Tapestry Charter School's middle school, like our high school, follows the Expeditionary Learning Schools model. This academic program is based on the ten design principles and five core practice benchmarks of Expeditionary Learning Schools. The ten design principles focus attention on why school is important, while the five core practice benchmarks describe how school can be structured for student success.
Expeditionary Learning Schools (www.elschools.org) is a nonprofit school improvement and teacher development organization with a growing national network of 136 schools with almost 50,000 students. The Expeditionary Learning model, a New American Schools design, emphasizes high achievement through active learning, character growth, and teamwork. The Expeditionary Learning program uses research-based best practices in literacy, inquiry-based mathematics, and original research and data collection.
Learning is accomplished through academic, cross-disciplinary learning expeditions, other active forms of teaching and learning, and a challenging and supportive school culture. Learning expeditions can inspire academic skills necessary to make sense of the New York State learning standards.
Expeditionary Learning harnesses student’s natural passions to allow them to develop the curiosity, skills, knowledge, and courage needed to imagine a better world and work toward realizing it. As Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound, stated, “There is more in us than we know. Perhaps if we are made to see it, for the rest of our lives we will not settle for less.”
Expeditionary Learning Schools Design Principles
Expeditionary Learning Schools Core Practice Benchmarks
The Core Practice Benchmarks describe Expeditionary Learning in practice: what teachers, students, school leaders, families, and other partners do in fully implemented Expeditionary Learning schools. The five core practices work in concert and support one another to promote high achievement through active learning, character growth, and teamwork. The five core practices are: