A Unifying Vision: Portrait of a Graduate
BY KAREN GARZA/School Administrator, March 2022

A sample Portrait of a Graduate.

We have seen our nation’s public schools rocked by extreme angst and in-fighting during the past year. We have witnessed neighbors, friends and family members at such odds they no longer speak to one another. We have seen many good people, including superintendents, educators and school board members, step down after reaching their breaking point.

The damage to one of our nation’s most important institutions, our local education systems, will have long-term effects.

Today presents an opportunity to unite local communities around a compelling vision for young people and re-imagine the education systems needed to prepare them to succeed in a rapidly changing, complex world. It is evident the traditional definition of success tied to a single test score has not served education systems or our students well.

We must have a broader definition of success that goes well beyond a test score. We must empower all students to be lifelong learners, critical thinkers, innovators and creative problem solvers by collaborating and communicating with others. We must equip them with the skills and mindsets that enable them to succeed in a workplace where more than half the jobs they will hold do not yet exist.

Most importantly, we must fully prepare every student to thrive as a citizen of this world. The Portrait of a Graduate is a process that enables the full education ecosystem to come together to collectively shape a new vision.

Engaging Communities

Hundreds of communities nationwide have designed their local Portrait of a Graduate to bring a new vision to life for education. This design process captures the community’s collective vision, providing the impetus for significant and essential change. The design process provides a meaningful opportunity to recapture the narrative by engaging the broader community in dialogue around how the world is changing and the implications for our communities and education systems.

For many community members, engaging in this design process is the first time they have been invited to contribute to vision setting to shape the future of the local school system. Inspiring more connections and uplifting an entire community through shared aspirations for their youth is the extraordinary power of the Portrait of a Graduate design process.

Once completed and adopted by the school board, the Portrait of a Graduate becomes the district’s North Star for transformation. This compelling, future-focused vision shapes the systemic decisions benefiting every student. It also becomes the foundation for considering the varied supports needed for educators and education leaders to advance this vision. The Portrait of a Graduate serves as the guiding force for system change.

A Forward Look

After this era of sustained challenges, our communities need a hopeful and responsive vision for moving forward — a vision that provides an aspirational direction forward.

Battelle for Kids is partnering with AASA to advance the work with Learning 2025 school districts.

KAREN GARZA, a former superintendent, is president and CEO of Battelle for Kids in Hilliard, Ohio.