EXPEDITIONARY LEARNING OUTWARD BOUND

Evidence of positive effects on student achievement
Year introduced in schools		1992
Number of schools		65
Support developer provides schools
First-year costs      with new staff      with current staff reassigned		$81,000 No Change
= Strong	= Promising		= Marginal
= Mixed, Weak		? = No Research

OVERVIEW

Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound is a comprehensive school design that aims to transform curriculum, instruction, assessment, and school culture and organization. It is based on two central ideas: that students learn better by doing than by listening; and that developing character, high expectations, and a sense of community is as important as developing academic skills and knowledge.

Expeditionary Learning involves five core practices. The first is learning expeditions, long-term, multidisciplinary projects that combine academic, service, and physical elements. The second practice is reflection and critique, which involves teachers working with each other to examine their own instruction and students' work. Third, the school culture emphasizes community and collaboration, high expectations for all students, service, and diversity. Fourth, the school structure is reorganized to share decision making among teachers and administrators and to develop relationships among staff, students, parents, and the community. The fifth practice is school review, or assessment of student performance and degree of implementation as measured against benchmarks provided by the developer.

Expeditionary Learning was established in 1992 by Outward Bound USA. The approach is one of several sponsored by New American Schools, a national initiative to develop replicable schoolwide reform programs. Sixty-five schools in 13 states currently use the approach, which was designed for grades K-12.

EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE EFFECTS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Strength of the Research Base. Despite the fact that this is a relatively new approach, Expeditionary Learning already has amassed a promising research base on student achievement effects. Three studies, one of which was conducted by an independent researcher, were reviewed. All three were sufficiently rigorous to report their findings here.

Six studies, conducted by independent researchers, evaluate implementation of the Expeditionary Learning schools sponsored by New American Schools. These studies provide information about which elements of the approach were easier or harder to implement.

Effects on Students. The research results indicate that Expeditionary Learning can help to improve student achievement. Students tend to perform well compared to state and district averages on standardized tests, such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Georgia Curriculum-Based Assessment Test. Positive results have been found across subjects (e.g., reading, writing, math, science, and social studies).

One study found significant two-year gains in standardized test scores of students in grades five through eight in reading and mathematics. The other two studies found that students in Expeditionary Learning schools improved on standardized and state tests compared to district and state averages in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies.

CENTRAL COMPONENTS

Organizational Change, Staffing, and Administrative Support. Expeditionary Learning requires one major organizational change: a transformation to shared decision making. The approach requires teachers, parents, and other community members to be involved in the school leadership and decision-making process. No major changes are required in staffing or administrative support.

Curriculum and Instruction. Expeditionary Learning requires significant changes to instruction. A defining component of the approach is that students engage in learning expeditions, extended studies that focus on a single theme, while incorporating instruction in different subject areas. Expeditions typically involve service and fieldwork and culminate in student presentations or performances to families and community members.

Instructional staff are expected to align expedition topics and goals with state and district standards and curriculum guidelines.

Supplies and Materials. Expeditionary Learning does not require or provide specific instructional materials. However, the developer provides materials to help school staff implement the approach. Some of the materials address theoretical and philosophical topics; others provide models and practical information for developing expeditions.

Scheduling and Grouping. Schools adopting Expeditionary Learning are asked to make significant changes to the daily schedule. First, schools eliminate the traditional 50-minute, single-subject period; instead, they devise a schedule that accommodates learning expeditions (which may average ten to 16 weeks). Second, schools rearrange the schedule to provide instructional staff with weekly common planning time.

Expeditionary Learning schools do not group students according to performance level; rather, the developer promotes heterogeneous grouping. For some learning expeditions, students from different grades are grouped together. Expeditionary Learning schools assign instructional staff to the same group of students for at least two years, which, according to the developers, helps build trust and a sense of community among teachers and students.

Monitoring of Student Progress and Performance. Expeditionary Learning attempts to use "real-world performance" as its primary assessment measure (e.g., demonstrations or portfolios of student work). Instructional staff are encouraged to reflect regularly on student progress, and also on what student achievement says about the instructional practices of the school. Students also are subject to the regular state and district standardized assessments.

Expeditionary Learning schools are required to conduct an annual self-review that examines the link between school instructional activities and student performance, and measures school practices against core practice benchmarks.

Family and Community Involvement. Expeditionary Learning encourages parent and community involvement, especially in the learning expeditions. Community members and parents are encouraged to contribute their own expertise and talents and to attend student presentations at the end of each expedition.

The developer also encourages schools to work with local community agencies and businesses to provide opportunities for student learning (e.g., internships).

SUPPORT THE DEVELOPER PROVIDES SCHOOLS

Professional Development and Technical Assistance. The developer considers professional development integral to successful implementation. Instructional staff and school leaders receive at least 15 days of technical assistance per year. First, Expeditionary Learning staff or experienced Expeditionary Learning instructors provide schools with on-site professional development. Activities include helping teachers develop learning expeditions, aligning the expeditions with state standards, coaching teachers in the classroom, and providing assistance related to assessment.

