THE PRE-K PANACEA

Statistics don’t lie, and when it comes to the importance of educating children before they ever reach kindergarten, the truth is disheartening. All data shows that if students are behind by the time they reach kindergarten, it will be more difficult, more expensive and less effective to remediate them later on.

So if pre-K is a crucial answer to myriad education problems, why is Dallas ISD struggling to implement it?

85-90

Percentage of brain development that happens by the time a child is 5 fied with public school options. Choice schools add more options to the mix, and the response — such as more than 400 applications for 100 spots in the district’s personalized learning high school, its inaugural year — seem to con-

6,900

Number of eligible children enrolled in pre-K for the 2014-15 school year, up from 3,300 in 2013-14

5 Percentage of the State’s education funding devoted to those first five years

4 of 10

Dallas ISD kindergarteners who begin the year “kindergarten ready”

9,500

Number of eligible children already registered for Dallas ISD pre-K for the 2015-16 school year

96 firm that options are what we want.

Never mind that Miles has skipped town. Principals have latched on, and parents too, are jumping on the choice school bandwagon. Interim Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, who held the job for six years before Miles assumed it, has vowed to continue the effort.

As if he had a choice.

3 Months of catch-up required for every month children are behind by age 5

27,000

Number of Dallas ISD 3- and 4-yearolds who qualify for state-funded half-day pre-kindergarten (the district offers full-day pre-K by tapping into other funding sources)

Percentage of Texas parents who send their children to kindergarten, funded but not required by the state

350

Percentage increase in the likelihood that students will be “kindergarten ready” if they attend a Dallas ISD pre-K program

Source: Dallas ISD executive director ofearlychildhood Alan Cohen and national data

Rosemont Elementary: Spanish immersion from kindergarten through eighth-grade

Dual language classrooms, where students learn in half English and half Spanish, launched at Rosemont in 2006, the first year the program was adopted in Dallas ISD. It soon became a source of pride and a large draw for young families in the north Oak Cliff neighborhoods whose children attend the school.

As the program’s initial kindergarteners grew older and moved closer to middle school, however, parents worried about their children losing the Spanish they had spent years learning. So they petitioned Dallas ISD to add a dual language middle school at Rosemont, and received a green light from the board of trustees.

Rosemont’s first class of dual language sixth-graders launched two years ago, meaning they’ll be eighth-graders this fall. Parents were thrilled, not only that their children would continue learning in Spanish but also that they would be part of a tight-knit middle school.

“Middle school in DISD, to many of us, was this big scary thing,” says Scott Dugger, whose daughter entered into Rosemont’s dual language program during its infancy.

“We were very happy having our kids at our local elementary school with a group of cohorts and teachers we were really in love with.”

As parents looked for information to support their cause, they “ran into research that K-8 is beginning to be a very successful model in schools around the country,” Dugger says.

Rosemont parents are not alone in their desire to prolong the elementary atmosphere. Sanger Elementary in East Dallas launched a middle school dual language program this fall, and Harry Stone and George Bannerman Dealey Montessori schools both continue through sixth-grade and have seventh- and eighth-grade academies. Parents at Preston Hollow Elementary also are petitioning to extend their International Baccalaureate curriculum into the middle school years.

A 2014 change in board policy may open the door for more Dallas ISD schools to make this conversion. When trustees were asked to approve grade configuration changes for East Dallas’ Mount Auburn and Eduardo Mata elementary schools, making them two distinct schools rather than one feeding into the other, trustees opted instead to pass an amendment that gave administrators authority to make such decisions.

Facility restraints are still a factor, however, and additions require board and, often, voter approval. A couple of kindergarten through eighth-grade schools are part of the tentative bond package trustees are consider- ing, including a new upper elementary campus at Rosemont to relieve overcrowding for third- through eighth-grade students.

Currently, Rosemont’s middle school is limited to dual language students and capped at 60 students per grade. More space may allow the program to expand to traditional students, and Dugger says more students would improve extra-curricular offerings.

Though Dugger was among the parents who pushed for the Rosemont middle school, his daughter moved to Bishop Dunne last year for sixth-grade.

“We decided at the end of fifth-grade that the dual language model was fantastic, but we wanted a little more,” he says. “We wanted the athletics, the academic clubs, and that’s what kind-of forced our hand.”

The Rosemont Dads’ Club, in which Dugger still participates, is hoping to sponsor UIL teams “for our kids to compete against other middle schools or charters and private schools in the area,” he says. Rosemont students can participate in sports and other extra-curriculars at Greiner Middle School; one of the dual language students did play on Greiner’s football team, “but it’s two separate environments,” Dugger says. “You’re leaving your home school and going somewhere else.”

Though Rosemont’s middle school wasn’t a fit for Dugger’s family, he believes in the program and is glad neighborhood parents have the option. Though not officially a “choice school,” Rosemont was a pioneer in the concept, harnessing the power of parent advocacy and administrative support to create a dual language program and later a middle school.

The same kind of thing could happen in schools all over Oak Cliff, says Mike Koprowski, Dallas ISD chief of transformation and innovation, giving families even more options.

“The seed ideas are there; they’re moving forward,” Koprowski says. The district has invited not just principals and teachers but also parents, community members, even nonprofit organizations to submit ideas that would overhaul current schools and create new ones.

“My guess is we will see West Dallas and Oak Cliff schools apply this time around in the 2.0 process,” Koprowski says.

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.

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

4019 S. Hampton Rd. Dallas 75224/ 214.331.5139 / www.saintspride.com

At St. Elizabeth of Hungary, our fundamental task is the education of the whole child -- combining learning with faith, Catholic doctrines and moral teachings. We introduce all PK3-8th Grade students to the integrated ways of STEM. This approach to education is designed to revolutionize the teaching of subject areas such as mathematics and science by incorporating technology and engineering into regular curriculum. Over the past 10 years, 95% of St. Elizabeth 8th graders were accepted to their first choice high school. Join us for an informational school tour and see for yourself how easy it is to become a Saint! Call 214.331.5139 for information.

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.