Posts by Abby Benedetto
Coming Full Circle: The Portrait Lives Through Students
The final installment in Norwalk's Portrait of a Graduate series asks the most important question of all: what do students say when you ask them to describe the Portrait? This post makes a compelling case that student co-design is not a nice-to-have but a core implementation lever, and it offers concrete strategies, from design sprints to feedback cycles to student-led reflection, for keeping student voice at the center of the work. For education leaders navigating the gap between vision and practice, this is an essential read.
Living the Portrait Together: The Power of Parallel Pedagogy
Portrait of a Graduate succeeds when educators practice the same competencies they ask students to develop.
From Understanding to Ownership: When Students Tell Their Story through the Portrait of a Graduate
Public demonstrations help students show Portrait of a Graduate skills through authentic reflection, ownership and learner-centered assessment.
Lever 2 for Deeper PoG Implementation: Teaching the Skills Behind the Portrait
How Norwalk makes Portrait of a Graduate skills real: teach them explicitly, embed in curriculum routines, and track progress via learning walks.
Making Learning Visible for Students and Adults Through Reflection
Norwalk Public Schools integrates reflection to deepen Portrait of a Graduate implementation, fostering ownership and coherence across the district.
A Revelatory Mindset – what is it, and why might it be transformative for learners?
A Revelatory Mindset fosters curiosity, humility, connection, and alignment, enabling learners and educators to embrace awe, growth, and authentic relationships.
Norwalk Public Schools: Unpacking the Levers for Deeper PoG Implementation
Norwalk Public Schools leverages four key implementation levers to bring its Portrait of a Graduate to life, ensuring deep, system-wide impact.
Norwalk Public Schools: Levers for Living the Portrait of a Graduate (a 7-part series)
Join Abby and Kimberly as they document the journey of the Norwalk Portrait of a Graduate and its role in education.
The Time is Now for Revelatory Assessment
Revelatory Assessment redefines school purpose, centering on wonder, discovery, and joy to meet the dynamic needs of modern learners.
Assessment as Revelation, not Destination
When we think about the implication of education within high stakes societal times experiencing struggle and scarcity, we often succumb to the comfort of what we know, and what we think we can control but we must open the possibilities in learning spaces to improve the livelihoods of our students and support their growth and development into a world of possibility.