TORRANCE EDUCATION FOUNDATION
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Mission Statement
Torrance Education Foundation promotes and financially supports academic excellence for students in the Torrance Unified School District from pre-K through graduation. TEF champions an inspirational, well-rounded education for all young people served by TUSD; recognizes outstanding teachers and education contributors; builds alliances with business organizations, parents and the community; and cultivates innovation and curiosity among students of every age and grade. Founded in 1992, TEF is a catalyst for unifying the interests of families, businesses, foundations, and public agencies around the shared duty to provide students in our community the broadest possible access to learning opportunities that engage their intellect and build their understanding of the world around them. Current TEF strategic priorities: 1 - Support for innovative and interactive learning in the STEM disciplines. 2 - Integrating the cultural arts in the classroom. 3 - Direct support for 31 TUSD schools and PTA/PTSAs.
About This Cause
It is the role of Torrance Education Foundation to engage the community – parents, families, businesses and concerned citizens – in the effort to ensure our students in Torrance have the 21st century tools and enriched learning experiences that will allow them to thrive and to compete in the academic marketplace. Through a variety of grantmaking programs and community engagement fundraising activities, Torrance Education Foundation annually provides significant financial investment to support the academic excellence of students enrolled in Torrance Unified School District. In the past five years, TEF has invested more than $6 million in our students’ academic success. 1. Responsive Support for TUSD Priorities: More than 24,000 students are served by Torrance Unified School District. While California state school funding provides the basic resources to employ instructors, aides, and administrators, amenities such as WiFi, computer labs, and other 21st century instructional innovations fall outside the realm of affordability. In recent years, TEF has channeled the Torrance community’s support to supply much needed state-of-the-art assets, and to provide the funds for strategic programmatic endeavors, for TUSD students and educators, including: - Acquiring, installing and maintaining the first district-wide WiFi network to allow students and administrators on-campus access to learning and study tools only available via the internet; - Building and equipping a dedicated, state-of-the-art computer learning lab at the TUSD Administrative Office for faculty and administrators; - Sponsoring Common Core training in literacy, math, and science for elementary, middle, and high school teachers; - Underwriting the cost of substitute instructors during Common Core training, to allow teachers to be away from their classrooms; - Fully funding the district-wide expansion and upgrade of eTUSD, a Technology-based learning platform incorporating software and hardware acquisition, online specialized library access subscription, teacher training, and professional development sessions. 2. STEM Initiative Grants to Schools: Academic success in the 21st century cannot be achieved without a keen appreciation for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. TEF in 2014 launched its STEM Initiative to assist teachers in providing exciting, engaging opportunities for students of all ages to explore these subjects and develop their proficiency and capability. STEM Initiative Grants provide funds to support the following five targeted programs that build curiosity, develop STEM knowledge and skills, involve parents, and encourage both individual and team endeavor: (1) Science Olympiad, (2) Math Counts, (3) Robotics, incorporating TorBots, (4) After-school Engineering Clubs, and (5) Community- and Family-based STEM nights. In 2015, thirty-one TUSD teachers received a total of $25,500 for qualifying STEM Initiative projects to be held during the 2015-2016 academic year. 3. Direct Support Grantmaking: TEF has a long history of supporting student endeavors that encourage intellectual growth, and that also help prepare students to challenge obstacles they will face in life, and to seek and master opportunities they encounter. The following programs continue to receive direct support every year: Academic Decathlon – preparing for this rigorous academic competition is a tremendous undertaking on the part of students, coaches and parents, and the cost of study materials mounts up. TEF provides financial support to underwrite the cost of preparation materials for the Academic Decathlon teams at all four full-enrollment TUSD high schools. TorBots – The first TUSD Robotics Club, TorBots, launched more than a decade ago at South High School with support from TEF. Its success spawned additional clubs, and in 2014, TEF expanded its funding for Robotics throughout the district and now provides grants for Robotics at Elementary, Middle and High Schools through the STEM Grants Initiative. iLead Leadership Workshop – The iLead leadership development program takes place annually at all seven TUSD middle schools. At each school, between 25 and 30 8th grade students are selected to participate. Students are coached through leadership skills, college and career awareness, high school visits, and attend two fieldtrips in coordination with their feeder high school. The program culminates at the end of the school year with a full day College-Career event that incorporates workshops, learning games, and team building activities. TEF provides financial support to underwrite annual program costs to coordinate and produce iLead. 4. Scholarships for Graduating Seniors: In 2015, TEF awarded thirty-two scholarships to graduating seniors to assist them in their college pursuits. TEF scholarships are offered in collaboration with corporate and other local partners, which provide the resources to supply scholarship support for applicants who meet key academic, geo- and demographic, and discipline-focused criteria. Seniors at each of TUSD’s five high schools are notified each winter and encouraged to apply for available scholarship support. Each scholarship award winner is selected based on decision-making criteria established by TEF and its scholarship partners. 5. South Bay Enrichment Academy – Accredited Summer School: More than 2,000 Torrance area students attend summer school at the South Bay Enrichment Academy (SBEA), a subsidiary of Torrance Education Foundation. Established by TEF in 2009, summer school coursework is offered for both Elementary and Secondary students for a period extending through June and July. SBEA High School courses are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Any SBEA class offering high school credit can be used to meet graduation requirements at all TUSD high schools. Elementary and Middle School courses are offered for enrichment. Elementary classes are designed to develop the younger mind, offering structured study as well as educational play and themed activities. Middle School courses supplement the instruction students receive during the school year, and also provide a selection of unique “specialty” classes typically not found in normal curricula. 6. Community Engagement Opportunities: The strength, and the promise, of Torrance Education Foundation is a direct reflection of community support. Each year, with help from generous community partners, TEF invites community members to participate in fundraising efforts to benefit individual schools and school groups. Skechers Pier-to-Pier Friendship Walk In the Fall, TEF and Torrance Schools are partners in the Skechers Walk, which benefits Special Needs students and the five South Bay Education Foundations. Schools and school groups who enlist “walkers” to participate in the Skechers Walk can raise funds for their own school or school-based group. After the walk, which takes place each year on the last weekend in October, TEF will make a grant to every qualifying TUSD school or school group based upon the number of walkers they enlist. Spectacular Lexus Car Raffle Every Spring, our friends at Lexus donate a beautiful new Lexus vehicle to TEF. Raffle ticket sales are spearheaded at each TUSD school, with help from a cadre of TEF Ambassador Teachers, PTA/PTSA members, and school-based groups. A portion of every ticket sold may be designated by the purchaser to benefit the school or school group of their choice. Once the raffle takes place and the winner is drawn, TEF makes a grant directly to support each school or school group that was designated by raffle ticket purchasers. In all its programs and initiatives, Torrance Education Foundation is dedicated to ensuring the broadest possible access to excellent educational opportunities for all students enrolled in TUSD.