Posts by Kimberly Erickson

Learner-Centered

Coming Full Circle: The Portrait Lives Through Students

Aug 17, 2026

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.

Competency-Based Education

Living the Portrait Together: The Power of Parallel Pedagogy

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Jun 1, 2026

Portrait of a Graduate succeeds when educators practice the same competencies they ask students to develop.

Personalized Learning

From Understanding to Ownership: When Students Tell Their Story through the Portrait of a Graduate

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Apr 27, 2026

Public demonstrations help students show Portrait of a Graduate skills through authentic reflection, ownership and learner-centered assessment.

Project-Based Learning

Lever 2 for Deeper PoG Implementation: Teaching the Skills Behind the Portrait

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Mar 23, 2026

How Norwalk makes Portrait of a Graduate skills real: teach them explicitly, embed in curriculum routines, and track progress via learning walks.

Children in matching yellow tie-dye shirts smiling and posing together outdoors at school

SEL & Mindset

Making Learning Visible for Students and Adults Through Reflection

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Feb 17, 2026

Norwalk Public Schools integrates reflection to deepen Portrait of a Graduate implementation, fostering ownership and coherence across the district.

Four-panel education graphic showing Culture of Reflection, Explicit PoG Skills Instruction, Making Skills Public, and Parallel Pedagogy concepts

New Pathways

Norwalk Public Schools: Unpacking the Levers for Deeper PoG Implementation

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Jan 22, 2026

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' Portrait of a Graduate wheel showing five competencies: Critical Thinker, Self-Directed Learner, Global Citizen, Synergistic Collaborator, and Effective Communicator.

Competency-Based Education

Norwalk Public Schools: Levers for Living the Portrait of a Graduate (a 7-part series)

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Jan 12, 2026

Join Abby and Kimberly as they document the journey of the Norwalk Portrait of a Graduate and its role in education.

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

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Posts by Kimberly Erickson