From Roots to Canopy: Insights from More Than a Decade of the Portrait of a Graduate

The following is excerpted from the Battelle for Kids "The Future of the Portrait of a Graduate" report that was published on June 4, 2024.?

Download your copy of the Futurecast report at https://bfk.me/future.

By Valerie Greenhill , Co-Founder, EdLeader21 Network

The evolution of the Portrait of a Graduate initiative stands out as a noteworthy example of innovative systems change. Starting as nascent roots in the rich soil of a few visionary districts, this concept has branched out extensively, spreading its canopy of support to school systems—and the students they serve—nationwide.

Roots: The Early Beginnings

The early seeds of this national movement were planted when, by the early 2000s, it became clear that students needed bold leadership from U.S. policymakers and local education institutions. Ken Kay and I were leading the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), a coalition of education and business leaders promoting a future-focused framework for education. In the course of this work, we supported leaders in districts from Virginia to Ohio to Arizona to California who were using the Profile of Graduate as their vision for shifting their systems more intentionally toward skills such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration in the context of core academics. We were inspired by their stories and advocated for state and national policies to support their successes.

Growth: Spreading and Connecting the Roots

In 2011, Ken Kay, Alyson Nielson , and I launched the EdLeader21 Network to better connect these visionary leaders, many of whom were working in isolation from each other, as they sought to implement Portrait of a Graduate skills like the 4Cs in their districts and schools. With the help of partners such as the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and the National Equity Project, EdLeader21 became fertile ground for educators to spread and connect the roots of their systems transformation work.

At that time, the Portrait of a Graduate was one of many practices we supported throughout our network, alongside learning frameworks, common performance assessments, equity initiatives, 4Cs rubrics, and instructional practices for cross-curricular literacies. We noticed a difference between communities that developed a Portrait of a Graduate to guide their work, and communities that did not. In systems where a Portrait was developed in collaboration with the school board and broader community of stakeholders, subsequent implementation efforts were more unified, coherent, and sustainable, even through dramatic shifts in district leadership, budget constraints, and political headwinds. We realized we needed to prioritize the Portrait of a Graduate as a critical, high-leverage, move in every system.

Canopy: A National Movement

We grew these connected roots into a forest in 2017, when we launched a national campaign to enlist hundreds of school systems in developing their Portrait of a Graduate. EdLeader21 then merged with Battelle for Kids to further scale the movement.

Today, the canopy of the Portrait of a Graduate covers a vast network of school districts—70% of EdLeader21 members have now developed a Portrait in collaboration with their communities, with a strong emphasis on student, parent, and teacher voices. As a result, each system’s Portrait represents their community’s unique vision for preparing their students not just academically but as agile navigators of their own futures. And each district is part of a larger community of practice—EdLeader21—dedicated to enacting the shifts necessary to bring Portrait of a Graduate durable skills to life for every student.

Such widespread adoption has transformed the national educational landscape, providing valuable fuel to drive significant shifts in educator, leadership, and system practices. Educational experiences in these systems are growing from a standardized, map-following exercise to a rich, exploratory journey through a garden of possibilities. School districts empowered by the Portrait of a Graduate are now places where education is not just imparted but discovered, where students learn to adapt to their surroundings and carve out paths that are uniquely their own.

Sustaining Growth: Looking Forward

The journey from roots to canopy is not complete. As we look ahead, the challenge remains to address systemic barriers to equity so that every learner is supported in their individual path to success. The power of the Portrait of a Graduate—building consensus in each community around a vision of student success—is only meaningful if we shift how our systems, leaders, and educators practice together. We must commit to understanding how best to put the Portrait “into Practice.”

Thank you for learning more about this work. As stewards of this journey, we hope you will join us in preparing students not only for the challenges of today, but for the opportunities of tomorrow.

About Battelle for Kids

Battelle for Kids (BFK), a national not-for-profit organization, is proud to support school districts from across the country, empowering educators to prepare every student for tomorrow’s world. We partner alongside school districts, state agencies, and strategic partners to solve the complex issues in education.?

The EdLeader21 Network is proud to be the nation’s only professional community dedicated to Portrait of a Graduate, a vibrant community for education leaders exploring the idea, preparing for launch, or aiming to maintain transformative progress.

This is more than just a network to join. It’s a movement towards reimagining the future of education, ensuring students not only succeed academically but thrive with the durable skills necessary to be future-ready.

Learn more at bfk.org.