During the Fall of 2023, the Board of Education engaged with diverse community members, staff, administration, and students to develop the Greenville Public Schools’ Portrait of a Jacket. The Portrait is a collective vision articulating our community’s aspirations for all GPS students and graduates. Now more than ever, learning experiences must not only provide for the acquisition of rigorous academic content, but they must also be more intentional about fostering problem-solving, communication, adaptability, perseverance, and other 21st-century skills. Often, the skills learned during academic learning are more critical to the success of our students than the actual content they are learning.

Portrait of a Jacket - A collective vision that articulates our shared aspirations for all students in Greenville Public Schools.

Why a Portrait of a Jacket? 

• What are the hopes, dreams, and aspirations that we have for our young people?

• What are the skills and mindsets that our children need for success in this rapidly changing and complex world?

• What are the implications for the design of the learning experiences—and equitable access to those experiences—we provide in our school system?

What is a Portrait of a Jacket? 
The Portrait of a Jacket was the first step in framing a new vision for our school system. Our Portrait of a Jacket is locally developed and globally positioned. From our kindergarteners to our seniors—this work has an enduring impact. Each of us will play an essential role in making the Portrait of a Jacket a reality for every student as we continue to create meaningful learning experiences every day. Now that we have completed the Portrait, the exciting work of implementing this new vision begins. 

How will we develop our Portrait of a Jacket?
The district has recruited a dynamic Portrait Design Team that is diverse and represents all aspects of the community—including students—to help co-design the Portrait.