Introduction
Polaris Charter Academy is a K-8 public school on Chicago’s West Side that uses the EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) model.
Over the past twelve years, Polaris has become a north star in education where students learn by impacting the world around them. From the ‘Peacekeepers of Chicago’ project featured on Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Models of Excellence to working with University of Chicago’s Dr. Camille Farrington in spearheading breakthrough character education, Polaris has redefined the very idea of school. Polaris has consistently been rated as a Level 1 Chicago Public School and is proud to have thirteen students receive the prestigious Daniel Murphy Scholarship since 2014.
“When you visit a school like WHEELS or Polaris, it is hard not to feel hopeful, not just for the prospects of the students there, but for the possibility that a new approach to educating low-income children, rooted in the science of adversity, might be taking hold more broadly.”
-Paul Tough, Helping Children Succeed
Student Profile
450
Students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
100%
Graduates who attend their High School of choice
13
Graduates awarded the Daniel Murphy Scholarship
8
National & International Student-Led Presentations
99%
Students of Color
(92% Black, 7% Hispanic)97%
Students who qualify for free/reduced lunch
17%
Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
18%
Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS)
From the Founder
Michelle Navarre is the co-founder and Head of School at Polaris Charter Academy. Believing that access to high quality education is a right not a privilege, Michelle’s mission in founding Polaris was to create an innovative and dynamic school environment that emphasized experiential learning methods, charging students with the responsibility of becoming stewards and social justice activists to solve real community problems.
When opening Polaris in 2007, Michelle's mission aligned with the vision and approach seen in EL Education schools across the country. Being part of the national EL Education network provided Polaris the resources and support that has allowed teachers to fulfill their highest aspirations and students to achieve more than they thought possible. Now as a credentialed, mentor EL Education school, Polaris has the platform to serve as a national and international example of redefining what student-centered classrooms can look, sound, and feel like.
"[Polaris] is developing the kinds of minds that we need for a healthy democracy."
-Dr. Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
EL Education Credentialing Renewal Portfolio
EL Education has an expanded definition of student achievement: "We believe that when a student is done with school and enters adult life, she will be judged for the rest of her life not by her performance on tests of basic skills, but by the quality of her work and the quality of her character."
At Polaris, students reflect on their growth in the following three dimensions: Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character, and High-Quality Work.
Every five years, Polaris evidences student and school success per dimension through a website portfolio. Each portfolio page (see links below) highlights an area in which Polaris has continued to innovate, spurring strong student impact. The strategic plans and subsequent supports Polaris used to realize these results—from long-term performance benchmarks to yearly work plans—are the focus of the School Growth page.
Polaris students continuously show remarkable mathematical growth through problem solving and discourse.
Polaris students become more ethical people through ongoing reflection.
Polaris students are active citizens; their authentic, personal voices are heard in high-quality work that connects academics to real-world issues.
