From Design Teams to Portrait Activators
- CFL
- May 21
- 3 min read
Iterating Toward Deeper Impact
Key Insights
The Portrait Activators model empowers Nevada educators to lead locally-driven, learner-centered transformation by connecting, creating, and sharing within a statewide support network.
Through design sprints, coaching, and collaborative learning, teams are turning the Portrait of a Nevada Learner into real, community-rooted change grounded in student voice and system coherence.
When we first launched the Nevada Future of Learning Network, our goal was simple yet ambitious: to support school and district teams across the state in reimagining learning through the lens of the Portrait of a Nevada Learner. These early groups, called School Design Teams, played a critical role in building momentum around personalized, competency-based learning (PCBL). They helped bring the Portrait to life within their local contexts, using it as a guiding framework for change.
Many of these teams would go on to become Competency Implementors, using tools developed by Nevada educators, and facilitated by KnowledgeWorks, to further embed the Portrait into practice. This included rethinking assessment and accountability through shared rubrics aligned to the durable skills outlined in the Portrait.
Alongside our colleagues at SocolMoran Partners, we developed the Portrait Activators Guide, now available on the Nevada Future of Learning website. This resource helps teams form, focus, and activate the Portrait’s vision. It also emphasizes the importance of student voice, community engagement, and system-level coherence—key elements identified through feedback from the School Design Team phase.
As interest in the guide grew, we also recognized the need for a more sustainable and supportive entry point into the Nevada Future of Learning Network. That realization led to the creation of the Portrait Activators Virtual Design Sprints. These sprints are the product of months of listening, reflecting, and co-designing with Nevada educators. We heard the need for more collaboration time, targeted support, and opportunities to learn from peers. Educators didn’t want a one-size-fits-all program. They wanted a learning experience that reflected the learner-centered environments they aim to build for students. The learning arc—grounded in design thinking—follows three recurring phases: Connect, Create, and Share. These phases guide teams in staying grounded in purpose, acquiring new strategies, and showcasing progress in ways that inspire others.
During the sprint, teams participate in small group coaching, peer feedback, and contextualized design work. Across the sprint, we convene four times to build relationships, celebrate progress, and deepen the learning as teams engage in work unique to their contexts but universally aligned to the Portrait of a Nevada Learner.. These gatherings are more than checkpoints; they are intentional opportunities to pause, reflect, and connect the work across teams and regions.
What makes the Portrait Activators model powerful is that it isn’t about checking boxes or launching a single initiative. It’s about cultivating local leadership capacity to realize the Portrait in ways that are meaningful to each community. Some teams focus on designing new learner experiences. Others work on assessment alignment, culture shifts, or strengthening partnerships with students and families. The common thread is a shared belief that learners should be at the center; that meaningful change is possible through clarity, collaboration, and courage.
At the Center for the Future of Learning, we’re continually inspired by Nevada’s educators. We’ve seen what becomes possible when the right structures and supports are in place: learner-centered innovation can thrive. We’re excited to share the results of our first sprint with you and what educators across the state are creating. Importantly, this process of iteration isn’t just for schools—it’s for us, too. We are learning alongside every team, adapting in real time, and committed to building a statewide ecosystem where innovation toward student agency flourishes.
