Kodak was a giant in the film photography business for decades. Then, they went bankrupt. Their story is a cautionary tale about embracing change (or not) and is directly relevant for today's education leaders. We do not get to choose whether education will change. That change is already underway. What we do get to choose is how we respond. More on Kodak's story and what it means for education in my latest blog.
Together in Collaboration,
THE ART OF CREATING A MEANINGFUL PORTRAIT OF A LEARNER
If we want every learner we serve to know who they are, thrive in community, and actively engage in the world as their best selves, we must start by defining clear, whole-learner outcomes. Everything else—from designing meaningful learning experiences and creating new learning models to shifting assessment and reporting practices to wholesale School Redesign efforts—is anchored in these outcomes.
The benefit of defining outcomes is generally understood by much of the K-12 education field. Over the last decade, Portraits of a Graduate (or Graduate Profiles) have proliferated across the country at both district and state levels. The challenge has come from how these Portraits are created and how they are integrated into the day-to-day learning experiences of learners.
At Learner-Centered Collaborative, we use the phrase "Portrait of a Learner" because these whole-learner outcomes are relevant to young people and adults. As Katie Martin notes, "It’s not just what we aspire to develop in young learners, but who we aspire to be as a community of learners." When working with school districts, we also prioritize forming Guiding Coalitions that represent the diversity of the learning community (e.g., students, staff, parents, community members). This Guiding Coalition works together to identify the whole-learner outcomes the entire community hopes to see in its young people and educators.
This intentional co-design process completely shifts what comes next. Rather than being an isolated product that may or may not shift daily practice, it becomes core to the learning community's identity and work moving forward.
Are you ready to create a Portrait of a Learner your community can rally behind? Our team is ready to support your journey. Connect with us here to start the conversation.
JOIN US AT ASU+GSV
School Visit: Design39Campus
April 13, 8am-12pm
Join the Design39Campus tour for a chance to see learner-centered learning in action. Engage with Learning Experience Designers (D39C’s school leaders) and students from TK through eighth grade as we explore the campus. Following visits to various learning spaces, we’ll break into sessions to reflect on key questions around learner-centered education, learner agency, use of space, and exhibitions of learning.
Del Mar Heights School is a dynamic, learner-centered environment where K-6 students explore, create, and innovate through hands-on experiences in STEAM+ Studios and an Innovation Center. The nature-integrated campus features flexible indoor and outdoor spaces that support collaboration, personalization, and a connected learning community.
"Kanuikapono staff and community came together for powerful conversations about their vision for learners, building shared understanding and momentum for what’s ahead. Their collaboration fostered trust, highlighted existing strengths, and revealed strong alignment—this is a solid foundation for the work moving forward." ~Meg Parry
"The Alamogordo Public School's Leadership Academy just wrapped up a year-long effort where school and district teams built the capacity, alignment, and momentum to bring the Framework for the Future to life across classrooms and campuses. Through ongoing collaboration, planning, and reflection, leaders developed and tested strategies that are already driving more learner-centered experiences and strengthening systems, culture, and community impact." ~Catina Hancock
"The Davis Joint Unified School District Design Team met to deepen their understanding of Portrait of a Learner outcomes and learning progressions, identify priority outcomes to guide testing and revision, and engage in an immersive learning experience to envision how they could bring their portrait to life. This is what it looks like to move from vision to action—grounded in clarity, collaboration, and a shared commitment to student-centered learning." ~Holly Stipe
Celebrating learner-centered leaders doing transformational work
This month, we are proud to recognize Dr. Marcos Garcia, Assistant Superintendent at South San Francisco USD, as our Catalyzer of the Month! Dr. Garcia is a true champion of inclusive and equitable practices, whose human-centered leadership is helping bring a deeper sense of belonging and well-being to South San Francisco.
.png?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=CATALYST%20(1).png)
-1.png?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=Bright%20Spots%20Image%20Designs%20(2)-1.png)
