Iowa Standards for School Leaders

Iowa Standards for School Leaders and criteria represent a set of knowledge and skills that reflects the best evidence available regarding effective leadership for Iowa schools. The standards and criteria are linked to the evaluation of administrators and the professional development plans for administrators.

Resources

The tools (working drafts which include performance reviews) provided on this site have been designed to support the implementation of the 2021 Iowa Standards for School Leaders, which took effect July 2021. Please note that while implementation of the standards is required, these tools are OPTIONAL for use.

The 10 Standards
MISSION, VISION, AND CORE VALUES - Deep dive into Standard 1
Educational leaders develop, advocate, and enact a shared mission, vision, and core values of high-quality education and academic success and well-being of each student.
ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL NORMS - Deep dive into Standard 2
Educational leaders act ethically and according to professional norms to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
EQUITY AND CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS - Deep dive into Standard 3
Educational leaders strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT - Deep dive into Standard 4
Educational leaders develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
COMMUNITY OF CARE AND SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS - Deep dive into Standard 5
Educational leaders cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of each student.
PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL - Deep dive into Standard 6
Educational leaders develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY FOR TEACHERS AND STAFF - Deep dive into Standard 7 
Educational leaders foster a professional community of teachers and other professional staff to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.

MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT OF FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY - Deep dive into Standard 8
Educational leaders engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT - Deep dive into Standard 9
Educational leaders manage school operations and resources to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT - Deep dive into Standard 10
Educational leaders act as agents of continuous improvement to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.