Scaling What Works!TAF (Technology Access Foundation)

Is STEM Literacy the Key to Success for Students of Color?• Achievement gaps on the basis of race/income remain rife.

This has grave implications for our country’s success. • In 2012, children of color in the United States were 47% of the

under 18 population, by 2019 people of color will be in the majority1

• Three quarters of living wage jobs in the future will require some familiarity with STEM disciplines.

• Good to great jobs in the Puget Sound region already match this statistic, with currently over 25K jobs going unfilled2

• Today’s schools, largely public, have neither the experienced staff, the resources, the funding and the high expectation culture to insure that all students are qualified for these jobs and entrepreneurship

1 US Census 2 Washington Technology Alliance

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TAF Creates STEM Literacy Learning Environments for Students of Color

STEM literacy is the ability to identify and apply concepts and content from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to understand and solve challenges or problems that cannot be resolved by any one disciplinary approach.

STEM literacy enables students to apply 21st century skills such as adaptability, communication, collaboration, problem solving, and systems thinking to improve the social, economic, and environmental conditions of their local and global community.

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Leadership Team and Partners

Troy HiltonEducational Technologies

David HarrisSTEM Integration

Trish Millines DzikoExecutive Director

Sherry WilliamsDeputy Director

Zithri SaleemProgram Strategy Director

Chris AlejanoDirector of Education

• College and University• UW Bothell - Faculty co-facilitate teacher professional development in STEM

education at the STEMbyTAF Teacher Institute• Seattle University – TAF Academy is a contracted site for students teachers• Seattle Pacific University– TAF Academy is a contracted site for students

teachers• Community

• Martinez Foundation -Martinez fellows are teachers of color. They teach at TAF Academy during the summer to prepare them for the upcoming year. We choose from this diverse pool of teachers when there are openings during the school year

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Today Underrepresented Minorities (African Americans, Latinos & Native Americans) occupy only 10% of the science and engineering jobs. 1

Yet they make up 30% of the current working population and 40% of the immediate pipeline of talent (ages 18-24) and over 60% of the future pipeline (age <5) of talent. 2

Untapped Potential

1 2012 data 22010 data

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The Opportunity

Through partnerships with existing schools, TAF is taking the core

elements that make TAF Academy a success and transforming the

learning environments and outcomes for other underserved

students and educators6

TAF Academy - A Model of Success• 6th-12th grade public neighborhood STEM school co-managed by TAF and

Federal Way Public School District opened in 2008• Set high expectations in a socioeconomically diverse school with no

barriers to entry or retention• Built a culture of equity, authentic learning, academic achievement and

college readiness, with students routinely besting district and state test core averages, 98% on time graduation, 96% college acceptance, 81% college attendance

• Built a collaborative cross grade and cross discipline learning community where the principal is instructional leader

• Designed and vetted and implemented cross discipline project based learning curriculum with multiple levels of student assessments

• Productively involved education technology, industry, the community and family to deepen learning

• Winner of two national (Intel, Ashoka) and three state (Innovation School designation, school of distinction) awards for academic achievement

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The Pilot School – Mount View Elementary School In HighlineMount View Elementary Profile• School

• 600 students in K-6• 92% students of color• 88% free and reduced lunch• 48% English language learners• 10% special education

• Staff• Superintendent sponsorship gave

school staff the confidence to step out and try new things

• Transformation led by Principal whose relationship with staff and families generated trust in the process

• 100% of teaching staff voted “yes” to the change

• Transformation started summer 2013

Criteria for Choosing Transformation Schools

• School profile meets at least two of these criteria• At least 70% of the student population

are children of color,• More than 40% of the students qualify

for free or reduced-price lunch • School qualifies for Title I Federal

assistance• The students’ standardized state test

scores are consistently below the state and district averages.

