Giving Compass' Take:

• Tom Vander Ark at Getting Smart talks with education leader Ken Kay about what graduates should know and be able to do after leaving school and the importance of community engagement.

• Why is it important to have community conversations around critical issues like equity? How can nonprofits involved in the education sector advance such discussions?

• Read more on how community engagement can help school districts.

Ken Kay has been advocating for 21st Century Skills since they were a prediction. As past president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and founder of EdLeader21 (now part of Battelle for Kids), he’s led a lot of conversations about what high school graduates should know.

EdLeader21 launched the Profile of a Graduate project in 2017 to provide examples of updated graduate profiles and a roadmap that school districts can adapt to host their own conversations.

Because most high school graduates will enter the freelance/gig economy or manage their careers as a series of projects, everyone will be an entrepreneur in the new economy. Taking initiative to spot an opportunity, pursue partnerships, and deliver value will be critical for success.

The key to answering the “What should grads know and be able to do?” question is community conversations that shape a high-level vision (a grad profile) and some detailed work to turn those into meaningful and measurable learning objectives.

Read the full article about what graduates should know and be able to do by Tom Vander Ark at Getting Smart.