The California Professional Standards for Education Leaders (CPSEL) identify what an administrator must know and be able to do in order to move into sustainable, effective practice. They are a set of broad policy standards that are the foundation for administrator preparation, induction, development, professional learning and evaluation in California. Taken together, the CPSEL describe critical areas of leadership for administrators and offer a structure for developing and supporting education leaders throughout their careers.

 

The standards are organized into six broad categories that represent the responsibilities of an education leader, reflecting both professional and personal practice. The updated standards maintain the basic footprint of the six major leadership areas of the original CPSEL. This continuity helps educators, policymakers and programs align and link the updated CPSEL with existing California state policies and local uses, the national ISLLC standards (2008), research, and evidence-based practices across the states. Each standard has a title that supports its identification and use:
o Development and Implementation of a Shared Vision
o Instructional Leadership
o Management and Learning Environment
o Family and Community Engagement
o Ethics and Integrity
o External Context and Policy