Mis-portraits of a Graduate: Latest edu-fad lets schools shift focus from traditional academics to subjective student attributes.
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| Title: | Mis-portraits of a Graduate: Latest edu-fad lets schools shift focus from traditional academics to subjective student attributes. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | BUCK, DANIEL1 |
| Source: | Education Next. Winter2026, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p1-10. 10p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Critical thinking, *Academic achievement, *Community involvement, *Psychology of students, *Educational change, *Educational standards, Cooperativeness |
| Abstract: | The article examines the “Portrait of a Graduate” education reform, which as of 2024 has been adopted by at least 20 states and numerous districts to broaden high school graduation standards beyond academics to include affective skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and civic engagement. While this approach echoes longstanding debates about the purpose of education—whether to focus solely on academic knowledge or also on character and values—the article highlights concerns about the vagueness of these frameworks, their ideological underpinnings, and the lack of evidence that schools can effectively teach such subjective competencies. It contrasts these trends with traditional academic rigor and notes that some states, like Indiana, have sought a balanced approach emphasizing academic mastery alongside practical skills. The article suggests that renewed focus on rigorous academics may better foster the desired skills attributed to these portraits, while cautioning that expanding schools’ roles risks diluting core educational responsibilities. [Extracted from the article] |
| Copyright of Education Next is the property of Education Next Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 192921917 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Mis-portraits of a Graduate: Latest edu-fad lets schools shift focus from traditional academics to subjective student attributes. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22BUCK%2C+DANIEL%22">BUCK, DANIEL</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Education+Next%22">Education Next</searchLink>. Winter2026, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p1-10. 10p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+thinking%22">Critical thinking</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+achievement%22">Academic achievement</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+involvement%22">Community involvement</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+students%22">Psychology of students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+change%22">Educational change</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+standards%22">Educational standards</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperativeness%22">Cooperativeness</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The article examines the “Portrait of a Graduate” education reform, which as of 2024 has been adopted by at least 20 states and numerous districts to broaden high school graduation standards beyond academics to include affective skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and civic engagement. While this approach echoes longstanding debates about the purpose of education—whether to focus solely on academic knowledge or also on character and values—the article highlights concerns about the vagueness of these frameworks, their ideological underpinnings, and the lack of evidence that schools can effectively teach such subjective competencies. It contrasts these trends with traditional academic rigor and notes that some states, like Indiana, have sought a balanced approach emphasizing academic mastery alongside practical skills. The article suggests that renewed focus on rigorous academics may better foster the desired skills attributed to these portraits, while cautioning that expanding schools’ roles risks diluting core educational responsibilities. [Extracted from the article] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Education Next is the property of Education Next Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=192921917 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 10 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Critical thinking Type: general – SubjectFull: Academic achievement Type: general – SubjectFull: Community involvement Type: general – SubjectFull: Psychology of students Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational change Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational standards Type: general – SubjectFull: Cooperativeness Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Mis-portraits of a Graduate: Latest edu-fad lets schools shift focus from traditional academics to subjective student attributes. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: BUCK, DANIEL IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Text: Winter2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 15399664 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 26 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Education Next Type: main |
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