We stand at an important moment in education. Our past teaches us that strong systems grow when learning is connected to purpose, identity, and meaningful work. That history reinforces our responsibility to create flexible, research-informed models that integrate career, college, and life readiness into every classroom. As the future of work changes rapidly, districts can no longer rely on narrow definitions of readiness. A Portrait of a Graduate (POG) offers a more holistic and human-centered approach.
Ancient educators understood this long before we did. Harris and Grede (1977) note that liberal arts training historically prepared individuals for leadership, diplomacy, and community life. Career education, they argue, is “both ancient and new.” Students today deserve that same blend of broad human development and purposeful skill building.
Why Readiness Must Be Redefined
During my 25 years as a superintendent of schools (urban and suburban districts), I often called for balance and perspective. We also kidded each other about having a firm grasp of the obvious. Isn’t it painfully clear that readiness must be redefined, time and again?
We are no longer in a world which uses an abacus, slide rule, or handheld calculator. Who among us predicted the rapid rise and impact of AI, advances in medicine, plans to revisit the moon, or the possibility of travel to Mars? The speed of change can take our breath away. The question is not why readiness must be redefined, but how districts redefine readiness for an unknown world while holding on to lifelong skills, knowledge, dispositions, and attitudes.
A focus used throughout my career was the answer to the same question asked of every faculty, PTA, and community group: what is the purpose of education? A related question asked what 3-4 words might be used to describe what attributes the students would have at graduation?
The answer to purpose followed the same path over many years: Education (in the United States) helps to create literate, participating, productive citizens to sustain and enhance our democracy… as part of creating a more perfect union.
The attributes rarely included words like great take takers, good grades, terrific ACT or SAT scores. They always included concepts such as respect and responsibility for oneself and for others.
Recent workforce research underscores the urgency to rethink readiness in learn with those answers. The McKinsey Global Institute (2024) reports rapid growth in demand for competencies such as creativity, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and collaborative problem solving. The 2025 McKinsey Upskilling Imperative predicts that millions of workers may need to transition to new careers by 2030 due to automation and AI. The World Economic Forum (2025) concludes that transferable human skills, not narrow technical skills, will hold the highest value.
A POG helps districts prepare students for this reality by defining success in academic and human terms. Strong communication, collaboration, empathy, adaptability, agency, and critical thinking become essential indicators of readiness.
Integrating POG into Teaching and Learning
The Education Elements Vision of a Learner (VOL) Implementation Roadmap outlines a four-stage process that helps districts bring readiness into daily practice:
- Awareness
- Foundations
- Integration
- Sustainability.
“Look-fors” describe what POG-aligned instruction and leadership look like. Recommended actions and progress measures help districts track growth. Role-specific expectations clarify responsibilities for students, teachers, and leaders.
The 90-Day Communication Calendar strengthens internal alignment by specifying messages, audiences, channels, and owners. One Education Elements partner district used this tool to launch its Portrait of a Learner with clear messaging that families and staff embraced quickly.
Internal Examples and Public Models
Education Elements has seen significant progress across partner districts. One Maryland district embedded POG competencies into project-based exhibitions that elevated student voice. A partner district in Texas used the communication calendar to build trust during launch. Another district in Indiana aligned coaching cycles and PLCs to its portrait, supporting coherence. In Alaska, proficiency scales across grade levels helped teachers and students build shared expectations.
Public examples further reinforce these insights. Lindsay Unified transformed its grading and competency-based model around its graduate profile (NGLC, 2021). Northern Cass centered student agency through exhibitions and personalized pathways (NGLC, 2022). Da Vinci Schools aligned project-based learning to its graduate profile (NGLC, 2021).
Instructional Strategies That Build Readiness
Students internalize readiness when they practice it. The 1% Instructional Shifts—collaborative problem solving, reflective routines, student-led discussions—support teachers in incorporating competencies into everyday learning. POG Proficiency Scales deepen alignment by clarifying what competency looks like at different stages of development.
Learning From the Past, Preparing for a Human Future
History tells us that education and career preparation have always been interwoven. The future demands a broader, human-centered approach. A POG helps districts integrate academic learning with purpose, identity, and transferable skills.
Districts ready to redefine readiness with clarity and research-based implementation can partner with Education Elements.
Our POG design process, communication strategy, instructional supports, proficiency scales, and multi-year roadmap give districts the tools needed to bring readiness into daily learning.
References
Drake, S. M., & Burns, R. C. (2004). Meeting standards through integrated curriculum. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Harris, N., & Grede, J. F. (1977). Career education in colleges. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Jimenez, L. (2020). Building a strong middle class through career pathways programs: Case studies of Germany, Singapore, and Switzerland. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/
McKinsey & Company. (2025). The upskilling imperative. https://www.mckinsey.com/
McKinsey Global Institute. (2024). A new future of work: The race to deploy AI and raise skills. https://www.mckinsey.com/
Pew Research Center. (2016). The State of American Jobs. https://www.pewresearch.org/
World Economic Forum. (2025). The Future of Jobs Report 2025. https://www.weforum.org/
