The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) knows a thing or two about “Future Ready Leaders.” In 2016 they began the Future Ready Leaders Project in response to requests from superintendents across America.

These district leaders recognize the importance of preparing education leaders for the future, and in response, the OET has already compiled fifty videos sharing the best future forward practices from around the country.

The Future Ready Education Leader

While that may sound open-ended, some compelling tenets of future ready leadership have already begun to emerge. Overwhelmingly, the skills needed center around four distinct themes.

You can expect that future ready education leaders will need to focus on the following:

• Schools as models of equity. Future leaders will have to find ways to assure that every student will have a positive learning environment. Edtech tools can provide the digital equity that all students need, regardless of race, gender, religion or socioeconomic background.
• Tech robust learning environments. Schools of he future must have a robust infrastructure that can support edtech solutions in a variety of creative ways, from wireless classrooms to BYOD policies. As more schools and districts transition to cloud based learning management systems, the education leaders of the future will be more comfortable with technology than ever before.
• Personalization in learning. Future ready education leaders will find ways to provide a personalized learning experience for students at every age. These leaders will do the same for all stakeholders in education, providing customized training opportunities. They’ll also do the same thing for themselves.
• Collaborative efforts in leadership building. In the past, being an educational leader meant being in power. It was a top down approach where those not in a leadership position did what they were told. Future leaders can expect to find support in grassroots movements where everyone is empowered to contribute and collaborate inside and outside the classroom.

And finally, the future ready education leaders will be innovators who can inspire others to reach new heights in digital leadership.

The leaders who build the future in education will use research and best practices to create rigorous learning environments suited to the interests of students. They will need educational technology to provide the rigor and relevance required for college and career readiness. These leaders will use their strategic planning skills to prepare the path.