Sota sami idea information sheets

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TA C O M A

SCHOOL of the ARTS

id ea industrial industrial design design engineering engineering and and art art

VISION

We believe all students have the right to high-quality educational experiences that develop their unique needs and passions.

MISSION

Our mission is to partner with community resources to change public education, emphasizing creativity and utilizing a fully inclusive model that educates the whole student through our values: Community . Empathy . Thinking . Balance

PROVEN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION

The Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA) began as an idea in 1998 and – with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Model Schools Program – opened its doors to Tacoma Public Schools students in 2001. From the success of SOTA, the Science and Math Institute (SAMI) was founded in 2009 as an innovative high school in Tacoma Public Schools. Today, SOTA and SAMI address the challenges in k-12 education head on. The result is 98 percent-plus graduation rates every year, the highest Math, Reading, and Writing scores in Pierce County, and the lowest incidences of violence. This success is part of a small movement by innovative school districts to work with educational visionaries to create independent operating schools within their jurisdiction. The innovations of the autonomous school and the Tacoma School District’s bedrock history inform, influence and support each other in creating proven student outcomes and inspire young minds to think and create. SOTA and SAMI offer a unique and innovative approach to learning for all students, creating a campus that reflects the cultural and economic diversity of our city. Our full-inclusion learning environments serve students of all learning abilities and are built around four tenets – Empathy, Balance, Thinking, Community – that echo the relevancy of our world today while offering the flexibility needed to build citizens for the future. SOTA and SAMI students enroll in rigorous and relevant courses, choosing from 8 pathways of study in arts and sciences. All students take classes necessary to graduate and enter college at the university level. Students can choose from more than twenty College in the High School courses and earn dual high school and college credit. All students leave prepared with tools to be life-long learners and are ready to be citizens in their communities. Courses of study tackle contemporary issues for today’s youth by connecting student interests with current events. Hands-on curriculum, and project-based lessons form

MAJOR FUNDERS COMMUNITY SUPPORT Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Russell Family Foundation Frank Russell Investment Company The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation Washington State Arts Commission Robert B. McMillen Foundation Laird Norton Family Foundation Ben B. Cheney Foundation Washington STEM Tacoma Public Schools

Financial support for these innovative public schools is greater than any of the many nationally respected foundations. Individual donations to Elements of Eduction (501(c)3 directly supports SOTA and SAMI and donations have exceeded $3 million since 2002.

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS

Kennedy Center’s National Schools of Distinction Arts Education Award – SOTA (2010-11) OSPI STEM Lighthouse Award – SAMi (2011) OSPI Washington State Innovative Schools – both SOTA & SAMi (2011) OSPI School of Distinction – SOTA (2011) Washington State Board of Education Achievement Award – SOTA (2012) City Club of Tacoma honors – SOTA (2009) Washington Achievement Award - SOTA (2012 - 2014)


SOTA . SAMi . iDEA RESULTS

• The graduation rate is 99.3% at SOTA and 98% at SAMI compared to the district rate of 78.2% and state rate of 77.2%. • 100% of students served in special education graduate with a standard diploma compared to 46% in the district. • 10% of SAMI and SOTA students are in special education. • 100% of special education students are enrolled in non-special education or general education classes. • 220 plus juniors and seniors at SOTA and SAMi are placed in community internships each year. • 85.9% SOTA and SAMi juniors and seniors take college-level courses for college credit.

EXCEEDING STANDARDS

• 95.4% of students meet or exceed standards on the state writing exams (SOTA). • 90% of students meet or exceed standards on the state writing exams (SAMI). • 95.9% of students meet or exceed standards on the state reading exams (SOTA). • 92% of students meet or exceed standards on the state reading exams (SAMI). • 94.5% of students at SOTA and SAMI meet or exceed standard on the state geometry end-of-course exams.

DIVERSITY, RIGOR & INCLUSION

• SOTA and SAMI together comprise 1,000 students in 9th through 12th grade. • Proudly part of Tacoma Public Schools, SAMI / SOTA students comprise 1,000 of the 8,000 highschool students in the district. • 46% of students at SAMI are non-white. • 45% of students at SAMI qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) – comparable to the state average of 46%. • 85% of SOTA and SAMI students go on to higher education. • Over 20 college-level courses are offered to SOTA / SAMI juniors and seniors while in highschool for college credit. • Staff at SOTA and SAMI have, on average, 11 years of experience – exceeding both the state and district averages. • 75% of SAMI and SOTA staff members have a master’s degree or higher – compared to the district average of 40 %.

HISTORY

• SOTA was established as a high school in Tacoma Public Schools in 2001. • From proven success of SOTA, SAMI was established as a high school in Tacoma Public Schools in 2009. • Tacoma Public Schools is the third-largest school district in the state of Washington with over 29,000 students in pre k-12.

“SOTA, SAMi and iDEA offer students the opportunity to learn the skills needed to compete in today’s industries. As a parent, I value the academic diversity that our District offers and feel confident that there is a place for my children to thrive.”

“Tacoma Public Schools is breaking the mold for innovation and serving the whole child. It is an honor to partner with a school district that knows the importance of community in the formula for student success.”

“These schools offer the opportunity for our youth to expand their ideas and the freedom to explore those ideas in an inclusive and innovative educational environment.” Les Pogue Jr.General Contractor, Parent Member of the Black Collective Education Committee

T’wina Franklin Co-Founder Ladies First

“What an amazing gift SOTA, SAMI, and now iDEA, are to our students and our community. These are unique, values-focused, quality schools where students discover their potential.” George Zantua, Chair, Title VII Indian Education, Parent Advisory Committee

Carmetrus Parker Program Administrator & Development Director Tacoma Urban League

“SOTA, SAMi, and IDEA affirms, challenge, and inspires it’s diverse group of students toward academic success and life long inquiry. Highly qualified teachers who are empathetic to the needs of diverse learners deliver innovative pedagogy.” Joseph Colon Access Programs Coordinator University of Puget Sound


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