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Portrait of a Graduate
Preparing Our Students for Success Beyond School
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) is a statewide effort to define the knowledge, skills, and mindsets every Wisconsin student needs to succeed after high school—no matter the path they choose. Grounded in Wisconsin’s values and commitment to strong public education, the Portrait provides a shared vision for preparing students for college, careers, service, and life.
Aligned with DPI’s Strategic Plan Initiative 1: Modernizing Learning Environments, this work prioritizes educational innovation and student-centered learning. DPI is committed to supporting districts as they expand meaningful, real-world learning experiences and transition toward competency-based education.
The School Superintendents Association (AASA), is partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in the creation of our statewide portrait of a graduate. This organization has helped to develop portraits for multiple states and hundreds of schools across the country.
At its core, the Portrait of a Graduate focuses on preparing students for real life by emphasizing essential skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, adaptability, and lifelong learning. Serving as a guiding vision for Wisconsin’s education system, the Portrait helps shape learning experiences and partnerships that support student success today and into the future.
Wisconsin’s Roadmap to Portrait of a Graduate
Collaboration and co-design are central to this statewide effort. The Portrait of a Graduate is being shaped by many voices, including students, families, educators, employers, and community members from across Wisconsin. Through ongoing internal and external engagement, local perspectives help inform a shared, unifying vision that reflects both statewide priorities and community context. This inclusive approach ensures the Portrait is meaningful, relevant, and rooted in Wisconsin’s diverse experiences.
The 5-Phase Journey (October 2025 - October 2026)
The DPI’s 5-Phase Journey is a yearlong process to develop a shared, statewide Portrait of a Graduate—a clear vision for the skills, mindsets, and knowledge Wisconsin students need for future success.
Phase 1: Internal Alignment
The work begins by looking inward. DPI focuses on aligning leadership and internal teams by developing shared communication tools and resources to ensure a common understanding and consistent vision across the agency.
Phase 2: Steering Committee Launch
Next, DPI convenes a diverse steering committee to co-design the statewide engagement process. Facilitated by AASA, the committee includes partners from across Wisconsin, such as other state agencies, family and student advocacy groups, institutions of higher education, and workforce representatives.
Phase 3: Stakeholder Engagement
With guidance from the steering committee, DPI engages communities statewide through listening sessions in 12 locations and digital survey tools. This phase centers on gathering broad input from students, families, educators, and community partners.
Phase 4: Data Synthesis and Drafting
All feedback is analyzed to identify key themes and priorities. These insights inform the development of a draft Portrait of a Graduate framework that reflects voices from across the state.
Phase 5: Validation and Refinement
The draft Portrait is shared statewide for final feedback. This input is used to refine and finalize the Portrait of a Graduate before its official launch.
The draft Portrait is shared statewide for final feedback. This input is used to refine and finalize the Portrait of a Graduate before its official launch.
Next Steps and Ways to Stay Involved
We invite students, families, educators, and community members to stay connected and engaged as this work continues. This page will serve as a central hub for updates, news, resources, and opportunities to provide feedback and participate in Wisconsin’s Portrait of a Graduate.
Online listening sessions, along with links to surveys, steering committee updates, and additional information, will also be posted on this page as they become available.
Coming Soon!
Listening Sessions: Members of DPI’s project team will host in-person listening sessions at schools across each of Wisconsin’s 12 CESA districts in February, March, and April of 2026. These sessions will provide opportunities to share perspectives, ask questions, and help shape the statewide Portrait.
The Portrait of a Graduate serves as a North Star—guiding innovation and decision-making across the education system. More than a process, it is a framework for impact. We look forward to working together to build Wisconsin’s North Star for student success!