Some educators shudder at the thought of standards in their curriculum; common concerns stem from State-mandated standards that are misaligned with real-world application, or the constant battle against the calendar to cover all the standards by test time. But when standards are used purposefully, with solid pedagogy and reasoning to back them, they become a powerful blueprint for excellence.
This can be said of the standards produced by ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) every few years. ISTE is an organization that helps elevate teaching and academic participants to stay current and up to date with issues and innovation in the world of education, specifically with regards to technology.
When you break down the 5 Standards for Administrators and compare them to the 6 for Coaches, there are several similarities and crossover areas that are worth noting. This, of course, makes sense in the grand scheme of education, because there should absolutely be overlap in educational roles when a common goal is found.
Here are my big takeaways from both Standards:
As you can see, the Administrator and Coaching Standards both emphasize a need for 'Visionary Leadership' as well as 'Digital Citizenship', which paints a picture in my mind of a Captain steering their 'ship' through the waters of innovation and creativity. Something else that is very clear from this graphic is the emphasis on Digital Age Learning; while the Coaches are expected to help build and maintain the 'Environment' of the Learning Area, it is up to the Administrators to build and maintain the 'Culture'. This is such a strong point to be made, because even if Teachers take the time to create the learning environments (Schoology, SeeSaw, Google Classroom, etc), their ship will be alone in the sea of Digital Learning without the Captain fostering the Culture needed for success.
Is the Administration of your school helping to create and grow these Cultures? Are your Coaches steering their ships alone?
I would love to know your thoughts!
Emily