Technology Standards for School Administrators

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Collaborative for Technology Standards for School Administrators
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Technology Standards
for School Administrators

TSSA COLLABORATIVE
American Association of School Administrators Geannie Wells, Director
Center for Accountability Solutions www.aasa.org
National Association of Secondary School Principals Bill McCampbell, Associate Director Instructional Technology www.principals.org
National Association of Elementary School Principals Fred Brown, Associate Executive Director Professional Services www.naesp.org
National School Boards Association Ann Lee Flynn, Director Education Technology www.nsba.org/itte
Association of Educational Service Agencies Brian L. Talbott
Executive Director www.aesa.org
International Society for Technology in Education Don Knezek, Director
National Center for PT3/U of North Texas www.iste.org
Consortium for School Networking Keith Krueger
Executive Director www.cosn.org
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Kristin Ciesemier, Program Director
North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium www.ncr tec.org
Southern Regional Education Board William Thomas, Director Educational Technology www.sreb.org
Kentucky State Department of Education Charlotte Chowning, Education Technology Consultant
Kentucky Office of Education Technology www.kde.state.ky.us
Mississippi State Department of Education Helen Soule´
Director of Technology www.mde.k12.ms.us
Principals’ Executive Program – U of North Carolina Sheila Cory
Program Associate www.ga.unc.edu/pep
College of Education – Western Michigan University James Bosco
Director of External Technology Affairs www.wmich.edu
Design and printing provided by North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium
Copyright © 2001 by the TSSA Collaborative. All rights reserved.

contents
1 Message from the TSSA Collaborative
2 Introduction and Context
6 Technology Standards for School Administrators
14 Scenario: A Day in the Life of a Superintendent...
16 Scenario: Technology Lessons from the Central Office
18 Scenario: Welcome to my World... The Principal

Message from the TSSA Collaborative
On behalf of the TSSA Collaborative, I am pleased to present the Technology Standards for School Administrators. The impetus for the development of these Standards was the recognition that administrators play a pivotal role in determining how well technology is used in our schools. These Standards enable us to move from just acknowledging the importance of administrators to defining the specifics of what administrators need to know and be able to do in order to discharge their responsibility as leaders in the effective use of technology in our schools.
The Technology Standards for School Administrators fit with and complement the exemplary work done by the International Society for Technology and Education (ISTE) in the NETS Projects, which produced educational technology standards for teachers and students. As a member of the Consortium, and particularly as the operational host for TSSA, ISTE played a very important role in this Project. We were able to accomplish this Project faster and better because of the expertise the ISTE team brought to it as a result of their previous work developing educational technology standards.
You will see in this document the names of the organizations in the Collaborative. These organizations provided the leadership for this effort. All of these organizations recognized the need for technology standards for school administrators and recognized that it made sense for us to work together rather than to devise divergent and competing sets of standards. You will also see the list of Participating Organizations. These organizations lent their support and council in the development of the standards. We expect that all of these organizations and others who may join with us will be involved in the most important task ahead – the implementation of the Standards.
I also wish to acknowledge the support provided by our Project Contributors. Their vote of confidence in us though their investment of funds and in-kind support is deeply appreciated.
Finally, I want to thank the hundreds of administrators, teachers, school board members, higher education faculty, state officials, and others who engaged in the process of developing the Standards with us. Working with you in this Project made the past year and a half a productive and rewarding experience.
James Bosco, Chairperson Technology Standards for School Administrators Professor, Department of Educational Studies Western Michigan University

James Bosco Chair, TSSA Collaborative

Technology Standards
for School Administrators

The Collaborative for Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA Collaborative) has facilitated the development of a national consensus on what P-12 administrators should know and be able to do to optimize the effective use of technology. This consensus is presented by the Collaborative (November 2001) as Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA).
The Collaborative believes that comprehensive implementation of technology is, in itself, large-scale systemic reform. Leadership plays a key role in successful school reform. The Collaborative’s standards, therefore, focus on the role of leadership in enhancing learning and school operations through the use of technology.
These standards are indicators of effective leadership for technology in schools. They define neither the minimum nor maximum level of knowledge and skills required of a leader, and are neither a comprehensive list nor a guaranteed recipe for effective technology leadership. Rather, these standards are a national consensus among educational stakeholders of what best indicates accomplished school leadership for comprehensive and effective use of technology in schools. The standards challenge almost every school administrator in some areas, yet each individual standard is attainable by the professional educational leader. Although a national consensus, in no way should these standards inhibit new development, innovation, or progress for schools or for school leadership.
The TSSA Collaborative and the many professionals who contributed to this effort realize the wide range of roles administrators play in schools, even when titles are similar. School and system size, degree of site-based governance, community characteristics, and strengths of individual administrators are but a few of the parameters that may cause variations in actual job roles. For this reason, wise consumers of these standards will apply this national resource in a way that acknowledges the local context of school leadership.