The developer requires school leaders to attend a two-day leadership institute, designed to help schools assess their readiness to implement Expeditionary Learning and to address issues of interest to school leaders. In addition, participants learn about modifying the school schedule, assigning planning time for teachers, and grouping students.

Professional development designed for instructional staff includes a five-day summer institute at the school that focuses on designing learning expeditions. In addition, faculty attend mid-year mini-institutes (lasting two to three days) during which they plan their expeditions for the spring semester. Throughout the school year, half-day and full-day workshops are provided on topics selected by school staff.

The developer provides other national professional development activities, to which schools are encouraged to send one-quarter to one-third of their faculty each year. First, the developer provides week-long summits during the summer, designed to demonstrate exemplary learning expeditions, to provide immersion in specific content areas, and to give staff an opportunity to work closely with Expeditionary Learning teachers from other schools. Instructional staff also can participate in Outward Bound courses for educators. The developer offers several opportunities for faculty and administrators to learn from and share with Expeditionary Learning participants, including a national leadership conference, a national conference for teachers and administrators, and visits to other Expeditionary Learning schools.

Implementation Requirements and Schools' Experiences. The developer stipulates three requirements for schools interested in adopting the approach. First, the school must demonstrate a high level of support from faculty and administration. At least 80 percent of the faculty and all of the school leadership must endorse adoption of the design after it has been presented to and discussed by the full faculty. Second, the school must commit to providing 15 to 20 days of professional development time for each classroom instructor and to budgeting for at least three hours of common team planning time per week. Third, schools should demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to implement and sustain the program.

Research on implementation of Expeditionary Learning has found that schools using the approach share several implementation strengths. The training, from introduction of the approach to training all staff, is a strength; teachers felt confident and comfortable with the instructional strategies. Teachers worked well together in some schools, and parents became more involved.

In the schools studied, it was found that some components of Expeditionary Learning were more difficult to implement than others. Although student portfolios were used, there was little evidence of teachers or students reflecting on content, and some inconsistency in evaluating the portfolios. The involvement of instructional staff in school governance was inconsistent across the Expeditionary Learning schools.

One study confirmed that full implementation is possible after several years. In one site, learning expeditions and portfolio-based assessment were common, teachers taught and planned collaboratively, students worked cooperatively on projects, the 45-minute class period was eliminated while students were on expeditions, and students were grouped heterogeneously in reading and math. Parents and community members were involved, serving on committees and attending student exhibitions.

The study found that strong implementation was supported by a clear understanding of the approach before it was adopted, strong administrative support, and sufficient professional development time. Successful sites were found to be those already considered "alternative" before adopting the approach, and sites that had additional funding, which allowed schools to offer professional development activities to more staff.

The service component was found to be more difficult to implement than others, because teachers reported that they did not have enough time for this piece.

COSTS

The first-year cost of adopting Expeditionary Learning is $81,000. This cost covers professional development, including the developer's estimate for teacher release time; and materials.

The cost of implementing Expeditionary Learning varies with the size of the school and the number of participating schools in the district. In the first year, a school with 25 faculty members and 500 students would pay $53,750 ($2,150 per faculty member). Schools with more than 25 faculty members would pay $53,750 for the first 25 individuals, plus $1,150 for each additional person; for example, a school with 40 faculty members would pay $71,000 ($53,750 + $1,150 x 15). A smaller school would subtract $1,150 from $53,750 for every faculty member fewer than 25; for example, a school with 15 faculty members would pay $42,250 ($53,750 _ $1,150 x 10). These figures assume that there are three or four Expeditionary Learning schools in a district. Costs are higher with fewer schools, but exact figures were not available.

The above fee includes at least 15 days per year of professional development for every faculty member, including full-faculty summer institutes and mid-year mini-sabbaticals, as well as professional development materials. The fee allows one-quarter of the faculty to attend Outward Bound courses or summits, and one-quarter to attend the national conference or seminars at demonstration sites. (The developer reports that additional faculty may attend at no additional cost, if space allows.) The fee also covers attendance of the principal and one member of the school leadership team at the annual leadership conference, as well as at least 30 days of technical assistance, at least 20 of which are provided on-site. Travel costs, release time, and other related expenses for all events above are not included.

In the second year, the costs are estimated to be the same as the first year. According to the developer, if schools are making good progress in implementing the approach, the cost will decrease by 20 percent in the third year, another 20 percent in the fourth year, and another 20 percent in the fifth year.

In addition to fees paid to the developer, the developer estimates that schools will have to pay $1,000 to $1,200 per faculty member per year for travel, stipends for teachers taking courses, substitutes, and expedition costs.

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