The death of DISD attendance zones?

Changes in Woodrow’s feeder schools could eventually let neighborhood students pick their school, regardless of where they live

Story by Keri Mitchell

Tracie Fraley envisions a neighborhood where families can look around and decide which school best fits their children, rather than being hemmed in by an address.

“If you look at the evolution of education, why have charter schools and private schools become such a popular option?” Fraley asks. “Part of the reason is people want choices, and we don’t give them choices.”

Her words carry substantial weight because Fraley is the Dallas ISD executive director of the Woodrow Wilson High School feeder pattern, meaning that she oversees Woodrow and all of the schools that funnel children there, including J.L. Long Middle School, and Eduardo Mata, Lakewood, Mount Auburn, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and William Lipscomb elementary schools.

Fraley has worked with principals and parents to develop plans for these neighborhood schools so that within three years, academic opportunities across East Dallas could look much different.

“We’re all about choices and options for parents and kids, things that make sense for families and students,” Fraley says.

The proposed changes are partly a result of the realization roughly a decade ago that “there wasn’t a lot of communication or coordination among schools in the feeder pattern,” says Vince Murchison.

At the time, Murchison’s children were at Stonewall, and now are at Woodrow and Long, where he has chaired the site-based decision making committee for six years.

“I feel like we have reached a point where all the schools are much more cognizant of one another than before,” Murchison says. “We’ve finally got our arms around all of them.”

And as academics grow more rigorous at each of these schools, he hopes the outcome is that “the boundaries don’t matter anymore.”

‘Free-flow’ within elementary schools

In our neighborhood are some of DISD’s most sought-after elementary schools. Lakewood and Stonewall, for example, are so popular among parents that both schools are filled to more than 150 percent capacity, with students spilling out into portable buildings.

Other neighborhood elementary schools, however, have room to spare. Lee could hold at least 100 more students, and Mata is roughly two-thirds empty.

Fraley hopes to correct this imbalance. The first big change would be turning Mata into a Montessori elementary. Unlike other magnet schools that are open to all DISD students and require an interview process, Mata’s spots would be reserved for students in the Woodrow feeder pattern, making it the first neighborhood Montessori campus in the district, with no entrance requirements.

“Philosophically, if you really study Montessori education, the intent is that Montessori should work for every child,” Fraley says. “We don’t want to create an elitist system where you only get a certain kind of kid. If the program is good, it should work for all kids.”

Students currently at Mata are fourthand fifth-graders who come from nearby Mount Auburn Elementary, a pre-kindergarten through third-grade school. Under the plan, Mount Auburn would add fourthgraders next fall and fifth-graders the following year. (At press time, these changes were uncertain pending a DISD board of trustees vote at the April 24 meeting.)

With the popularity of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Woodrow and Long’s recent designation as an IB school, another logical option is IB offerings at the elementary level. Both Lee and Lipscomb aim to become IB campuses; Fraley hopes to apply for the designation by April 2015 and launch the programs at both schools by fall 2015.

New curriculum also is proposed for Lakewood, Mount Auburn and Stonewall. A science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program at Stonewall would utilize its acclaimed Stonewall Gardens as “the lab,” Fraley says. Lakewood hopes to add an element dubbed “Renaissance learning,” a blending of English, science and the arts.

“Think of Leonardo da Vinci, who was an artist, a writer and a scientist,” Fraley says. “Unfortunately, we’ve been somewhat didactic in how we teach at the elementary level. I’m not saying you’re going to read Shakespeare as a fifth-grader, but you can be exposed to Shakespeare.”

Mount Auburn also plans to add STEM curriculum but with an arts element — STEAM — because “that community loves the arts,” Fraley says. The goal with all three programs is a more well-rounded education.

“We’re not stupid enough to think that a pre-kindergartener is going to come in and want to be an engineer, or even a fifth-grader,” Fraley says, “but we’ve always taught in silos — we’re going to do reading, put your reading away and now we’re go- ing to do math — and we know that’s not how life is.”