• Superintendent with existing plans to innovate within the district

• Innovative principal with demonstrated leadership and quality relationship with staff and families

• Majority of teaching staff agreeable to change

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STEMbyTAF Framework

Change the academic environment so students and educators can be the drivers of their own teaching and learning

Work with school leadership to

redefine the school vision and culture

Change curricular approach to

standards based and project based

teaching and learning

Develop principals and teachers

Ground teachers in STEMbyTAF Pedagogy

Provide instructional coaches to support

teachers

Program Managers facilitate transfer of

innovations from TAF Academy

Provide ongoing support and resources for learning network

Build a learning network to expand professional learning community and

share resources

Establish appropriate ongoing level of support once core elements of the

transformation are complete

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STEMbyTAF PedagogyHow do 21st Century learning standards promote equity in STEM education?

EQUITY

Having the conviction that every student is

capable of learning and

being successful is a core value

that all teachers and staff must

have professionally and personally

STEM Integration

Cultivating opportunities

for students and teachers to engage with

STEM professionals and activities,

both on and off campus.

InterdisciplinaryPBL

Project-based learning allows

students to respond to a “real-world”

question purposefully integrating

multiple subject areas to learn key academic content in a more holistic

way.

Educational Technology

Developing the capacity for

students to use various

software and technologies to

be successful and

competitive.

College and Career

Readiness

Awareness that college is a

viable option; Eligibility for

college admissions; and

college-level academic

preparedness without

remediation

Ultimately, we trust in the creativity, ingenuity, and potential of our students - with intentional, well thought out instruction and a supportive classroom environment that includes both learning appropriate technologies and a

teacher invested in both the process and end product, students can and will produce amazing things.

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The Process – Mount View Elementary

Meet with District and School Leadership to determine commitment and need

Date: March 2013Status: COMPLETE

Meet with school staff to determine current

environmentDate: April 2013

Status: COMPLETE

TAF gathers additional information and develops

proposalDate: May 2013

Status: COMPLETE

Develop work plan with school leadership and staff

(5th & 6th grade)Date: June 2013

Status: COMPLETE

School staff attends STEMbyTAF Teacher Institute for professional development

Date: July 2013Status: COMPLETE

Implement Year 1 work plan & develop details for Year 2 (4th-

6th grade)Date: August/Sept 2013

Status: COMPLETE

School staff attends STEMbyTAF Teacher Institute for professional development

Date: July 2014Status: COMPLETE

Implement Year 2 work plan & develop details for Year 3 (2nd-

6th grade)Date: August/Sept 2014

Status: IN PROGRESS

School staff attends STEMbyTAF Teacher Institute for professional development

Date: July 2015Status: OPEN

Implement Year 3 work plan & develop details for Year 4 (K-6th

grade)Date: August/Sept 2015

Status: IN PROGRESS

School staff attends STEMbyTAF Teacher Institute for professional development

Date: July 2016Status: OPEN

Implement Year 4 work plan and develop details for

ongoing supportDate: September 2016

Status: OPEN 11

The PartnershipStaff Management If principal position becomes vacant, TAF participates in interviewing principal

candidates.

As teachers leave the school, TAF works with principal to select the candidates that suit the STEMbyTAF model and the school culture.

Budget / Funding District funds school as usual and reallocates use of funds to fit the STEMbyTAF model implementation. In addition provides an instructional coach (trained by TAF) and relevant technology.

TAF provides instructional coach, program management for the transformation and learning network solution.

Curriculum and School Design

TAF partners with staff to influence the rules of the school by defining what it means to be a student, teacher, or administrator and setting policies addressing absenteeism, truancy, and discipline concerns.

TAF works with staff on the pedagogy and master schedule, including the flexibility to extend the school day for mandatory extended learning time participation

Governing Organization

TAF has the ability to negotiate agreements with 3rd party organizations (enrichment providers, consultants, etc.) that govern their interactions with the school

Program Accountability

TAF has access to relevant data such as student achievement data, staff professional development attainment, and transparent financials.

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A More Systemic ApproachA proven public/private partnership model

TAF has a history and positive track record forming partnerships with public school districts for the advancement of students of color.

TAF is an active partner with the district

TAF is a mutual investor in student success. We co-manage the transformation and provide ongoing support once the school is fully transformed.

