School profile

Conway Academy

Conway Academy of Expeditionary Learning is a TK–6 public school in Escondido Union School District, California. It is recognized as an EL Education Credentialed School for its deep commitment to transforming curriculum, instruction, culture, and leadership to drive excellent outcomes for all students. Its motto, "We Are Crew, Not Passengers," expresses a collective ethos of shared responsibility, compassion, and agency.

“We Are Crew, Not Passengers”
TK–6Escondido, CaliforniaEL Education Credentialed School

About the school

528Learners
77%Identify as Hispanic/Latino
36%English language learners
16%Students with disabilities

How Conway redesigned

From lowest-performing to learner-led.

Conway's redesign didn't stop at adopting a new model. Identity (EPIC), belonging (CREW), authentic work (Expeditions), visible learning (Student-Led Conferences and Passages), and shared leadership (student ambassadors, ILTs) all had to move together for the EL transformation to hold.

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The context

A Day in the Life

A Conway student begins the day by arriving on campus before the 8:00 am start and is greeted by a welcoming and energetic atmosphere.

Conway Crew STEM students celebrating together in matching t-shirts at a community event
Stage 1 of 5: Arrive & connect. A Conway student begins the day by arriving on campus before the 8:00 am start and is greeted by a welcoming and energetic atmosphere.

The challenge

School Redesign Goals

In 2014–2015, Conway was identified as one of the lowest-performing schools in the district. Since then, it has undergone a remarkable transformation while adopting the Expeditionary Learning (EL) model, advancing year by year and achieving EL Education Credentialed School status in 2022. The redesign prioritized whole-child development through three dimensions of student achievement: mastery of knowledge and skills, character, and high-quality work. This journey required reimagining culture, assessment, and leadership to create an environment where all students are challenged, supported, and inspired to contribute to a better world.

2014–2015One of the lowest-performing schools in the district
→
2022EL Education Credentialed School
2014–2015One of the lowest-performing schools in the district
→
2022EL Education Credentialed School

01 / Design element

Clear Identity

Vision: all learners discover their unlimited potential through Excellence, Perseverance, Integrity, and Compassion (EPIC).

EExcellence
PPerseverance
IIntegrity
CCompassion

Mission: to create classrooms alive with inquiry so EPIC students feel compelled to make the world a better place.

Conway Academy students and staff gathered around a garden bed they built together

02 / Design element

Small Learning Communities

Central to Conway’s design is CREW: a daily advisory structure and way of being that connects students and adults in smaller, caring communities. In CREW, learners develop belonging, build character, and practice the habits of scholarship that define ethical and effective learners. These groups help break down the scale of a TK–6 campus into intimate, relationship-rich environments where students are known and supported.

“It is the heart of everything we do at Conway.”— Conway student

As one student shared, crew "is the heart of everything we do at Conway. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something really big. It’s like a big community and a family."

Conway Crew STEM students celebrating together in matching t-shirts at a community event

03 / Design element

Real-World Learning

Expeditions, which are long-range, inquiry-based projects, are the anchor of Conway’s real-world learning. Students engage in authentic fieldwork, partner with community experts, and produce work tied to real issues and audiences. Highlights of past expeditions include Better World Day, where students publicly share their learning and advocate for community impact. Learning is intentionally public and purpose-driven, where exhibitions, celebrations, and presentations of learning invite families and partners into the process.

Example in practiceBetter World Day

Students publicly share their learning and advocate for community impact.

Example in practiceBetter World Day

Students publicly share their learning and advocate for community impact.

Conway Academy students doing hands-on garden work with buckets and tools

04 / Design element

Performance Assessment of Whole-Learner Outcomes

Assessment at Conway goes beyond standardized tests. Students articulate their learning, track progress, and showcase growth through Student-Led Conferences, Celebrations of Learning, and Passages, which are public demonstrations of understanding and skill. Authentic feedback cycles (models of excellence, critique, multiple drafts) support the creation of high-quality work. At Conway, students are positioned as leaders of their own learning journeys and encouraged to reflect on both academic mastery and character growth.

  • Student-Led Conferences
  • Celebrations of Learning
  • Passages

Learn more about Student-Led Conferences, even in Kindergarten, at Conway.

Watch
Student-Led Conferences at Conway (even in Kindergarten)See the Conway approach in motion.

05 / Design element

Teacher Collaboration

Conway’s redesign has been sustained through intensive educator collaboration. Teachers have protected, embedded time for professional learning communities (PLCs), where they review student work and co-design expeditions. In PLCs and staff meetings, they share practices that make learning visible and align assessment to whole-learner outcomes. School-wide professional learning is tied to the EL Core Practices and reinforced with sustained coaching support from onsite instructional coaches and EL consulting.

06 / Design element

Distributed Leadership

At Conway, the motto "We Are Crew" extends to leadership. Staff work in Instructional Leadership Teams (ILT) to guide improvement of instruction and learning. Students also play visible roles in shaping culture and learning, notably through student ambassadors who welcome visitors to their site and lead in-depth tours and events. Students lead whole-school meetings and CREW meetings. In addition, Conway’s credentialing process (through EL) was collaborative, requiring collective ownership of vision, progress, and continuous improvement.

More Resources

Continue exploring the ideas and examples behind this structure.

Conway Academy of Expeditionary LearningCREWExpeditionsBetter World Day