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Eventually, Fraley hopes that neighborhood families will be able to take advantage of “a free-flow within schools, so at some point you as a community member or parent can say, ‘Gosh, I really want my kid to participate in IB,’ or ‘I want to be down the street from my elementary school because that community school is really important to me.’ ”

One high school and middle school, several options

Woodrow already boasts the IB program and academic tracks for students wanting to pursue careers in fields such as technology, performing arts and business leadership. Next year, it will introduce a humanities strand as an “overarching umbrella that impacts all of these academies, so we aren’t creating scientists who don’t know who Chaucer is, or the difference between a Monet and a Degas,” Fraley says. “It’s a critical piece to be a truly educated, wellrounded person.”

In recent years, Long has rolled out a few new programs that aim to keep middle schools students engaged but don’t necessarily place them on a specific career track. For starters, the global-thinking and –learning IB program already is in full force.

“Unlike Woodrow, that is not a matter of choice. The entire school is IB across the board, 100 percent,” Murchison says.

Pre-advanced placement (AP) courses also are now offered, teaching Long students skills such as “how do you really research something, stick to it, and write a five- or 10-page essay,” Fraley says.

These programs prepare students for Woodrow’s IB and AP courses, and a new Long “advancement via individual determination” (AVID) program targets students “who are very smart but may be first generation college-goers,” Fraley says. “We know they can handle the coursework, so this is setting the stage for what needs to happen when they go to Woodrow.”

“Full-inclusion” classrooms also have been introduced at Long, which takes into account that students from Stonewall, which houses the Regional Day School for the Deaf, enter Long as sixth-graders.

“My background is special education, so it’s always been a concern for me,” Fral- ey says. “We haven’t historically done the best job for our kids with special needs.”

Instead of a “pull you out and treat you differently” approach, Fraley says special needs students are part of traditional

Online Exclusives

VISIT LAKEWOOD.ADVOCATEMAG.COM TO: classrooms that have additional instructors assigned to offer “real-time, on-thespot intervention” as students run into problems. These instructors assist not just students with special needs but all students in the classroom.

• Learn whether the Dallas ISD board of trustees approved changes to Mata and Mount Auburn elementary schools at its April 24 meeting.

• Read about Mata Elementary’s history, find details about the proposed Montessori curriculum, and find links to enrollment forms.

• Find a timeline for all changes proposed for Woodrow Wilson High School and its feeder schools.

• Learn more about the dual language programs at neighborhood schools.

“Our special education students in some cases are out-performing kids who don’t have disabilities, so we know it works,” Fraley says of the approach.

In addition, “we are very blessed to have a lot of second language learners in our feeder pattern,” Fraley says, so next year Long will become the only dual-language middle school in the district. Using this method, students will rotate through core courses in Spanish each year as well as take a Spanish language course.

In the past few years, test results have shown these students to be significantly lagging behind all other student groups in the state, district and even at Long, Fraley says, and dual language is the only kind of bilingual instruction “that promises to fully close the achievement gap.”

A future with more choices

School choice has been a hot topic of discussion within DISD, says trustee Mike Morath, who represents most of the Woodrow feeder pattern.

“It just so happens that the Woodrow feeder pattern is just well ahead of the rest of the district in these kinds of choice plans,” he says.

Morath points to other school districts that have successfully implemented open enrollment to families’ school of choice, including Garland and Grand Prairie.

“You have to test into Dallas ISD [magnet] schools, whereas in Grand Prairie, all you have to do is say you want to go there, and they’ll take you,” Morath says.

Specialized curriculum offerings at neighborhood schools “could be a way to help improve student achievement, which is the name of the game,” he says, referencing research indicating higher levels of teacher retention and student achievement in schools that have gone through “a purposeful redesign process.” Plus, giving families choices means they are “not forced to do something just because of their zip code.”

This is especially problematic for poorer families, Morath says.

“Middle- and upper-income families can choose to move or to go to private schools, but lower-income families don’t necessarily have the same choices,” he says.

Likewise, giving parents choices would make our schools more integrated because our neighborhoods are so racially and economically segregated, Morath says.

Historical perceptions of our neighborhood’s schools have been “sometimes deserved and sometimes not,” Murchison says, “and, of course, perception is reality.” He believes, though, that both perceptions and realities have improved tremendously in the last few years.

Long, as just one example, is a “completely, 100 percent different place from first day I walked in there 10 years ago,” Murchison says.

