IVHS Expeditionary Learning showing good results with student involvement
A few years ago, standardized test scores at Illinois Valley High School (IVHS) had slipped below acceptable levels.
As a result, the school became eligible for federal reform dollars, and those funds have since been put to good use through implementation of the Expeditionary Learning (EL) program.
EL is a New York-based company that works with seven schools in Oregon and more than 140 nationwide. Tony Altucher works as a school designer for EL, and has been at IVHS since it began using the program in 2002.
Altucher, who taught high school in New York City for six years, said that EL’s programs are designed to ensure that students are active participants in their education.
“We work with teachers on planning and making the instruction process more interactive,” Altucher said.
An extra effort is made to personalize the learning environment. For example, small groups of students meet with an adviser every week to review transcripts and develop relationships with those teachers.
“It helps prevent kids from falling through the cracks,” Altucher said.
While Altucher admits that this approach is “not a panacea,” he said it is part of a larger strategy aimed at improving the overall educational experience.
Gary Enoch has been teaching Language Arts at IVHS for the past five years. He said he is “totally sold” on the EL approach.
“I’ve seen how it can work and what it has done for the students. It’s a valuable tool,” Enoch said.
One crucial component of EL is providing students opportunities to gain hands-on, real-world experience.
“It incorporates a lot of community service work,” Enoch said.
Two years ago, one of Enoch’s classes studied the temporary closure of Lake Selmac. They even visited the city of Cave Junction’s water filtration plant as part of the lesson.
Students then hosted a water forum at IVHS, where a panel of experts engaged members of the public in a question-and-answer session.
“By the time the class was over, the kids were experts on water,” Enoch said. “They knew water law, knew about watersheds and basins and how they work.”
The EL approach also involves bringing professionals into classrooms to work with students.
“It not only gets the kids out of the classroom, but it brings the community into the classroom more,” Enoch said. “I’ve had a lot of experts in their fields come in to the classroom and talk about topics that are relevant to what we’re studying.”
Staff development is another of EL’s primary focuses. IVHS art teacher Elaine Barker said that she has learned a lot through the EL approach.
“It’s kind of like going to school again,” Barker said.
Barker, who has taught for 20 years, said she has seen her students’ work improve since EL came to IVHS.
“It provides meaningful work for the kids,” Barker said. “What they’re doing is important enough that it has to be well done.
“They don’t stop until it’s the best it can be.”
