portrait of a graduate

Learner-Centered

Coming Full Circle: The Portrait Lives Through Students

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Aug 17, 2026

Ed Policy

When Scale Gets Ahead of Learning

Rebecca Midles

Jul 6, 2026

Student painting a cardboard box with dark red and yellow colors in an art classroom workshop setting.

Ed Policy

The Conditions That Make Durable Skills Real: How Schools and Systems Build for Agency, Identity, and Vision

Guest Author

Jun 2, 2026

Competency-Based Education

Living the Portrait Together: The Power of Parallel Pedagogy

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Jun 1, 2026

Personalized Learning

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

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Apr 27, 2026

Career & Technical Ed

In Kansas City, Real World Learning Finds Champions on Both Sides of the State Line

Guest Author

Apr 21, 2026

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This podcast highlights developing trends in K-12 education, postsecondary and lifelong learning. Each week, Getting Smart team members interview students, leading authors, experts and practitioners in research, tech, entrepreneurship and leadership to bring listeners innovative and actionable strategies in education leadership.

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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.

Blueprint architectural diagram merging a graduate's portrait with labeled school design elements: flexible learning pods, R&D lab, community hub.

Leadership

So, Your District Wants Personalized Learning… Where Do You Start?

Rebecca Midles

Mar 2, 2026

Explore how to do personalized learning effectively. Transform your educational system into one that truly values student outcomes.

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.

Students in safety goggles collaborate on a tablet during a science lab, with classmates working in the background.

Project-Based Learning

Why PBL and 21st Century Skills Aren’t “Add-Ons”: Using AI to Prove They’re in the Standards

David Ross

Feb 10, 2026

AI reveals that PBL and 21st-century skills aren't "add-ons" but are already embedded in CCSS and NGSS, transforming how we view modern teaching.

	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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portrait of a graduate

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