Fraley says that if you stack schools in the Woodrow feeder pattern up to charter or private schools, they are “just as good, if not better.” Having said that, she believes people want options, and considering our neighborhood’s active community members and parent involvement in schools, “it’s prime time for this.”

“If we are meeting the community’s needs, we become competitive,” Fraley says. “I would love for everybody who lives in the Woodrow Wilson feeder pattern, their first choice is one of these schools.”

How to enroll your elementary student in Mata Montessori

Forms are now available for parents interested in their children attending Mata for the 2014-2015 school year. Pick one up at the school, on 7420 La Vista at East Grand, or from any Woodrow feeder pattern elementary: Lakewood, Mount Auburn, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall and William Lipscomb.

First priority will be given to students who live within Mount Auburn Elementary and Mata’s shared boundaries, and then it opens up to students from any of the other Woodrow feeder elementaries. Any remaining spots would open to all Dallas ISD students.

Enrollment does not require an interview process. The school would have 64 spots for each grade, and if more families than that express interest, they would be put into a lottery.

These changes hinge on a DISD board of trustees vote at the April 24 meeting.

Fraley notes that this first year would give families the best chance to enter the school since kindergarten through secondgrades are wide open, and even preschool spots for 3- and 4-yearolds could be available, if openings are left after DISD serves its state-mandated pre-kindergarten students throughout the district. Upper elementary grades would be added as these students advance through the school.

Parents who live within Mount Auburn’s boundaries need to submit forms by April 30; parents in the overall Woodrow feeder pattern have until May 15. The deadline for DISD parents outside of Woodrow’s boundaries is June 1.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND UPDATES, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search “Mata,” or contact DISD’s office of family and community engagement at 972.925.3916 or family@dallasisd.org.

CLAIRE’S CHRISTIAN DAY SCHOOL

8202 Boedeker Dr., / (214) 368-4047 / clairesdayschool.com At CCDS, we encourage a child’s sense of exploration and discovery in a loving, nurturing, and safe environment. We offer a parent’s day out program with a play-based curriculum fostering socialization, motor skill development, and an introduction to academics for children aged 4mo – 3yrs. Our preschool for children aged 3-5 further develops these skills, along with a more focused approach to pre-math and pre-reading. At CCDS, we have developed our own science, math, and reading enrichment classes to ensure kindergarten preparedness for every child. We make learning fun!

Inspire Pediatric Therapy

5439 Glen Lakes Dallas Tx 75231 / 469-9641554 / ethurman@inspirepediatrictherapy. com / Inspirepediatrictherapy.com Inspire Pediatric Therapy is excited to offer enjoyable and exciting camps this summer for articulation and language therapy ages 3-5.These intensive four week camps will increase your child’s articulation and language in a fun day camp setting. During each session your child will receive individual and group therapy. Camps include summer themes, rotating centers, snacks and games. Call to register today. Spots are limited. Inspire also offers private speech therapy for all children.

The Kessler School

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a well-rounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

Our Redeemer Lutheran School Of Dallas

214-368-1371, ext 238 or carolb@orlcs.com www.orlcs.com At Our Redeemer Lutheran School, your child will receive more than academic excellence and a creative, individualized approach. For over 50 years, our caring, dedicated faculty has introduced positive Christian values—giving students a solid foundation to grow in love and commitment to God, family, community and individual excellence! Our affordable tuition is possible through the loving support of our sponsor congregation, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Call for a private tour and see why students and their families love our school! Limited spaces available for Fall. See ad for more details.

Spanish House

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ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

Ut Dallas Chess Camp

800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson 75080 / (972) 883-4899 / utdallas.edu/chess ) 2014 Summer Chess Camp Campers learn while they PLAY. Chess develops reading, math, critical and analytical skills, and builds character and self-esteem. Just don’t tell the kids…they think chess is fun! Join beginner, intermediate or advanced chess classes for ages 7 to 13 on the UT Dallas campus. Morning (9am-noon) or afternoon (1-4pm) sessions are available June 9-13, June 16-20, July 14-18, July 21-25 and extended playing classes. Camp includes t-shirt, chess board and pieces, trophy, certificate, score book, group photo, snacks and drinks. Instructors are from among UT Dallas Chess Team Pan-Am Intercollegiate Champions for 2010-2012!

