In 2015 (exactly 100 years after Atwater first opened its doors), the Shorewood community participated in a visioning summit for the school district. Led by our School Board and district leadership, a group of over 100 community members, students, faculty and alumni participated in a multi-day workshop to set a 10-year vision for the schools. The number one priority coming out of the 2025 visioning summit was to create more authentic learning experiences and opportunities for all students in Shorewood.

Simultaneously, a group of interested Shorewood teachers began to use more resources from a visionary, educational non-profit organization - Expeditionary Learning. Seeing the value in the resources and the work of the organization, these teachers approached building and district leadership to explore a partnership between our schools and EL.

The partnership could not have gone better for Atwater School. It’s because of our relationship with EL that Atwater has been making good on its commitment to create authentic learning opportunities for all Atwater students. The Three Dimensions of Student Achievement were exactly what our community was looking for: academic excellence and growth for all students, the integration of character education into our programming and the creation of high-quality work by students. Half-way towards our 2025 Vision, the Atwater community is thrilled to be at a point in which we can apply for credentialing with EL. It is because of EL that we are leading the charge for authentic learning in our community.

Though our staff and students have now embraced the magic that comes with being a network EL school, the road to achieve success has not been without challenges. Over the last few years, we have walked the fine line necessary to achieve the success and growth we have as a school.

Our partnership with EL began in the 15/16 school year with a cautious enthusiasm for something new and exciting. Building leadership, both the principal at the time as well as the instructional leadership team (ILT), were not only learning about best practices through EL themselves, but were also leading through a culture shift for the building. Our staff are committed to student needs, but, understandably, were hesitant to make change without knowing what that change will bring. Early on, work needed to be done to create a culture of growth mindset among our students, but also our staff. Through the creation of our habits of scholarship and character (what we here at Atwater call the PERKS), our building began to form a sense of identity and pride, unlike we had before. Instead of unspecified behavioral expectations, our students, staff and families had a set standard of what it means to be a member of the Atwater community. Today, the PERKS are alive and well everywhere - from posters in the hallways, to morning Crew meeting targets, the PERKS banner hanging in the cafeteria - we live by the PERKS day in, and day out.

At the same time, Atwater also embraced the 10 Design Principles. In collaboration with the PERKS, the Design Principles became our guiding structure for developing Crew and character opportunities for our students. Rotating through, each month of the school year we highlight a different principle.

As we were beginning to better understand and meet student needs, embracing character education as well as key, foundational instructional techniques like learning targets and checking for understanding, a huge piece in our growth and success here at Atwater was also meeting the growth and development of the staff.

Throughout our first two years in partnership with EL, our staff was committed, but tired. Change is hard and takes a lot of energy. By the end of our second year in partnership, our staff was beginning to question the sustainability of working toward our goal of authentic learning by 2020 and the implementation of best practices through our partnership with EL Education. The leadership in the building needed to respond.

To support staff in their growth and development, without creating more burnout, the ILT, building leader and EL school designer made significant changes to our work plan and professional development structure. By creating a streamlined work plan, with direct connection to district goals, we reduced the sheer number of initiatives in the building from multiple targets in each dimension to a key few, targeted, essential outcomes for student progress. Then, to support teacher professional development, we restructured our professional development model. Thanks to an inspirational session at the regional cohort meeting, the Shorewood PD cycle was created and implemented with great success. By focusing staff energy on high-leverage, research-based best practices, and providing adequate time, support and resources to achieve said targets, our staff was re-engaged in the work. And it shows. Our Implementation Review (IR) Score made significant gains because our staff was focused and felt as if their work and time were both valued.

Project-based, community connected education has been integrated into all areas of Atwater. Not only are students participating in expeditions and case studies in every general education classroom throughout the building, but in other areas as well. Our strong arts program (general music, visual arts, band and orchestra) have all incorporated authentic learning into their programming, as well as our 4th-6th grade Spanish teacher. Today, Atwater Elementary carries the torch for authentic learning in the district.