A rich array of expectations exists for use of these standards. They will find application in:
I administrator preparation and professional development program design
I assessment and evaluation
I role definition and job descriptions
I individual and system accountability
I accreditation of schools and of administrator preparation programs
I certification (credentialing) of administrators
I self-assessment and goal setting
I design of technology tools for school administrators

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The audiences for these standards also are varied. School boards, administrators, human resources staff, staff developers, higher education personnel, and state education agencies will make use of this resource. Others include state and federal policy-makers, industry representatives and service providers, professional organizations, parents, taxpayers, and other community constituents. This places priority, then, on clarity and simplicity of language, free from specific education jargon. The document speaks to a variety of audiences, and it encourages accomplished leaders to stay abreast of current strategies and accepted principles as these evolve.
An underlying assumption to these standards is that administrators should be competent users of information and technology tools common to information-age professionals. The effective 21st Century administrator is a hands-on user of

technology. Much of the benefit of technology is lost for administrators who rely on an intermediary to do their e-mail, manipulate critical data, or handle other technology tasks for them. While technology empowers administrators by the information it can readily produce and communicate, it exponentially empowers the administrator who masters the tools and processes that allow creative and dynamic management of available information.
Administrators who recognize the potential of technology understand that leadership has a responsibility to ensure digital equity. They must also know that technology can unlock tremendous potential in learners and staff with special and diverse needs. Administrators are responsible for incorporating assistive technologies that enable a school system to more comprehensively serve its constituents.

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Highly successful school districts carefully align educational initiatives to address district priorities. Leaders must acknowledge this need for alignment as technology is integrated across the district. The shared vision for technology must be consistent with the district’s overall educational vision, and technology plans must smoothly integrate with overall planning for school effectiveness.
The vision of the TSSA Collaborative is that the Technology Standards for School Administrators identify knowledge and skills that constitute the “core” – what every P-12 administrator needs regardless of specific job role – and, then extends the core to include the specific tasks of administrators in each of three job roles: (1) superintendent and executive cabinet, (2) district-level leaders for content-specific or other district programs, and (3) campus-level leaders, including principals and assistant principals. This phase of the effort does not address role-specific standards for business officers or technology directors.
The TSSA Collaborative recommends the standards be communicated as six standards statements along with a corresponding set of performance indicators for each. In addition, there are three sets of role-specific technology leadership tasks describing different expectations in three distinct administrative job roles. Also included are illustrative scenarios of practice corresponding to each job role. For clarity and brevity, performance indicators and leadership tasks that correspond to more than one standard are listed with the most closely aligned standard.

“Integrating technology throughout a school system is, in itself, significant systemic reform. We have a wealth of evidence attesting to the importance of leadership in implementing and sustaining systemic reform in schools. It is critical, therefore, that we attend seriously to leadership for technology in schools.”

