Year

2027


The STARS (Sustainable Technology Achievement and Recognition in Schools) Award recognizes an exemplary K-12 school district that is demonstrating meaningful leadership in the sustainable stewardship of educational technology. STARS celebrates districts that are finding thoughtful ways to extend the life of technology, make responsible purchasing decisions, maximize financial resources, reduce waste, and build more sustainable technology practices, while continuing to meet the needs of students, educators, and their communities. STARS is a joint initiative of CoSN and SETDA, developed in partnership with district technology leaders and sustainability practitioners across the country. It builds on CoSN’s Sustainability Best Practices Playbook and the CoSN/SETDA Sustainability Procurement Guidelines, providing real tools built for real districts.
 
Eligibility:
The STARS Award is open to all school systems that demonstrate a commitment to sustainable technology practices and responsible stewardship of educational technology resources.
To be eligible, a district must:
  • Demonstrate active efforts to improve the sustainability of its technology practices in one or more areas, including technology procurement, device lifecycle management, repair and reuse, responsible retirement and recycling, financial stewardship, or environmental impact.
  • Be able to demonstrate outcomes, progress, or lessons learned. These may include quantitative measures such as cost savings, increased device lifespan, reduced repair or replacement rates, increased reuse, or reduced technology waste, as well as qualitative outcomes.
  • Demonstrate leadership involvement beyond the technology department. The application should reflect collaboration among technology and other district leaders, such as the superintendent, chief financial officer/business office, facilities/sustainability leaders, or other relevant stakeholders.
  • Identify a district-level practice, initiative, strategy, or combination of efforts that demonstrates meaningful progress toward more sustainable technology stewardship.
Districts at Every Stage Are Encouraged to Apply