Disruption in education underscores the relevance of the Sonoma County Portrait of a Graduate

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social distancing policies put in place to slow the spread of the virus have created a moment of disruption to our educational system unlike any we’ve experienced in our lifetimes. Students and educators alike have had to rapidly pivot from traditional classroom-based instruction to distance learning, requiring greater autonomy in their learning and an ability to communicate effectively across various platforms. And while this pivot has been met with both successes and significant challenges, it’s abundantly clear that the outcomes identified in the Sonoma County Portrait of a Graduate (PoG)--curiosity, empathy, communication, collaboration, ethics, and initiative--are critical skills that will serve students and adults alike as we navigate these unprecedented waters.

Sonoma County Portrait of a Graduate (sonomapog.org) was developed through a series of community conversations conducted over an 18 month period and framed around a key driving question: “What are the hopes, aspirations, and dreams that our community has for our young people?” A collaboration between the Sonoma County Office of Education, the Career Technical Education Foundation of Sonoma County, and Cradle to Career Sonoma County, the PoG establishes a community-wide vision of what Sonoma County students need in order to be successful in our economy, in our community, and in life.

As we embarked on this effort, we acknowledged that the future would ask more and different of our students than the past did of us. Little did we know that less than a year after the development and launch of the PoG, this forecast would become starkly evident. The COVID-19 crisis has tested us all, and the PoG outcomes are showing up all around us in ways big and small. Just a few examples...

Curiosity: Understanding how the virus is spread and how things like social distancing can "flatten the curve"

Empathy: Making choices to limit your own exposure so that you don't spread the virus to more high-risk individuals

Communication & Collaboration: Using video and web conferencing tools to find ways to communicate and collaborate while sheltering in place

Ethics: Political leaders choices regarding the balance between public health interests and the economic impacts of a prolonged shelter in place order

Initiative: Continuing to stay motivated and complete coursework, assignments, and projects during the time that school campuses are closed

Students--and adults in the education system--are being asked to take individual initiative and exercise intellectual curiosity. They are being called upon to have empathy for others and to be ethically responsible in pursuing or delivering education remotely. And they are needing to find new and creative ways to communicate and collaborate in order to complete their work and stay socially connected. In short, they are being asked to live into our shared community vision. Their ability to do so, and the ability of educators to do so in support of them, will ultimately decide whether we have been successful in dealing with this immediate crisis and whether we are able to navigate a fast-changing world and an unpredictable future.