The United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out a comprehensive global vision for addressing the biggest challenges of our times. Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable learning for students worldwide, and establishes ambitious benchmarks that guide nations in improving educational opportunities.
The ISTE Standards are a comprehensive framework for the effective use of technology in schools worldwide. Review the table below to see how the ISTE Standards interconnect with SDG 4, as well as with the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework.
Access to Education
SDG 4.1 Universal primary and secondary education
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
ISTE 2.2.b
Educators advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students.
SDG 4.2 Early childhood development
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.
ISTE 4.1
Coaches inspire educators and leaders to use technology to create equitable and ongoing access to high-quality learning.
ISTE 4.1.b
Coaches facilitate equitable use of digital learning tools and content that meet the needs of each learner.
ISTE 3.1
Education leaders ensure all students have access to the technology and connectivity necessary to participate in authentic and engaging learning opportunities.
ISTE 3.1.b
Leaders build teams and systems to implement, sustain and continually improve the use of technology to support learning.
The ISTE Standards provide guidance on how to best develop systems and pedagogies for using technology for effective teaching and learning across early childhood, primary and secondary education. For example, effective systems design is included in the Education Leaders section of the ISTE Standards. The Systems Designer standard includes four performance indicators to guide leaders in establishing robust infrastructure and systems, sufficient and scalable resources, data management policies and developing partnerships.
Each of the ISTE Standards focus on equity and inclusion and, through these standards, education stakeholders get guidance on providing support, access and opportunities for all students, including students who, based on income, geography, disability or infrastructure, may not have access to conventional educational opportunities.
Future Learning and Work
SDG 4.3 Equal access to technical/vocational and higher education
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.
ISTE 1.1.a
Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
SDG 4.4 Relevant skills for decent work
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
ISTE 2.1.a
Educators set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their effectiveness.
ISTE 2.6.a
Educators foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
ISTE 2.2.a
Educators shape, advance and accelerate a shared vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with education stakeholders.
ISTE 1.2
Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.
ISTE 1.2.b
Students engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
ISTE 2.3.a
Citizenship - Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world. Educators create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.
ISTE 2.5
Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability.
The ISTE Standards provide systems and pedagogical solutions for preparing students for post-secondary life, with an emphasis on equitable access. They also serve as a guide for technical and vocational training educators, as well as higher education faculty.
This guidance includes how to ensure gender-inclusive design and accessibility. The use of technological systems and transformative pedagogy with technology can provide alternative access solutions for girls who are typically unable to participate in extended learning opportunities due to family obligations, schedule restrictions, travel and finances.
The Education Leaders Standards guide leaders, policymakers and funders on advocating for equity, establishing strategic plans, creating an empowering culture, designing equitably systems and connecting with others to ensure ongoing progress.
As highlighted within UN divisions, schools should explore mechanisms to use technologies to build a digitally skilled workforce able to solve problems and be resourceful, informed workers. The ISTE Standards holistically support learners in gaining these skills and characteristics.
The ISTE Student Standards empower learners of all ages and advocate for a student-driven process. They guide students to use technological tools for empowerment and to seek careers that they may previously thought were out of reach.
Equity and Inclusion
SDG 4.5 Gender equity and inclusion
By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.
ISTE 2.2.b
Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students.
ISTE 2.5.a
Use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.
ISTE 4.1.b
Facilitate equitable use of digital learning tools and content that meet the needs of each learner.
ISTE 4.4.c
Collaborate with educators to design accessible and active digital learning environments that accommodate learner variability.
The ISTE Standards call for equity and inclusion through effective practice and instructional technology with a focus on equitable access, meeting the diverse needs of all students and designing accessible online learning environments. Learning online can reduce the barriers to access and open up anytime/anyplace learning to reach exponentially more people. The ISTE Standards also call for student agency and empowerment, and call on educational leaders to provide solutions to develop systemic, equitable, sustainable changes with technology.
SDG 4.6 Universal youth and adult literacy
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
ISTE 1.1.a
Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
ISTE 1.5.b
Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.
ISTE 1.3.d
Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
ISTE 2.3.b
Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.
ISTE 2.1.a
Set professional learning goals to explore and apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology.
ISTE 2.5.b
Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.
The ISTE Standards provide a framework for instructional technologies, pedagogical approaches, digital content and systems to achieve learning goals. They also promote systemic changes, from pedagogy to accessibility, in support of literacy and numeracy achievement.
ISTE Standard 1.5.b has students collecting, identifying and representing data to better understand the world using numeracy. ISTE Standards 2.5 and 2.6 focus on designing and facilitating learning that is personalized, engaging and meaningful to students in blended or virtual learning environments.
SDG 4.7 Education for sustainable development and global citizenship
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
a. Effective learning environments. Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
b. Expand the number of scholarships available to developing countries. By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrollment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programs, in developed countries and other developing countries.
c. Increase the supply of qualified teachers By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States.
ISTE 2.5.b
Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.
ISTE 2.5.a
Use technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.
ISTE 1.1.a
Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
ISTE 4.4.d
Model the use of instructional design principles with educators to create effective digital learning environments.
ISTE 5.4.a
Design professional learning based on needs assessments and frameworks for working with adults to support their cultural, social-emotional and learning needs.
ISTE 3.3.a
Empower educators to exercise professional agency, build teacher leadership skills and pursue personalized professional learning.
ISTE 3.5.b
Participate regularly in online professional learning networks to collaboratively learn with and mentor other professionals.
The ISTE Standards for Educators, Educational Leaders, Students and Coaches have indicators dedicated to citizenship and cultural diversity. The standards promote sustainable development in targeted ways, including real-world pedagogies, global collaboration and digital citizenship.
The ISTE Standards focus on pedagogies aimed at having learners become empowered change-makers. The Designer standard identifies specific ways educators should design classroom activities, including accommodating for learner differences and needs and focusing on authentic problem-based learning approaches that have students solving local and global issues and fixing inequities.
The Education Leader and Coaches standards address the need for qualified educators and to ensure support for these educators to drive teacher retention. Education leaders empower educators in building skills and becoming lifelong learners. Coaches are directed to build capacity and meet the needs of educators when designing learning experiences. Coaches also focus on cultural and social-emotional needs, highlighting the critical contextual component that impacts all forms of learning.
The ISTE Standards have been accessed and adopted worldwide.
Accelerating SDG4
We believe that as education leaders leverage the strengths of the ISTE Standards, the realization of UN SDG 4 will accelerate. The ISTE Standards provide important support in meeting the SDGs by offering concrete examples of how educators can leverage the power of technology to support learning.