TAF uses a local staffing model In our experience, change happens more rapidly and has a better chance of sustaining itself when the change comes from within the community and/or with the assistance of someone who can relate to the community. We hire team members who demonstrate their investment in the communities we serve

Unique focus on teaching We focus in the pedagogical skill development, and in-depth discussion around core commitments to education, knowing there are many other opportunities for curricular and content knowledge.

We create and manage a broad learning community

By creating a learning community that consists of educators, industry professionals, corporations, nonprofits and higher education we give our partner schools a network to lean on and a way create a more authentic and relevant educational experience for their students and themselves.

Each transformed school will become a lab school

We are building models all over the state making it easy to share information with other schools wanting to replicate all or some of those practices. 13

Goals and MetricsGoals

• Transform every partner school into an academic environment that will promote the highest level of student learning, teacher development and community engagement.

• Students are solidly on the path to college, career and citizenship

• Create a pipeline of excellent STEM teachers and school leaders

• Create a network of STEMbyTAF schools become lab schools to facilitate knowledge transfer of best practices

Metrics• Students

• Student academic outcomes (state test scores, interim assessments, etc.)

• Attendance and disciplinary actions• Quality of work for exhibitions• Participation in school culture

• Teachers• Collaboration and planning• Quality of projects design and implementation• Use of external resources• Classroom management and use of curricular

content• Principal

• Implementation of work plan• Instructional leadership

• TAF Program Management• Knowledge transfer from TAF Academy• Coaching and support• Management of learning network

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Scaling and Sustainability• Scaling

• TAF will continue the transformation process with our current pilot school through the five year period

• In 2015-2016 we will being the process of adding one school per year, while continuing to codify our model and assess ability to add more schools

• Over time, TAF will increase the rate in which we partner with schools

• Sustainability• After the successes in the five year period, we expect districts (with

the support of our School Finance Specialist) will be willing to reallocate funds and seek additional funds to pay for our model.

• Depending on the locations of those districts we will either work with districts directly or form a partnership with a suitable organization to manage the process.

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Financials2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 5 Year Total

INCOMESocial Venture Investment 192,350$ 400,000$ 600,000$ 800,000$ 1,000,000$ 2,992,350$ Grants 195,000$ 400,000$ 500,000$ 500,000$ 500,000$ 2,095,000$ Individual Donations 75,000$ 150,000$ 225,000$ 300,000$ 375,000$ 1,125,000$ Corporate 25,000$ 50,000$ 75,000$ 100,000$ 125,000$ 375,000$

Total Income 487,350$ 1,000,000$ 1,400,000$ 1,700,000$ 2,000,000$ 6,587,350$

EXPENSES

Staffing 278,913$ 879,128$ 1,009,526$ 1,043,396$ 1,175,877$ 4,386,839$ Direct Program Costs 43,200$ 63,400$ 92,100$ 115,800$ 139,500$ 454,000$

TOTAL Expenses 322,113$ 942,528$ 1,101,626$ 1,159,196$ 1,315,377$ 4,840,839$

Total Schools 1 2 3 4 5Cost/School 322,113$ 471,264$ 367,209$ 289,799$ 263,075$ Monthly Burn Rate 26,843$ 78,544$ 91,802$ 96,600$ 109,615$

Assumptions• All staff, except instructional coaches split time

between TAF Academy and transformation schools

• Fully staffed in 2016-2017• School 1 goes into maintenance in 2017-2018

and doesn’t require a fulltime coach• Add one new school per year• Annual 3% cost of living increases

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Investment Opportunity• TAF is seeking to raise $1.366M in 2014-2015 to fund:

• Startup costs ($192, 350)• Two years of program implementation for Mount View Elementary• One year of program implementation for First Place School

StaffingProgram Management 348,600$ Sitebased Staff 229,200$ Program Support 449,050$ Taxes and Benefits 232,440$

Total Staffing 1,259,290$ Program Operations 106,600$

Total 1,365,890$

For more information email: taf@techaccess.org or call 206-725-9095

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