In response to a critical need voiced by school and district leaders nationwide, KnowledgeWorks has released its Portrait of a Leader, a groundbreaking resource that defines what it takes to lead the shift toward personalized, competency-based learning. As learning communities across the country transition to more innovative systems of teaching and learning, the demand for transformative educators has never been greater.

Developed collaboratively with educators through focus groups, surveys and workshops, the Portrait of a Leader provides a clear blueprint for cultivating the skills necessary to lead transformational change. This educator-driven framework reflects the collective expertise and aspirations of those working to shape the future of learning.

“Leadership development must be prioritized at all levels of the system for change to take hold,” said Laura Hilger, senior director of teaching and learning at KnowledgeWorks. “Our students need a deep bench – teacher leaders, instructional coaches, principals, assistant principals, curriculum coordinators and instructional specialists—all who are ready to lead change for the future.”

The Portrait of a Leader offers:

• A deep dive into five core leadership attributes necessary for systems change.
• Reflection prompts to guide professional growth and development.
• Examples of leadership in action, illustrating how educators have demonstrated key skills in their work to implement learner-centered systems.
• Resources and insights from contributors at the forefront of educational transformation.

Modeled after the widely adopted Portrait of a Learner, the resource establishes a collective vision for equipping classroom-, school- and district-level leaders with the attributes needed to advance personalized, competency-based learning.

“The collaboration that went into creating the portrait is a testament to how much it’s needed,” said Robert Knisely, principal of Perry Middle School in Perry, Ohio and member of KnowledgeWorks' Lead for Learners Steering Committee. “Making sure our education system responds to the needs of each learner takes a collective and we now have a common language to align leadership development with the goals of personalized, competency-based learning. It is a powerful tool for developing current and future leaders who will create lasting change.”

By combining research-based insights with real-world examples, the Portrait of a Leader provides actionable strategies to support innovative educators at all levels of the system. It is designed to inspire professional growth, create clarity around leadership development priorities and drive systems change that is both equitable and enduring.

For more information about the Portrait of a Leader and access to the resource, visit https://knowledgeworks.org/resources/portrait-leader/.