Springfield Looks to Identify and Provide Skills Students Need to Thrive
The 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 graduate, 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. Among those providing input are members of the business community, said Trisha Canavan, president of United Personnel and current president of Springfield Business Leaders for Education, adding that their commentary will be critical to creating that portrait and then inspiring needed changes to programming and curriculum.