ISTE plus ASCD is gone.
Or at least, the names are.
On June 28, during the opening general session of their annual conference in Orlando, the merged entity announced a fresh identity: The International Society for Transforming Education.
It wasn’t a last-minute whim.
Jeremy Owoh, who serves as the new group’s president while simultaneously running the Jacksonville North Pulaski SchoolDistrict, noted the rename has been brewing for over a year. The logic? Stability first. Brand second.
“We knew that the [merger needed to happen] first… once we grew together… then we could take on that… task. This is a change we’re making very thoughtfully,” Owoh explained.
Richard Culatta, the CEO, framed it as a pivot from method to motive. The old acronyms felt like tools. This new name feels like a purpose. It’s supposed to signal a global alignment of tech, instruction, and teacher practice—aimed squarely at better student outcomes.
He put it this way: shifting focus from how we do things to why we do them. Serious stuff.
Reactions at the venue were… mixed.
Elizabeth Diamond, an associate professor at Temple Unversity, liked the sound of it.
“Oh, I’m excited,” she said, noting that words matter and they signal where the teaching profession is headed. Her colleague, Julie Keller, agreed, pointing to the power in the specific language used to unify the mission.
Not everyone saw the charm though.
Ruth Letang-Horton, a veteran ASCD member and VP for SDA’s North American Division, felt a distinct sense of loss. She asked, essentially, where did ASCD go? Decades of membership under one banner suddenly vanished behind a longer, more generic title. It’s a fair concern for long-timers who identify closely with the older brand.
So what actually changes for the members on the ground?
According to Culatta: nothing immediate.
Membership records, certifications, the ISTE Standards, and professional learning programs all stay put. The engine keeps humming. Only the hood ornament has been polished.
The 2023 merger is finally settling into its permanent shape. Whether the new name captures the soul of two distinct legacies or just sounds like a compromise remains up for debate.
But for now, the banner hangs new in Orlando.
