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Knox Community School Corp. launches 'Portrait of a Graduate' survey to define graduate outcomes
Summary
The Knox Community School Corp. board outlined a plan to survey staff, alumni, businesses and community members to define the knowledge, skills and attributes it expects graduates to hold. The district will roll out three targeted surveys starting June 22 and analyze results to identify 5–6 core outcomes for K–12 students.
A presenter for the Knox Community School Corp. outlined a districtwide "Portrait of a Graduate" initiative at the June 15 board meeting, saying the work will define the knowledge, skills and attributes the district wants every student to possess on graduation from K–12.
"We want our graduates to be productive citizens," the presenter said, framing the project as a next step in implementing the district strategic plan and its mission around "purpose, strength and community." The initiative calls for three separate surveys aimed at staff, alumni and local employers or community members, with a planned rollout beginning June 22 and roughly a 10– to 14‑day response window to build urgency and participation.
The presenter told the board that once survey responses are collected, a staff team will disaggregate the data and extract recurring themes. "Typically, there’s about five or six" core outcomes, the presenter said, noting districts sometimes break those into sub‑outcomes for classroom use. Anticipated themes named during discussion included attendance and punctuality, ownership of learning, written and oral communication, collaboration and workplace readiness.
Dr. Brown, who joined the discussion, cautioned the board that graduate tracking is difficult for small districts and said community retention metrics can be limited. "I do think it’s small," Dr. Brown said when asked about how many graduates stay in the community, adding district data on graduates is constrained but still useful for informing priorities.
Board members discussed how the results would be used, with several saying the survey is meant to inform building‑level, ongoing work rather than to mandate immediate curricular changes. The presenter and members agreed that survey findings would be presented to the board and that district leaders would return with a recommended set of outcomes and options for integrating them into school and classroom practice.
The board did not adopt specific curricular changes at the meeting; members asked for follow‑up reporting on survey response rates and the staff team’s thematic recommendations. The district’s planned next steps are to launch the surveys the week of June 22, collect and analyze responses through mid‑July, and bring proposed graduate outcomes to the board for consideration in August or September.
