Should educational leaders be assessed on their technology leadership knowledge and skills?  I feel they should.  As an instructional leader in the school it is imperative that the principal lead the way in technology training to insure that his/her teachers are receiving the needed resources. Supplying the classrooms with needed computers is only have of the problem.  Teachers need to be trained in software to fully implement the technological resources of the classroom.  Equipment without thorough training is a wasted resource.  Technology has to be seen by the instructional leader not as just a resource to help students improve in areas of weakness or to do the regular classroom work with a different tool, but technology needs to been as a venue into a new classroom.  One with no walls and with unlimited opportunities to expand the learning experiences into interactive, globally collaborative lessons to bring about a deeper level of learning and instruct students synthesizing their learning beyond the school.

If school districts are to meet the needs of the 21st century learner it is imperative that the instructional leader of the school lead his/her staff in using technology and having the necessary knowledge to teach students on how to apply the technological tools to enhance their learning experiences.  Technology needs to be seen as a tool that must be applied to instruct students in real world learning to prepare them for future experiences.

The real question lies in how to assess leaders in this area?  The level of technological resources differ with every school.  Many principals are limited by budget constraints in their ability to supply teachers with cutting edge technology that will be outdated in 3 years.  Some are fortunate enough to work for districts that can afford the "newest and the latest" in technology.  For that principal the challenge would be staying up to date in his own training with technology always in such a fluid field. Every district has it own stories, which makes it difficult to fairly assess a principal's technology leadership skills.  Because of varying degrees of technology in school and the different degrees of staff ability in technology it would be difficult to truly determine the needs.  However, that does not mean it should not be done.

If the instructional leadership does not lead the way in technology schools will remain far behind where we need to be right now.  It is up to the principal to do everything with his control to prepare his teachers for the 21st century classroom and to prepare students to be 21st century.  The principal through the campus plan and the cite base committee should identify areas