Meet EL Education

Creating classrooms where teachers fulfill their highest aspirations, and students achieve more than they think possible.

About the Authors: EL Education

EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) is redefining student achievement in diverse communities across the country. Founded over 20 years ago through the collaboration of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound, EL Education operates a national network of more than 150 high-achieving public schools serving over 4,000 teachers and 50,000 students, often in high-need communities.

EL Education creates great public schools where they are needed most. In addition, EL Education leverages its expertise to bring powerful resources to schools nationally: the organization provides curriculum, masterful coaching, and professional development, and publishes a portfolio of award-winning, educator-developed materials.

EL Education’s deep education expertise is simply unparalleled among materials developers.

What sets their work apart? EL Education is:

Driven by Mission

As a values-driven nonprofit, EL Education measures for social change, serving diverse district and charter populations from pre-K through 12th grade. As educators, they are passionate about ensuring that all students master rigorous content, develop positive character, and produce high-quality work.

Steeped In Classroom Experience

Having crystallized their award-winning approach within their network of 4,000 teachers and 50,000 students, EL Education brings verified approaches to the work of elevating K–12 education nationally. In their network of 150 schools, EL Education challenges and empowers teachers and students, achieving a unique combination of rigor and joy in learning.

Propelled by Heralded Educators

Just since 2013, seventeen EL Education teachers and leaders have been honored as the best in their craft at the local, state, or national level. Most recently, Sydney Chaffee, a ninth grade humanities teacher at EL Education-credentialed Codman Academy Charter Public School, was honored as the 2017 National Teacher of the Year. Chaffee helped design EL Education’s curriculum, an example of how the team’s excellence contributes to the organization’s work.

Proven to Increase Achievement

Third-party research has shown EL Education’s ability to improve student outcomes: For example, a study by leading research organization Mathematica Policy Research found that students in EL Education schools gained an extra seven months of learning growth in reading after three years. In addition, its curriculum is top-rated by independent review organization EdReports.org.

A Pioneer in Curriculum Development

EL Education initially created the groundbreaking ELA curriculum (grades 3‒8) for New York State’s EngageNY, to unprecedented national response: the materials have been downloaded more than 8 million times.

No other curriculum developer brings such pillars of expertise to the work of authoring excellent instructional materials. As users of the materials in their own schools, the EL Education team is doubly motivated to create content that engages and inspires students while driving deeper learning.

EL Education’s President and CEO Scott Hartl captures their distinctive approach when he says: “Our goal in creating our open source literacy curriculum five years ago was to enable teachers beyond our school network to benefit from the rich and rigorous teaching and learning in the EL Education model. Our collaboration with Open Up Resources expands the reach of our curriculum and our ability to help even more teachers and students across the country.”

For more information, visit their website.

With Deepest Gratitude

Many thanks to the 652 educators from the following schools and districts who piloted the EL Education K–5 Language Arts curriculum and provided the invaluable feedback. Your input was an essential ingredient in the development of this now-highly-rated curriculum!

  • Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy, Atlanta, GA
  • Southwest Baltimore Charter School, Baltimore, MD
  • Boston Public Schools, Boston, MA
  • Kuumba Academy, Wilmington, DE
  • Centennial Elementary School, Denver, CO
  • Joe Shoemaker Elementary School, Denver, CO
  • Lead Academy Charter School, Greenville, SC
  • Manhattan Charter School, New York, NY
  • Manhattan Charter School 2, New York, NY
  • Mapleton Public Schools, Denver, CO
  • Polaris Charter Academy, Chicago, IL
  • PS 51M—Elias Howe, New York, NY
  • Lincoln Elementary School, Pittsburgh, PA
  • DC Scholars Public Charter School, Washington, DC
  • Sunnyside Unified School District, Tucson, AZ
  • Scintilla Charter Academy, Valdosta, GA
  • Gateway Lab, Wilmington, DE

It takes a village to create a curriculum. For a complete list of the individuals we thank and celebrate, click here.