Bringing the Portrait to Life
Battelle for Kids
We empower educators so that every student has hope, resilience, and the knowledge and skills to be future-ready.
The following is excerpted from the Battelle for Kids "The Future of the Portrait of a Graduate" report that was published in June 2024.?
Download your copy of the Futurecast report at https://bfk.me/future.
By Shannon King , Chief Learning Officer, Battelle for Kids
Creating a Portrait of a Graduate is not just about envisioning student success beyond test scores and grades. It’s about igniting a transformative journey that prepares students for the world beyond the school walls. But why stop at the vision? Why not take bold steps to turn this vision into a reality? Why not harness the momentum gained in the Portrait process to propel your work forward? This can be the transformative next step for every student in your school system.
At Battelle for Kids, we don’t just view the Portrait of a Graduate as a beautiful concept. We see it as a practical, effective tool that can guide your decisions and actions. The districts I’ve worked with that adopted this practical approach have made significant changes that directly benefit their students. Let’s delve into some key lessons we can learn from these districts.
Coherence is an essential aspect of Portrait to Practice work
As we’ve supported districts in bringing their Portrait to life, we always start by inviting them to look at the system. A systems approach is essential in this work, or you’ll wind up with programs or priorities that are at odds with your Portrait vision. That leads to mixed messages and unnecessary barriers to implementation.
One of the first things we encourage is for districts to bring a team of leaders together to engage in self-reflection. We ask them to look critically at things you are already doing and hold them up considering your Portrait vision and determine which things bring coherence to the work and which things are out of alignment.
Districts finding success in this work create a learning framework to provide clear direction. The learning framework helps define the critical aspects of educator practice. Some elements of a learning framework include your Theory of Action for the change you want to see in your Portrait to Practice work, how you’re defining key terms in your district, and how to approach the design of learning experiences that include your Portrait of a Graduate durable skills.
Get clear about what success looks like
Once you have your Portrait, unpack those skills and competencies to clarify how to nurture those things in your learners. Words like collaboration, critical thinking, and empathy are not new, and many of us have an existing definition in mind when we hear them. Unpacking the durable skills and defining what they look like as they develop for students will help educators use them as they plan, finding ways to incorporate them into learning experiences by cross-walking them with state standards.
Additionally, unpacking the Portrait durable skills to show their requisite competencies will help you create tools that educators and students can use. For example, many districts create “I Can Statements” for students to use in self-reflection. In contrast, others create observation tools to support learning walks or instructional rounds based on their Portrait vision. The possibilities for tools to support implementation are limitless if you have clearly defined what you’re looking for.
San Gabriel Unified School District in California is an example of this approach. After establishing their goal to create tools for reflection and feedback to support the implementation of their Portrait, they brought a team of educators together to unpack their Portrait of a Graduate and create learning progressions: “I Can Statements,” T-Charts, and overview documents to support educators with implementation.
Additionally, Durango School District 9-R in Colorado provided clarity for its educators and community by creating Portrait of a Graduate Blueprints and a Field Guide to support implementation.
Balance is the Key
One thing I’ve heard repeatedly as I’ve supported districts in implementing their Portrait of a Graduate is that this work requires a mindset shift at every level of the system. Being willing to take risks, try something new, and then adjust if it goes differently than planned is not something we’re necessarily comfortable with in education.
To help support that mindset shift, there is a need to balance the “We are already doing this” mentality with the “This is too hard. We can’t do it!” response. Efficacy is important. Learners need to feel like success is possible when asking them to try something new. Hence, the tendency is to lean into the “we’re already doing this” mentality. However, this will leave you to settle for the status quo.
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Even if things that are currently happening connect to the work, chances are high that there are still things you’ll need your educators to do differently or more consistently. Affirm the connections your educators are making and invite them to take it further. Even if it is just one baby step, that is progress. “Go slow to go fast” is a mantra that fits here.
Take Action
Kindling the Spark: How the Portrait of a Graduate Becomes the Catalyst for Transformation
Read the latest article published by BFK’s Mike Duncan on Getting Smart
Battelle for Kids President and CEO Mike Duncan, Ed.D. , recently published an article on Getting Smart titled “Kindling the Spark: How the Portrait of a Graduate Becomes the Catalyst for Transformation.”
In the article, which was published in the Horizon Three Learning blog series, Duncan outlines three ideas to create the conditions for the Portrait of a Graduate to spark change.
“As a former superintendent, adopting a Portrait of a Graduate in my district shifted my focus from test scores to infusing education with meaning and joy, emphasizing real-world applications and fostering student agency,” writes Duncan.”
Duncan showcases several school districts in the article, including the Moline-Coal Valley School District in Illinois, which tapped students to create their Portrait of an Educator.
About Battelle for Kids
Battelle for Kids (BFK) is a national, not-for-profit organization helping to empower educators so that every student has hope, resilience, and the knowledge and skills to be future-ready. BFK has helped hundreds of school districts and state agencies design, launch, and bring their shared community visions—the Portrait of a Graduate—to life, impacting the learning experiences of millions of students nationwide. For more information, visit bfk.org.