In today’s rapidly changing world, it is imperative for schools to consistently re-evaluate and reshape their visions of success. A vital tool for this is a “Portrait of a Graduate.” Developed using the collective wisdom of a community, this portrait becomes an essential reference point – a North Star – for guiding schools in preparing students to be ready for an unknown future.

Why Design a Portrait of a Graduate?

The Portrait of a Graduate isn’t just a symbolic item to mark off a checklist. It is an aspirational blueprint for the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values our students need to thrive in a complex global community. It charts a course forward, not just for individual students, but for the educational community at large. When constructed collaboratively, it reflects the perspectives of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members, and results in a shared commitment towards moving together in the same direction.

Pillars of a Portrait of a Graduate

1. Collective Visioning: Crafting a Portrait of a Graduate is not a solo journey. It harnesses the collective imagination of an entire community, including parents, educators, students, and other members. In addition to creating a guide for graduates, this process fosters community buy-in and ensures a shared understanding of what schools are preparing their graduates to navigate.

2. Defined Values: Rooted at the heart of a Portrait, are the values that a school community holds dear. Whether it is innovation, critical thinking, or civic responsibility that stand out for a community, or resilience, empathy and global work skills, crafting a Portrait of a Graduate helps to pinpoint a community’s unique “why.”

3. Inclusivity: A well-crafted Portrait of a Graduate is multifaceted, focusing not only on academic excellence but also emotional intelligence, ethical character, artistic sensibilities, and other diverse talents. Every educator should be able to see their students in the Portrait, and every student should feel recognized and valued.

4. Adaptability: The world changes fast – a good Portrait is flexible enough to allow for continual iteration. Revising a Portrait on an ongoing basis enables a community to adapt to technology, improvements in pedagogy, and other shifts in the global and educational landscape. Ongoing iteration and adaptability ensures graduates are prepared for the world of tomorrow.

5. Real-world Alignment: Graduates don’t exist in a bubble. They will step into a world that demands more of them than academic knowledge alone. A Portrait should reflect the real-world skills students need, such as confidence, collaboration, digital literacy, and problem-solving.

6. Clear Understanding: The essence of the Portrait of a Graduate should be both clear and tangible. Creating a “picture” of the Portrait, perhaps by using images, symbols, or words, helps to ensure those with different learning styles can access its meaning. Having clear understanding and multiple representations helps to weave the Portrait into the fabric of the school.

How It Ties into Strategic Planning

Crafting a Portrait of a Graduate isn’t only an introspective exercise, it’s a cornerstone of an institution’s strategic planning process. Here’s how it aligns with this broader strategy:

1. It Gives Clear Vision: The Portrait acts as a guidepost for every strategic decision. Whether it’s curriculum design, professional development, or community engagement, a team has a constant reminder of what they’re working towards.

2. It Unifies Direction: When everyone has a hand in crafting the Portrait, it fosters a collective sense of purpose. This unity propels the entire school community in the same direction, laying the groundwork for smoother strategic planning and implementation.

3. It Provides Accountability and Assessment: A well-defined Portrait provides the foundation for creating benchmarks and evaluation metrics. The school knows what to measure to determine whether or not they are on track in nurturing students for the future, and they can adjust if needed.

4. It Increases Stakeholder Engagement: When co-created with a community, a Portrait establishes integrated buy-in from all parties. Community members are no longer passive participants, but instead active stakeholders in the school’s strategic mission.

5. It Future-proofs Education: A comprehensive Portrait, which is consistently re-visited, ensures that the institution is always ahead of the curve and continues to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

While designing a Portrait of a Graduate is clearly a foundational element to strategic planning, it is also much more. It is a recognition that in the classroom, dreams are being shaped. It is a promise that each student, with the support of the educational ecosystem, will have the skills and dispositions needed to chart their unique path to success, however, they define that. And it is a reminder that education is not just about who the student is when they leave their school’s doors, but about who they have the potential to become.

How Thrive can Help Schools to Create a Portrait of a Graduate:

Schools (understandably) often operate with unchallenged assumptions about their students and community. While shared understanding is essential to teamwork, it can also blind the best of us to potential gaps or alternative perspectives. Thrive brings a fresh pair of eyes to a school, and our objective lens can help to identify biases, ensure inclusivity, and introduce novel ideas that might not emerge from a group deeply entrenched in its own narrative.

Additionally, having the Thrive team facilitate a Portrait of a Graduate empowers leaders to actively participate alongside their team in the strategic process. This fosters a collaborative environment that strengthens team cohesion and ensures a unified vision. Thrive’s expertise in facilitating crucial conversations guides teams through the multifaceted process, ensuring that every voice is heard, and the final Portrait truly embodies the aspirations and values of the school community. Thrive’s presence enhances, refines, and enriches the collective vision that the existing community co-creates. If you’re interested in learning more, we’d love to talk. You can email s.kurth@thrivesd.org at any point in your journey.