Page 16 - BusinessWest February 3, 2021

Education
TBy George O’Brien
he program is called ‘Portrait of a Graduate,’ and that name pretty much says it all.
But maybe an adjective is in order to get the complete
picture, pun intended.
Indeed, what the Springfield Public
Schools are focused on now is creating a portrait of a successful high-school gradu- ate, through an initiative designed to gain feedback from a host of constituencies regarding the skills — as in all the skills — that young people will need to not only earn a high-school diploma, but thrive
in an ever-changing, technology-driven economy.
And this portrait will become a valuable blueprint of sorts as school administrators go about creating a new strategic plan for the city’s public schools, said Superinten- dent Dan Warwick, who stressed repeated- ly that Portrait of a Graduate is very much a community-driven process that will define success for Springfield students, including the values, knowledge, skills, and work habits they will need to thrive as learners, workers, and leaders.
Among those providing input are mem- bers of the business community, said Tri- sha Canavan, president of United Person- nel and current president of Springfield Business Leaders for Education, adding that their commentary will be critical to creating that portrait and then inspir-
ing needed changes to programming and curriculum.
Made possible by a grant from the Barr Foundation, this Portrait of a Graduate ini- tiative is part of a broad movement across the country to involve the community in shaping a school system’s strategic plan and specific programming and curriculum for helping to ensure student success.
The list of communities that have embarked on such programs grows each year, and now includes Lowell, Shrews- bury, and other cities and towns in Mas- sachusetts, as well as Hartford, Conn., Fairfax County, Va., and many others, said Warwick.
In most of those communities, Portrait of a Graduate is used as part of a strate- gic plan for a specific school system, said Paul Foster, chief information officer for Springfield Public Schools. Here, though, it will help guide development of a new strategic plan, which is an important distinction.
Portrait of a Graduate
Springfield Looks to Identify and Provide Skills Students Need to Thrive
16 FEBRUARY 3, 2021
EDUCATION
BusinessWest