Don Knezek, Director TSSA Standards Project ISTE

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Technology Standards for School Administrators
I. Leadership and Vision: Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision.
Educational leaders: A. facilitate the shared development by all stakeholders of a vision for technology use and
widely communicate that vision. B. maintain an inclusive and cohesive process to develop, implement, and monitor a
dynamic, long-range, and systemic technology plan to achieve the vision. C. foster and nurture a culture of responsible risk-taking and advocate policies promoting
continuous innovation with technology. D. use data in making leadership decisions. E. advocate for research-based effective practices in use of technology. F. advocate, on the state and national levels, for policies, programs, and funding opportuni-
ties that support implementation of the district technology plan.
II. Learning and Teaching: Educational leaders ensure that curricular design, instructional strategies, and learning environments integrate appropriate technologies to maximize learning and teaching.
Educational leaders: A. identify, use, evaluate, and promote appropriate technologies to enhance and support
instruction and standards-based curriculum leading to high levels of student achievement. B. facilitate and support collaborative technology-enriched learning environments conducive
to innovation for improved learning. C. provide for learner-centered environments that use technology to meet the individual and
diverse needs of learners. D. facilitate the use of technologies to support and enhance instructional methods that
develop higher-level thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. E. provide for and ensure that faculty and staff take advantage of quality professional learning
opportunities for improved learning and teaching with technology.
III. Productivity and Professional Practice: Educational leaders apply technology to enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity and that of others.
Educational leaders: A. model the routine, intentional, and effective use of technology. B. employ technology for communication and collaboration among colleagues, staff, parents,
students, and the larger community. C. create and participate in learning communities that stimulate, nurture, and support faculty
and staff in using technology for improved productivity. D. engage in sustained, job-related professional learning using technology resources. E. maintain awareness of emerging technologies and their potential uses in education. F. use technology to advance organizational improvement.
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Framework, Standards, and Performance Indicators
IV. Support, Management, and Operations: Educational leaders ensure the integration of technology to support productive systems for learning and administration.
Educational leaders: A. develop, implement, and monitor policies and guidelines to ensure compatibility
of technologies. B. implement and use integrated technology-based management and operations systems. C. allocate financial and human resources to ensure complete and sustained implementation
of the technology plan. D. integrate strategic plans, technology plans, and other improvement plans and policies to
align efforts and leverage resources. E. implement procedures to drive continuous improvements of technology systems and to
support technology replacement cycles.
V. Assessment and Evaluation: Educational leaders use technology to plan and implement comprehensive systems of effective assessment and evaluation.
Educational leaders: A. use multiple methods to assess and evaluate appropriate uses of technology resources for
learning, communication, and productivity. B. use technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to
improve instructional practice and student learning. C. assess staff knowledge, skills, and performance in using technology and use results to
facilitate quality professional development and to inform personnel decisions. D. use technology to assess, evaluate, and manage administrative and operational systems.
VI. Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues: Educational leaders understand the social, legal, and ethical issues related to technology and model responsible decision-making related to these issues.
Educational leaders: A. ensure equity of access to technology resources that enable and empower all learners
and educators. B. identify, communicate, model, and enforce social, legal, and ethical practices to promote
responsible use of technology. C. promote and enforce privacy, security, and online safety related to the use of technology. D. promote and enforce environmentally safe and healthy practices in the use of technology. E. participate in the development of policies that clearly enforce copyright law and assign
ownership of intellectual property developed with district resources.
These standards are the property of the TSSA Collaborative and may not be altered without written permission. The following notice must accompany reproduction of these standards: “This material was originally produced as a project of the Technology Standards for School Administrators Collaborative.”
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I

Leadership and Vision
Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology
and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision.

Performance Indicators
Educational leaders:
A. facilitate the shared development by all stakeholders of a vision for technology use and widely communicate that vision.
B. maintain an inclusive and cohesive process to develop, implement, and monitor a dynamic, longrange, and systemic technology plan to achieve the vision.
C. foster and nurture a culture of responsible risk-taking and advocate policies promoting continuous innovation with technology.
D. use data in making leadership decisions.
E. advocate for researchbased effective practices in use of technology.
F. advocate, on the state and national levels, for policies, programs, and funding opportunities that support implementation of the district technology plan.

Role-Specific Technology Leadership Tasks:
Superintendent
Superintendents who effectively lead integration of technology typically perform the following tasks: I ensure that the vision for use of technology is congruent with the overall
district vision. I engage representatives from all stakeholder groups in the development,
implementation, and ongoing assessment of a district technology plan consistent with the district improvement plan. I advocate to the school community, the media, and the community at large for effective technology use in schools for improved student learning and efficiency of operations.
District Program Director
District program directors who effectively lead integration of technology typically perform the following tasks: I assure that program technology initiatives are aligned with the district
technology vision. I represent program interests in the development and systematic review of a
comprehensive district technology plan. I advocate for program use of promising practices with technology to achieve
program goals.
Principal
Principals who effectively lead integration of technology typically perform the following tasks: I participate in an inclusive district process through which stakeholders
formulate a shared vision that clearly defines expectations for technology use. I develop a collaborative, technology-rich school improvement plan, grounded
in research and aligned with the district strategic plan. I promote highly effective practices in technology integration among faculty
and other staff.

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