Working in the nation’s second largest school district requires the collaboration and calibration of thousands of students, teachers and administrators. With the adoption of the refreshed ISTE Standards for Students, the Los Angeles Unified School District has been able to clearly articulate the ways we forge forward to create a learning environment focused on living and thriving in this increasingly digital world.

The refreshed ISTE Standards for Education Leaders are an important element of our district’s efforts because they help us connect our administrative efforts to the 21st century instructional practices we are supporting in the classroom.

For example, to cultivate students as empowered learners, we need our teachers to also identify as learners themselves. In order to do that, education leaders must explore partnerships and carve out dedicated time to support staff in nurturing their own identify as learners.

Using the ISTE Standards as foundational concepts for our efforts has helped the district make progress toward transforming teaching and learning.

Currently, the Instructional Technology Initiative, which is a department within L.A. Unified’s Division of Instruction, serves as the ISTE Standards ambassadors where the team cross-stitches with schools, community organizations and other departments to bring the ISTE Standards to life.

The ISTE Standards for Education Leaders will be a critical component of the district’s efforts in creating awareness among district leadership, building their capacity in leveraging the ISTE Standards in their focused efforts as well.

For instance, the district anticipates actively leveraging the ISTE Standards for Education Leaders to inform program and policy development, ensuring that our efforts are coherent across our large system.

In the video below, Sophia Mendoza, director of LAUSD's Instructional Technology Initiative, and other educators talk about the importance of using the ISTE Standards for Education Leaders in creating a culture of innovation and student-driven learning. 

Learn more about how LAUSD incorporates the ISTE Standards in its districtwide tranformation efforts by attending these ISTE 2018 sessions:

Cultivating Innovative Designers: The Integration of ISTE Standards Across L.A. Unified

Developing Empowered Leaders: Designing ISTE Professional Learning in L.A. Unified

Addressing the Digital Divide Within Los Angeles Unified School District Middle Schools

Vanessa Monterosa, Ed.D., is incoming ISTE Digital Citizenship Network co-chair and a program and policy development specialist for the Los Angeles Unified School District, coordinating digital citizenship efforts and conducting districtwide research and analysis on instructional technology practices. She has received recognition as an AAHHE/Ford Fellow, Education Pioneers Fellow and a HASTAC Scholar for her qualitative research efforts. She holds a master’s degree in Technology, Innovation & Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University-Long Beach.