Superintendent's Column: Profile of a Learner

Why District 191 families, community should care about our ‘Profile of a Learner’

On Jan. 27, we presented a “Profile of a Learner” for District 191 to the School Board. This document - which describes the knowledge, skills, abilities, and mindsets we believe all students should learn as they move through District 191 schools - grew out of the update of our Strategic Roadmap. 

The Profile is a totally new endeavor for District 191. We’ve had our Strategic Roadmap, which outlines our mission, vision and strategic directions, for more than a decade. That Roadmap makes clear our priorities as a district, helps define who we are, and provides direction for our work, especially as we make decisions about how we spend money and develop programs. 

The Profile does something different: describe what a student should get out of a District 191 education. If the Roadmap is the “how” we do things, the Profile is the “what” for students in PreK through 12th grade. It lays out clearly that District 191 students will be:

• Academically Ready
• Civic-Minded
• Culturally Proficient
• Financially Ready
• Future Ready
• Life Ready, and
• Workplace Ready

Within each of these categories, the Profile includes more details and definition, which you can read on our website at www.isd191.org/profile. 

So why do we need a “Profile of a Learner?” It’s equally important for a couple of reasons. First, we’ll use it to inform our curriculum all along the PreK-12 continuum. Over the next year and beyond, a big part of our work will be identifying where and how we’re instilling these attributes in our students.

It will also help give parents a clear idea of what to expect for their child if they choose One91 schools. Parents may love that our core values include Caring Community and Student Agency, but they may still wonder what that means for their student in terms of skills, knowledge and abilities. The Profile clarifies all of that in an understandable way. 

Like everything we’ve created related to the Strategic Roadmap over the past two years, this was built with participation from our whole community, including students, staff, parents, community members and business partners. I believe it truly reflects the hopes of the One91 community for our students. I’m proud of that and thankful for everyone who helped develop the Profile.