Explore 43 curated breakout sessions designed to help educational leaders move a Portrait of a Learner from aspiration to action. Discover practical strategies, implementation stories, and innovative approaches that are transforming teaching, learning, and student success. 75% of the sessions are led or co-led by fellow practitioners, thus fulfilling the mission of Scaling Student Success to create opportunities and spaces for educators to learn with and from one another.

We’re thrilled with our amazing lineup of speakers for the Portrait of a Learner IGNITE 2026 Summit.

Collectively, our speakers told a story. The arc began with our kickoff keynote speaker sharing WHY our work is so important. Then, we proceeded during lunch on Monday with HOW a district has leveraged the power and potential of a Portrait of a Learner to drive transformational change across a community. To start Day 2, we continued with HOW state leadership is putting wind beneath your wings of our work. Finally, to end the Summit, we had two CALLS TO ACTION, beginning with an employer panel eager to hire young people with the right set of skills, followed by a student panel, who offered impassioned testimonials about why the work we’re doing is so essential for their futures.

Monday @ 8:15 am

Travis Allen, co-founder of the Human Intelligence Movement, shared why now is a critical time to disrupt the current education system and its narrow definition of student success, and why your work to operationalize your Portrait of a Graduate is an essential component of transforming our outdated system. Travis was introduced by Rody Boonchouy, Superintendent of Winters JUSD, a small, rural district guided by its Graduate Profile.

Monday @ 11:30 am

Dozens of school districts are moving down a bold path to realize their Portraits as a promise to their students and families. The CA district that perhaps has moved furthest down that path in the past 10 years in Anaheim Union High School District. Superintendent Jaron Fried and Assistant Superintendent Amy Kwon  shared how they have relentlessly pursued their mission, “To create a better world through Unlimited You.”

Tuesday @ 8:15 am

In the education world, Linda Darling-Hammond needs no introduction. As the President of the State Board of Education (SBE), she has influenced the infusion of billions of dollars to support whole child initiatives. In May, the SBE approved its Portrait of a Learner as a policy framework to inform future SBE decision-making. LDH facilitated a panel of Secondary School Redesign Pilot grantees to share how innovations have relied on a whole child vision.

Tuesday @ 12:45 pm

Tim Taylor, founder of America Succeeds, provided an overview of Pathsmith: Durable Skills Solution, which was informed by 80 million job descriptions across sectors and geographies. Tim facilitated a panel of employers from small, medium, and large companies who validated the work in districts to enable students to practice and demonstrate “durable skills” (i.e., Portrait competencies) as essential career readiness.

Tuesday @ 1:15 pm

Genavieve Koneighshofer, executive director of GENup, shared the results of a survey to create a vision for California education, by students, for students. She then joined a panel of students facilitated by Babatunde Ilori, executive director of Parsec Education, to elevate students’ voices and articulate why grounding the future of education in Portrait competencies is so essential to making school relevant and engaging for students.

We are pleased to share our partners for the Portrait of a Learner IGNITE 2026 Summit.

Each of these organizations helps bring this inaugural Summit to life as we support district, school, and community leaders across California in moving their Portraits from poster to practice.

Together, we are building a summit focused on moving from vision to practice.