From Vision to Action: How Hampton Township’s School Design Teams Brought the Portrait of a Talbot to Life
By Brittany Griffin, Director Collective Learning at Learner-Centered Collaborative and Dr. John Thornton, Director of Student Services at Hampton Township School District
A Clear Vision with Distributed Leadership
Hampton Township School District in Pennsylvania co-created its Portrait of a Talbot: a bold, inclusive vision for the competencies all learners need to thrive, developed with students, teachers, leaders, families, and community members.
The Hampton Portrait of a Talbot defines the competencies they believe all learners need to develop for success.
To move their portrait from vision to reality, Hampton partnered with Learner-Centered Collaborative to develop their Framework for the Future, a 3–5 year strategic plan outlining the Big Moves needed to align structures, practices, and culture with their learner-centered vision.
To activate this plan, Hampton embraced Kotter’s dual operating system. The traditional administrative structure kept operations steady, while a dynamic network of school-based design teams prototyped, tested, and refined strategies for the Big Moves. This model ensured broad ownership of the work by those closest to students.
Kotter’s dual operating system
In a powerful shift toward distributed leadership, design team members were invited to the district’s summer leadership retreat, historically attended only by school and district administrators. This move amplified educator voice and ensured alignment between district priorities, school plans, and design team goals.
Watch this clip from Hampton’s 2025 Spring Showcase to get a glimpse of the impact of this approach:
Hampton’s district leadership team recognized that each school’s local community and context would shape how they brought the Portrait to life, so a design team at each of the district’s four schools was established. This empowered each school to design and implement Big Moves aligned to the district’s goals.
Central Elementary: Portrait Comes to Life Through Story and Student Voice
Central Elementary’s design team made the competencies of the Portrait tangible and memorable for young learners.
- Portrait of a Talbot Puppies: Each competency was given a mascot complete with name, personality, and even animated videos. These served as touchpoints for discussions in class, assemblies, and family events. Focusing on how to communicate the Portrait to young learners went a long way towards making them a regular part of school life.
Portrait of a Talbot Puppy mascot illustration
- Student-Led Conferences and Portfolios: Students presented their own learning progress to families using digital portfolios to showcase artifacts and reflections. Hear from a 3rd grade student about his portfolio in this video.
- Passion Projects: Students engaged in inquiry-driven projects and real-world simulations, building skills like collaboration and critical thinking. This included a visit to Junior Achievement BizTown where students in grades 4-6 participate in a day-long simulation of a town.
5th graders created and performed skits for younger students to express Portrait of a Talbot competencies.
Poff Elementary: Curiosity Quests Build Inquiry Culture
Poff’s design team centered their work on curiosity as a driver for deep learning. Here’s what they did:
- Monthly Curiosity Quests: Once a month, the entire school embarked on a shared inquiry cycle. Students developed questions, conducted research, collaborated with experts, and shared findings in a celebration of learning. A modified schedule was created to dedicate time for these monthly learning experiences.
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| Students engaged in a Notice & Wonder activity during a Curiosity Quest | A modified master schedule was adopted to support Curiosity Quests |
- Inquiry Tools and Spaces: Curiosity Wheels, Wonder Walls, and Ask-It Baskets made student questions visible and valued throughout the school.
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Poff student questions added to public Wonder Walls
- Teachers collaborated on designing and facilitating Quests, modeling inquiry alongside students.
Wyland Elementary: Portfolios as a Reflection and Growth Tool
Wyland’s design team focused on using portfolios to deepen academic and personal growth.
- Integrated Portfolios: Students documented growth in literacy, math, and social-emotional competencies, reflecting on their Portrait of a Talbot skills.
One student’s feedback on their portfolio content
- Choice in Demonstration of Learning: Students selected how they showed mastery, reinforcing agency and ownership.
Wyland learners complete performance-based assessments to demonstrate their learning
Hampton Middle School: From Launch Experience to Community Impact
Hampton Middle School’s design team embedded the Portrait into school culture from day one.
- Learning Pavilion Launch: Students began the year with a hands-on experience exploring each competency in the Learning Pavilion, one of six Hampton studios. Rethinking physical space ensured the Portrait was a living part of the learning experience.
Middle school students created a graffiti wall to make meaning of Portrait of a Talbot competencies
- Competency of Focus: Each student selected one Portrait competency to work on all year, documented in a digital portfolio with artifacts and reflections.
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Middle school reflection in a digital portfolio on Empathy, their selected Portrait of a Talbot focus
- Community Connection Events: The 6th Grade Day of Service and Futures Day connected students to the broader community and potential career paths.
Hampton 6th graders engaging a Day of Service in their community
Hampton High School: Portrait-Driven Portfolios for Future Readiness
The high school design team aligned Portrait competencies with grade-level priorities.
- Portrait-Aligned Portfolios: A pilot of 15 students curated artifacts showing growth across competencies.
- Student Exhibitions: Learners presented their work at the district-wide Spring Student Showcase, demonstrating their Portrait competencies to peers, families, and the community.
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Hampton students presenting in their Spring Student Showcase
These are only some options for Big Moves that help a district evolve. See more options that other districts have implemented here!
Why This Matters
By empowering school-based design teams to shape how the Portrait came to life, Hampton ensured that the work was relevant, sustainable, and owned by the people closest to students. The Big Moves provided a strategic backbone, but the creativity, leadership, and context-specific strategies of each school brought the vision to life.
Hampton’s community is feeling the shift:
“Our work with the Portrait of a Talbot started with building culture and capacity. Now, the real transformation is happening as design teams take the lead, bringing the portrait to life in ways that are meaningful for their schools and students. What began as enabling conditions has become active ownership, and that shift has made all the difference.”
– Dr. John Thronton, Director of Student Services
Hampton’s approach demonstrates that system-wide change is possible when vision, strategy, and distributed leadership come together—and when student and educator voices are at the center.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
If you’re looking to move from vision to action, Hampton’s story shows what is possible. With a clear Framework for the Future, strategic Big Moves, and empowered school-based design teams, systems can shift toward deeper learning, stronger relationships, and greater student agency.
We’d love to partner with you to define your Framework for the Future and chart your own course through the Big Moves. Let’s build what’s next together!