White Rock North School

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool.com 6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-ofthe-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

Woodrow Wilson High School

100 S. Glasgow Dallas 75214 / 972-502-4400 / woodrowwildcats.org A proven college preparation program and a true high school experience. Woodrow graduates attend, year after year, our state’s and country’s finest colleges including Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, Tech, West Point, Georgetown, Duke, North Carolina, Princeton and Yale, often with meaningful scholarships. With academic programs equaling the best private and magnet schools, Woodrow’s diverse student body also enjoys a traditional high school offering arts, music, dance, theater, math and science clubs, debate and writing competitions and a broad, inclusive and successful sports program, with cheerleaders and drill team. “It’s all at Woodrow and it works.”

Zion Lutheran School

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

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As more and more food production horror stories surface in books, articles and documentaries, so does a rising trend in East Dallas — urban chicken coops.

“I’m paranoid, so I like the idea that we know where the eggs come from, and we know exactly what the chickens have eaten,” says neighborhood chicken owner Adam Auensen.

Auensen isn’t alone in his sentiments. Bob Richie, an East Dallasite who has been “raising chickens since before it was cool” and building high-end chicken coops for people throughout Dallas, says more people are raising chickens to control their food source.

East Dallas is leading the pack and has been for decades, Richie says, but Oak Cliff is finally picking up steam with the movement as well.

Urban chicken coops became so popular in East Dallas that five years ago, several neighbors, including Richie, created a neighborhood chicken coop tour to benefit neighborhood nonprofits.

Take a peep at these high-security coops in East Dallas

Peep at the Coops, as it’s so aptly called, is a self-guided tour that attracts thousands of visitors every year. A couple of years ago, Stonewall Gardens took over operations of the tour as a fundraiser for the garden every May.

Most people will tell you that raising chickens is pretty simple. As long as they have water

HOW TO GO:

WHAT: Peep at the Coops: The Urban Coop Tour

WHEN: May 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

WHERE: Stonewall Gardens, 5828 E. Mockingbird

HOW MUCH: $10 and chicken scratch to nibble on, they’ll spend most of their days clucking around the backyard, eating bugs and other pesky yard dwellers.

“They just walk around the yard turning bugs into eggs, which is awesome. I don’t like bugs, and I like eggs,” Auensen quips. “So I don’t know why everyone doesn’t have chickens.”

When it starts getting dark, the chickens retire to the roost on their own, and their owners lock them in for the night.

But there is one difficult aspect of owning chickens: keeping them safe. Chickens are virtually defenseless, and pretty much every living creature in the neighborhood wants to eat these feathered friends for lunch.

Coyotes, foxes, neighborhood dogs, opossums and hawks are strict adherents to the “eat more chicken” philosophy. One neighbor’s birds even attracted a bobcat — twice! Luckily, both times the cat was unsuccessful in its endeavors. Heck, even raccoons thrill kill, just to be jerks.

Neighbors refuse to give in to the demands of these greedy midnight snackers, but over the years they’ve had to get creative. Here’s what three neighbors, whose coops will be featured on this year’s coop tour, have wrangled up in order to keep their peeps.

After

469-964-1554

Urban farmers: Bobby and Jean Bonds

Coop name: Original Bonds Design, or “The MacGyver Coop” Cast of characters: Peggy and Red Tail Security level: Booby-trapped

If MacGyver built a chicken coop, there’s a good chance it would look similar to the coop neighbor Bobby Bonds built in his backyard.

“Everybody hates chickens,” Bonds says. “During the day it’s dogs and cats; at night the rats are always trying to get their feed. Obviously hawks, foxes and coyotes.”

One day Bonds was outside doing yard work when one of his hens had a run-in with a hawk. The hen got away without injury, but Bonds knew he had a hawk problem.

“I’ve seen them at least 10 times in one day,” Bonds says.

To remedy the situation, he strung at least half a dozen nets up around his backyard. The bottom is free flowing, so it dangles in the wind and makes it hard for the hawks to see.

“I was outside admiring my handiwork, and this hawk came from a tree over there,” Bonds says, pointing to a neighbor’s yard. “And bam! They don’t see the nets. They’re supposed to have real good eyesight, but they look right through it.”

