Human Resources - Quick Facts

District Facts

• 37 schools (23 elementary, 7 middle schools, 5 high schools, Public Academy, and Internet Academy (K-12),
• 22,178 enrollment (7th largest)
• 3,766 staff members (including substitutes)
• Founded in 1929
• 35 square miles

FWPS Community Facts

• 86,000 residents within city limits/up to 200,000 with the greater metropolitan area.
• 3 cities and King County within the district
• 700 Chamber members and business partners
• 51.7% minority student population
• 48.3% in/near poverty (free & reduced lunch figures)
• 105 languages spoken by district families

High Impact Projects

• A district-wide math initiative, including Algabraic Thinking in middle school
• Beyond High School planning for all students, beginning in 8th grade
• Partnerships with innovative academic programs such as the TAF Academy, and the Cambridge and SpringBoard programs
• The design and construction/remodeling of 31 schools and district facilities over six years
• The Fair Funding Lawsuit, which seeks to require the state to fund all school districts at the same rate
• Recruitment/retention of quality staff

Recent Accomplishments

• Federal Way Public Schools was named one of the top ten high-performing districts in the state, based on WASL scores and other factors, by the Washington School Research Center at Seattle Pacific University in 2004.
• Standard and Poor’s announced in 2006 that three of the district’s high schools -- Federal Way, Thomas Jefferson and Todd Beamer High Schools -- were among 51 schools in the state recognized for narrowing the achievement gap. (In fact, not only was Federal Way the only district in the state to have more than one high school on the Standard and Poor’s list, two of them – Federal Way High School and Thomas Jefferson High School – achieved the greatest reductions in the achievement gap of all the South Sound schools.)  
• Federal Way was honored with a 2006 Diversity Award by the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) for outstanding efforts to promote and value diversity/multicultural education in their schools and their communities.
• With the support of the Communities in Schools Foundation of Federal Way, the district offers a free summer school program for any child who is not achieving grade level expectations.
• The first and only West-coast site of the Cambridge Program opened in fall, 2006, at Federal Way High School. In 2007, Lakota and Sacajawea Middle Schools added Cambridge Checkpoint Programs for high-achieving sixth through eighth grade students. 
• Coming to a Federal Way campus next year: The Technology Access Foundation will open the TAF Academy, a science and technology academics program focused on encouraging girls and minority students to study science and math.

Focus on Literacy:  A Comprehensive Partnership of Students, Teachers & Parents

• System Support
• Clear Targets: grade level and course expectations
• Diagnostics: pre/post instructional assessments
• Parents: individual academic plans and school conferences
• Partners: community involvement and business partnerships
• Assistance: targeted assistance and summer school

Teacher Support

• Instructional Strategies: 5 components of a complete reading program
• Common Beliefs and Practices: school-wide designs
• Instructional Materials: menu for adoption by schools
• Training: Instructional Support Team, staff development
• Tips and Tools: networked resources on the web