In recent news, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a nonprofit that has a wide-range of EdTech offerings for K-12 educators (including professional learning conferences, books, and more), and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), one of the oldest and largest K-12 professional development associations, were announced to be merging in early 2023.

In a statement from the ISTE Board of Directors, the organization stated, “After careful consideration and a comprehensive due diligence process, the ISTE Board of Directors has voted to merge with ASCD, the standard bearer for instructional leadership at the school and district levels.”

Per the statement, ASCD bylaws require a 45-day consideration period followed by a member vote from their 80,000 membership body. If a successful vote passes in November, the merger is expected to proceed in January 2023. As a result, ISTE Board nominations will be placed on hold pending the outcome of the voting process. More information will be available later this fall.

In a recent Education Week article by Alyson Klein, Richard Culatta, current chief executive officer of ISTE, would lead the new, larger organization if ASCD members vote to approve the plan. Despite having a shared governing board, ASCD and ISTE would retain their separate identities and brands, Culatta has stated, although some confusion on how this would ultimately articulate remained.

Per Klein, although Culatta stated that there had been “some tough years at ASCD,” he believes “the expertise that’s there is just unmatched anywhere in the education ecosystem.”