Essential Skills & Mindsets

As the saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” To guide your innovations, you need to be clear about which skills and mindsets you want your students to develop — your school’s North Star. This video sparks group discussion about essential competencies for our graduates. Tap into the powerful resources of EdLeader21’s Portrait of Your Graduate. Consider having your community watch Most Likely to Succeed and then launching into a discussion of your school’s Portrait.

What are the skills and character traits you believe your graduates need? Why?

How well does our current education system foster these competencies? How well does your school currently foster them?

If you were to shadow several students in your school (something we recommend!), would you observe they’re developing these competencies?

How well do your assessments capture progress on these essential competencies? Foster them? Impede them?

Check out the EdLeader21 Toolkit. Learn how one school system explained its rationale and its process.