SETDA Updates Strategic Plan, Develops 6 Priorities

• By Tim Sohn
• 10/10/12

The State Educational Technology Directors Association has updated its strategic plan. Following a year-long process of reviewing the non-profit organization's initiatives, it has released a plan for 2013 to 2016 that includes a new mission statement and vision.

Membership of SETDA, based in Washington, DC, consists of educational technology directors from all 50 states. The group shares best practices, works on public-private partnerships, and provides professional development opportunities.

"SETDA members are committed to leveraging technology for learning. This strategic plan will ensure that the current generation of SETDA leadership and staff have the tools and processes in place to effectively steward the organization into our second decade and beyond," said Jeff Mao, chairman of the SETDA board of directors and learning technology policy director at the Maine Department of Education.

SETDA's new mission statement is: "The mission of SETDA is to build and increase the capacity of state and national leaders to improve education through technology, policy, and practice." Its new vision is "SETDA leads, inspires, and empowers the education community to leverage technology for learning."

Included in the plan are six priorities for SETDA:

• Advocacy, pushing for effective educational technology policies and practices. SETDA will create a national advocacy agenda, launch a grassroots advocacy campaign, curate information on educational technology, and provide its expertise to other organizations, policy makers, and the media.
• Professional learning, offering professional development opportunities. SETDA will develop an online learning and networking community and plan informal networking opportunities for its members.
• State action, encouraging states to work together on technology initiatives. SETDA will choose several issues to focus on for its state action agenda and address new priorities as they come up.
• Strategic partnerships with other organizations and companies to urge educational technology product development. SETDA will create a code of conduct for partnerships.
• Communications, creating strategies to best communicate with members, partners, and others. It will also revamp its branding and create a marketing/communications strategy, as well as its digital/social media plan.
• Operations, providing effective "governance, planning and management" of the organization. It will look at its revenue formula to make sure funding sources are diverse. In addition, SETDA will review its bylaws, board policies, and practices and the efficiency of the organization.

"In releasing this plan, SETDA is declaring to the states, to our strategic partners, to policymakers and to the wider education field that it is our intent to lead, inspire, and empower the education community to leverage technology for learning," said Douglas Levin, SETDA executive director. "It reaffirms the commitment by SETDA to being the national leadership organization supporting all states to effectively use technology as an integral component of their school reform and improvement initiatives."

To view the complete strategic plan, download the PDF. For more information about the State Educational Technology Directors Association, visit setda.org.