Portrait of a Graduate

Norwalk Public Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate

The mission of Norwalk Public Schools is to provide an excellent and equitable education that prepares all students to be future ready as civically responsible, globally engaged, and positive contributors to society.

To bring this mission to life, we developed the Portrait of a Graduate (PoG). The PoG is our roadmap to becoming future ready, as it defines the essential skills and mindsets that all students need to thrive in today’s world and in the future. It is a shared vision for teaching and learning that empowers every student to think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate with purpose, and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.

Through the PoG, we are aligning instruction, programs, and partnerships across the district so that every student has the opportunity to develop these competencies from PreK through graduation.

We are now in Phase II of this work for the 2025-26 school year. This phase focuses on supporting students in becoming effective communicators. It builds on the foundation of critical thinking, which was introduced in Phase I during the 2024-25 school year. 

This year, we are supporting students to make their critical thinking visible by providing students greater opportunities to actively engage with others, communicate with different audiences and purposes in mind, and clearly communicate their ideas. 

Learn more about the Portrait of a Graduate