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What Is EL Education?

Being A Catholic EL School

Success & Results

Design Principles

Gallery of Student Learning Expeditions

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Curriculum

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What is EL Education? | Qué es EL Education?

Formerly called Expeditionary Learning, EL is an approach to education that prioritizes curiosity, challenge, character, community, craftsmanship, and an authentic application of learning to make a difference! In an EL school, students don’t spend the year in a desk learning about the world from a text book. Through the hard work and creativity of teachers, students in EL schools encounter the world firsthand through challenging texts & projects, conducting field work, working with local experts, doing original research, and producing high-quality work that will be presented to the community. Students are not passive recipients of curricular knowledge: they actively use the content they learn to answer big questions and address issues in their community. This approach brings an unparalleled culture of community, student engagement, and high achievement to EL schools like Annunciation. Come by and see for yourself!

In the EL approach, we do not measure student success just in terms of passing a test, because when students enter adult life, they’ll be judged not by performance on basic skills tests, but rather, by the quality of their work and the quality of their character. It is not enough to form “smart” kids: we want our students to become great people with the heart and the inner-strength to achieve any goals they set for themselves. So, in EL schools, we assess student achievement in 3 dimensions. the Mastery of Knowledge & Skills, the growth of Character & Faith, and the Creation of High-Quality Work.    

EL Education is not just a philosophy - it is an educational organization that partners with schools nation-wide to create a robust network of EL schools. To be an EL School as Annunciation is, a school must officially be part of the EL network, go through the EL credentialing process, and strive to implement the structures and practices that make EL schools so successful. Our EL School Designer, Dave Manzella, works with our school throughout school year and leads monthly Professional Development sessions for our teachers to improve their teaching practice, and we also send teachers and leaders to EL Institutes and the EL National Conference to promote their growth and development. Our partnership with EL is an investment in our teachers and school leaders, who in turn create rich learning environments and design powerful learning experiences for our students.

As an organization, EL grew out of a collaboration between Outward Bound (an outdoor learning organization) and the Harvard School of Education in 1992. The vision was to unite the values of Outward Bound - inquiry-based learning, building strong character, & the importance of making a difference in your community - with a rigorous approach to classroom learning. This is how EL was born, and since then, EL has been partnering with schools to transform their hallways and classrooms from traditional, passive environments to lively, innovative, engaging spaces of learning.

The EL model works! EL has been recognized by President Obama for its innovative approach to learning and its excellent results. There are approximately 200 EL schools (Elementary, Middle, & High Schools) across the nation, and many of them have the highest achievement scores in their regions, the lowest turnover and attrition rates, and the best college placement numbers.

​This success is the result of great teachers implementing EL practices in their classrooms and across our schools. What is different about an EL school? What would you notice? Well, a few innovative and unique elements of the EL model are described here (with more described in greater detail on the next page "Being a Catholic EL School")… Check them out!

Meet Our EL School Designer:
​Dave Manzella
CREW | Crew is both a community structure and a pervasive ethos. Crews are small, adult-led groups of students that meet everyday. They are “families” within the school that foster character growth and healthy relationships. Equally important is the spirit of “crew,” a pervasive mindset of collaboration and communality: “We are crew, not passengers.” 
Learning Expeditions | Expeditions are long-term studies that connect classroom learning to real-world issues. Instead of studying chemistry from a textbook, students in our schools work with experts and community groups to study the health of the water in our local river, then produce and present a report about their findings that educates the public. Through learning expeditions, students encounter meaningful issues, conduct real fieldwork, grapple with large questions, produce authentic work for an audience beyond the school, and use their learning to impact the world. 
High Quality Work | High Quality Work, like student-created postcards and a website detailing the history of our local church & neighborhood, is the result of dedicated effort and deep learning. Through the creation of high-quality work, students learn to use their hands and heart, not only their heads, to create excellent work that is worthy of genuine pride and celebration. This kind of work arises from and gives rise to a culture of craftsmanship, revision, & perseverance. 
Adventures in Nature | Adventures and Excursions – a core tenet of Outward Bound, the organization that gave rise to EL Education – take students out of their comfort zones and immerse them in the beauty and immensity of the natural world. Through adventures into nature, wonder and curiosity are born in students, and strong relationships and communal bonds are forged. Students learn to confront their fears, be present, help one another, and marvel at the beauty of creation.
Also Ask About: Habits of Scholarship, Service-Learning, Professional Development, Student-Led Conferences, Passage Presentations...