learning are sufficient and scalable to meet future demand.
Protect privacy and security by ensuring that students and staff observe effective privacy and data management policies.
Establish partnerships that support the strategic vision, achieve learning priorities and improve operations.
Leaders model and promote continuous professional learning for themselves and others. Education leaders:
Set goals to remain current on emerging technologies for learning, innovations in pedagogy and advancements in the learning sciences.
Participate regularly in online professional learning networks to collaboratively learn with and mentor other professionals.
Use technology to regularly engage in reflective practices that support personal and professional growth.
Develop the skills needed to lead and navigate change, advance systems and promote a mindset of continuous improvement for how technology can improve learning.