Harry S. Truman High School (Federal Way)

Harry S. Truman High School is a high school in Federal Way, Washington, United States. The school as it is today was established in 2001 giving birth to the slogan "Making dreams happen... one student at a time." The school is divided into two sections, the Forum and the South side. Each side has four teachers who act more or less as advisor's then actual teachers. This change is supported by a grant received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Foundation provided funds for staff development and support to redesign the school into small learning communities by implementing strategies that exhibit the attributes of high achieving schools. Truman is known for its Internship program that allows students to learn through real work and interest, unique to the federal way school district.

Students are known well by the teachers, mentors, and each other. The students/teacher ratio is 20:1. Students usually remain with the same advisor with their remaining school career at Truman. At Truman high school it is believed that learning occurs best when students feel connected to what they are doing. advisor's are responsible for ensuring that students learn a wide range of skills and take part in rigorous endeavors. Students learn from real jobs and solving real problems with real outcomes and real products that matter to the community. The Internship program is used to help students experience working side by side with adults in the work place. Student work is collected in a portfolio for a long-term assessment. Truman does not run on credits but, instead by state standards. The diversity of people, cultures, experience and curricula are vital elements in educational process.

Truman Features

* Modified School Calendar
* Family Involvement
* Individual Learning plan
* Authentic project assessments
* Rigorous academic standards
* College Prep and Planning
* Learning through workplace and community experience
* Building and celebrating a diverse community
* Respect for multiculturalism
* Parent involvement in student work
* Support for parents
* 101(freshman), 201(sophomore), 301(junior), 401(senior)

Internships

The internship is the cornerstone of the Truman program. Supporting students as they discover the world and their passions through an authentic experience is one of the ways Truman sets itself apart from the traditional alternative school. You participate in Internships every Tuesday and Thursday. Internships should get more challenging as students move through their years at Truman. For example freshmen (101) may find themselves looking for an internship that builds their self-confidence and therefore may be an assistant in an elementary classroom or intern with a parent/guardian. However, a junior (301) or senior (401) is expected to take risks into worlds that are less familiar and intellectually challenging. This will mean that many of them will have to commute to Seattle or Tacoma in order to fulfill their requirements. Students in their 301 & 401 years should be testing the inquiry skills they have been honing in Socratic Seminar and leadership skills they have learned in their multi-age classrooms. There is an expectation that internships will be used to fulfill the exploration and the meeting of standards in areas that are mandatory for graduation: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, Health, PE, Occupational Education, & the Arts. This is especially important in the area of Science. Truman is not equipped with a standard high school science lab and curriculum. Therefore, students should engage in at least one Science based internship a year in order to fulfill the Federal Way Public Schools graduation requirements of lab Science.

Teachers visit their students and mentors on their internship sites in order to support students in their attempts to meet standards, stay on target with the goals that they have set, and keep outcomes aligned. Mentors have copies of the Washington State standards that students are working on to ensure that the work is rigorous and meaningful. The evidence of meeting standard then goes into their portfolio. This evidence manifests itself through real work and parents and community members have an opportunity to view this work during student exhibitions. This work can take the form of a business based proposal or marketing campaign. It could be gathering statistics for a social service agency or health provider and making inferences in services.