TAF @Saghalie @Saghalie @Saghalie @Saghalie @Saghalie @Saghalie
We are a partnership approach that places equity and student-led learning at its core.
As the only school in Washington State that is co-managed by a nonprofit and a school district, TAF@Saghalie is showing what is possible when district partners, student-centered learning, and community support come together.
From a Vision to a Blueprint
TAF@Saghalie (formerly known as TAF Academy) began as a vision for bringing over 10 years of after-school programming experience in preparing students of color for the tech world directly to classrooms in order to reach more students.
After years of delivering after-school programming that resulted in high-quality paid summer internships with leading tech companies, TAF recognized a critical gap. Despite high school students in TAF after-school programs having the skills and experience to excel in university programs, they were often rejected from the programs they they had applied to.
Discovering students were being placed in lower math tracks despite having meaningful tech experience that surpassed their peers, TAF collaborated with innovative educators and school leaders to develop what is now known as the STEMbyTAF model. After piloting the model in partnership with Federal Way Public Schools, TAF Academy was opened as a neighborhood school, bringing equitable, high-quality public education to 6th – 12th grade students.
Today, TAF@Saghalie is a blueprint for what’s possible when partnerships, pedagogy, professional learning, and community come together.
Proven results.
We focus on encouraging students who typically have been underrepresented in STEM fields on the basis that every student deserves access to a high-quality public-school education, regardless of race, neighborhood, or income. Our high expectations for our students and personalized support create college and career-ready, socially aware citizens of society.
students identify as
a person of color
on-time high-school graduation rate at TAF@Saghalie
participation in English language learner programs
School of Distinction winner for math, reading, and on-time graduation
Learning beyond the classroom.
We offer rigorous and relevant learning experiences rooted in STEM
and Project-Based Learning for the future innovators, leaders, and creators of the world.
Incoming 6th-grade students are offered a preparatory summer program to familiarize themselves with our STEMbyTAF model, meet other students, and build new
skills that will help them during the school year and beyond.
A program built in collaboration with Amazon,
the Teacher Scientist Partnership (TSP) program
brings in industry professionals to support teachers and supplement student curriculum with industry experience
in Web/Game Development, UX/UI, Machine Learning, Programming, and more.
High-school students identify their interests to
build plans to bring their aspirations to life.
Working with mentors and community volunteers
that match their interests, students work toward
gaining real-world experience through off-site
learning, including internships, and other opportunities.
Students need to learn how to be successful in professional environments, regardless of their chosen career path. TAF corporate partners and industry professionals provide students opportunities to gain practical skills through mock interviews, innovation challenges, workshops, paid internships, and more.
A Public Education Where Students Thrive
Through collaborative inquiry that spans across disciplines, students engage in real-world challenges that face their communities and develop solutions with support from community partners. They are supported and centered in their learning because teachers have the resources and support to build a curriculum that is meaningful and relevant.
Combined with additional TAF resources, like college and career readiness, student leadership opportunities and engaging extracurricular activities, TAF@Saghalie students graduate with a deeper understanding of how their learning applies in the real world, feeling ready to take on the challenges of the future.
Each student leaves our schools with the knowledge and experience to use STEM as a tool for
positive social change, starting in their own community. They are prepared to lead and
create the world they envision — personally, locally, communally, and globally.
