After a four-month Partnership Development process between Ventura Charter School (VCS) and EL Education (formally Expeditionary Learning), VCS announces that they will become the newest of EL’s network of 152 schools throughout 30 states in the country.
Ventura Charter School, which opened in 2006, is a public K-8 charter school with an enrollment of 441 students. Its focus on project-based learning and student engagement makes for a perfect fit with EL Education whose core beliefs are: Learning is Active, Learning is Challenging, Learning is Meaningful, Learning is Collaborative, and Learning is Public. EL Education is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and social justice. It was born out of a collaboration between the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound USA in 1991.
“We are excited to take our work to the next level with EL Education,” said Lisa Hildebrand, Director of Education at VCS. “We are inspired by their work to implement research-based practices to transform classrooms into spaces of active, engaged learning, focused on supporting the achievement of every student.” EL Network schools engage in a multi-year partnership designed to permanently shift instruction, assessment, and school culture. The EL program has shown academic gains for children. After three years in an EL program, students outpace their peers in reading and math; and further in standardized test scores.
Successful partnership with EL Education is designed to improve student performance across three dimensions of achievement: Mastery of Academic Skills and Content, High-Quality Work, and Character. Network partner schools implement EL’s core practices and demonstrate their impact on student achievement by earning an EL Education Credential. Only a handful of schools that apply are accepted into the EL Network each year. “We continue to be inspired by your school—your leadership, and the fine work of teachers and the students they guide and care for,” said Erika Nielsen Andrew, EL Sr. Director, Schools.
To learn more about Ventura Charter School visit www.venturacharterschool.org
To learn more about EL Education visit www.eleducation.org
