Elements Of Education Partners

TO TRANSFORM THE CULTURE OF EDUCATION THROUGH INNOVATIVE PARTNER SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS BUILT ON THE CORE VALUES OF COMMUNITY, BALANCE, THINKING AND EMPATHY.

ADJUNCT ARTISTS: PROFESSIONALS IN THE COMMUNITY TEACH CLASSES AT SOTA, SAMI, AND IDEA THROUGH OUR ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM BEGAN AT SOTA IN 2002, AND SINCE THEN, ELEMENTS OF EDUCATION PARTNERS HAS SPENT OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS HIRING LOCAL ARTISTS, SCIENTISTS, AND ENGINEERS TO TEACH HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES.ADJUNCT CLASSES ADD DEPTH AND BREADTH TO THE SCHEDULES, ALLOWING STUDENTS TO EXPLORE MORE TOPICS IN THEIR MAJOR. THROUGH THE PROGRAM, STUDENTS TAKE CLASSES LIKE GRAPHIC DESIGN, CREATIVE WRITING, JAZZ COMBO, BALLET, HIP HOP, GUITAR, APP DESIGN, BIOTECH, AND MORE.ADJUNCT CLASSES ARE INTENTIONALLY SMALL; WITH APPROXIMATELY 15 STUDENTS IN EACH CLASS, THEY ARE ABLE TO FORM MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE INSTRUCTOR. THIS HELPS THEM TO BUILD PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONS AND TO LEARN ABOUT A FIELD THEY'RE INTERESTED IN PURSUING FURTHER. THE PROGRAM SERVES APPROXIMATELY 600+ HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EACH YEAR.

NEXT MOVE INTERNSHIPS: THE NEXT MOVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WORKS WITH THE LOCAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY TO DESIGN MEANINGFUL POSITIONS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE EACH A PREVIEW OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL FUTURE. BY WORKING ALONGSIDE EMPLOYEES IN A SPECIFIC INDUSTRY, STUDENT-INTERNS GAIN ENTHUSIASM FOR A POSSIBLE CAREER, WHILE ALSO ACQUIRING SKILLS AND EXPERTISE NEEDED TO SUCCEED IN THE WORKPLACE. NEXT MOVE PLACES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN INTERNSHIPS ACROSS TACOMA IN FIELDS RANGING FROM NURSING TO ARCHITECTURE TO AUDIO RECORDING. COMMUNITY PARTNERS HOST STUDENTS FOR ONE SEMESTER AND ACT AS MENTORS TO THESE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. THE PROGRAM SERVES APPROXIMATELY 100+ HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EACH YEAR.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS: TEACHERS ARE THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET IN SCHOOLS, SO INVESTING IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND JOB SATISFACTION IS A TOP PRIORITY. EVERY YEAR, ELEMENTS OF EDUCATION PARTNERS HOSTS SEVERAL STAFF APPRECIATION EVENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT STAFF KNOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE THEY'RE MAKING. WE ALSO INVEST IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PRIMARILY BY BRINGING IN OUTSIDE SPEAKERS. LAST YEAR WE PURCHASED A SCHOOL WIDE "CHARACTER STRONG" CURRICULUM AND HAD THE CREATOR OF THE CURRICULUM COME AND SPEAK TO STAFF. EACH YEAR WE TARGET THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BASED ON THE GOALS THAT ARE SET BY THE CO-DIRECTORS.