Bonds built a “tractor style” coop, a style he learned about through internet research and mishmashed for his own personal use. It has wheels on one end, so he can move it around the yard instead of having to clean the coop.

Bonds used PVC pipe as the bones of the structure, which he can fill with water to weigh down the coop, and he fixed plastic sheets and hardware cloth to the side with zip ties.

He built a step-up feeder, so the chickens have to step onto a lever in order to get to their food. When they do, the door to the feeder springs opens. Rats and squirrels don’t weigh enough to trigger the door.

“I’ve lost some chickens, so I’ve pretty much learned by mistakes,” Bonds explains.

He found out the hard way that their dogs, Alaskan husky mixes, aren’t chicken friendly. He learned he needed to reinforce the door flap with a metal rod to keep it from being pushed inward. Plus, the plastic siding has taken quite a beating of scratch and bite marks, so Bonds no longer lets the dogs near the coop.

“What I would probably do next time is clad the whole thing with hardware cloth, the roof and everything,” Bonds says.

Urban farmers: Adam and Ursula Auensen

Coop name: The White House

Cast of characters: Martha, Jackie O, Eleanor, Ladybird, Betty, Mamie “Mimi” Eisenhower, and Dominique Wilkins Security level: Extra sturdy

Adam Auensen wanted chickens years ago, but his wife, Ursula, quickly put the kibosh on that nonsense.

And then came Pinterest.

When Ursula began seeing creative — and quite frankly, adorable chicken coops on the social networking site, she changed her tune.

“I told him, ‘OK, we can do this if you build me a nice chicken coop,’ ” Ursula recalls with a laugh.

Adam put his construction background to good use and also enlisted the help of Ray Bachelder, a professional coop builder, and viola! The Auensens’ very own Pinterest-worthy chicken cottage was born.

They call their coop “The White House,” and also refer to their hens as “the first ladies” — except Dominique Wilkins, whom Adam named after the re- tired NBA star.

The coop features a window complete with a flower box, a shingled roof, and even a little red chandelier. But don’t be fooled by the delicate touches; their chicken haven also has several top-notch security measures, which is important since the Auensens’ backyard backs up to a creek.

The nesting box is made of HardiePlank, a heavy-duty cement fiber that looks like wood. As a result, the nesting box alone weighs 400 pounds and took four guys to lift.

The entire coop is anchored in layers of materials, so anything that attempts to dig under the coop will have to go through brick, two inches of gravel, chicken wire, dirt and mulch.

Adam lined the coop with hardware cloth — it’s more durable than chicken wire, and rats can’t chew through it.

“The materials on this coop are actually better than what’s on our house,” Adam says.

CONSIDERING CHICKENS? CHECK OUT THESE TIPS FROM BOB RICHIE

• When building your coop, use hardware cloth, not chicken wire. “Chicken wire is great for keeping chickens in but not for keeping predators out,” Richie says.

• Bury your wire into the ground to prevent predators from digging under the coops. Also, raccoons can climb; so make sure the wire goes all the way over.

• Opossums are mostly interested in eggs, so it’s important to collect the eggs every day in order to discourage them from snooping around. Sometimes they like to nibble on chicken feet, so if your chickens have mysterious scratches on their feet, you might have an unwanted visitor.

• Make a dust bath for your chickens to protect from mites: two helpings of peat moss, one helping of ash, one helping of sand, and a sprinkling of food-grade diatomaceous earth.

• Make sure chickens have plenty of space in the coop. If there’s not enough space, the chickens will pick on each other.

• Provide good ventilation. Chickens don’t need to be kept warm; they need ventilation.

Sunday, May 18 10 am – 5 pm

Forest Hills - Little Forest Hills - Casa Linda Estates

Three unique gardens in each neighborhood & Fabulous Plant Sale

Local artists in each garden • Free water & maps

PRESALE: $12 Buy your ticket in advance and get $3 OFF! (Presale tickets May 3-17)

Buy at these local establishments:

Bake and Play Cafe - 6434 E. Mockingbird, Suite 105 75214

Gecko Hardware - 10233 E. Northwest Highway #409 75238

The Green Spot Market - 702 N. Buckner 75218

Buy online: www.whiterockgardentour.org - use the PAYPAL feature DAY OF TOUR: $15 at all nine gardens