Education Boasts for the State and City – Why We Should Be Proud

Education is one of the main drivers that will make a region thrive or perish and continues to be a hot conversation topic around the area. The bar will continue to be set higher, but that should not come at the expense of dismissing great achievements.

Some of those achievements are right in our backyard, with Dallas ISD claiming two of the top spots of Newsweek’s US Public School rankings. The list is based on the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school divided by the number of graduating students.

Each year Newsweek ranks U.S. public schools. This year, Dallas ISD claimed the top two spots, with the School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center as the number one school, and the School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center coming in at number two.

Newsweek reports from top leaders within the district: “I'm pleased that this great news could be added to the great news the Dallas ISD has received from the TAKS scores,” said School for the Talented and Gifted Principal Michael Satarino. “I think it shows the quality of the education that is being produced in the Dallas ISD high schools and the focus on education that the students and the teachers were able to keep despite the economic hardships the district has undergone throughout this school year.”

"Every school district in the country would love to have their schools listed in Newsweek's top schools list," said Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa. "In our case, we are enormously proud to have the School for the Talented and Gifted and School for Science and Engineering listed as the top two in the country. It is also exciting to see W.T. White and Woodrow Wilson on the list as well."

Last year, the School for the Talented and Gifted made the list as the second best public school in the nation, and the School of Science and Engineering ranked fourth. In 2007, they ranked number one and two, respectively.

“We are very honored and excited at the School of Science and Engineering to be ranked on the Newsweek list,” said the School of Science and Engineering Principal Jovan Grant-Wells. “The teachers, staff and parents all work very hard to make sure we are providing a rigorous academic experience for our students. We are especially proud of our dedicated students who take full advantage of the opportunities at SEM. This is just added confirmation that we are doing the right things to benefit the students of Dallas ISD.”

Newsweek ranked 13,000 public schools across the nation and W.T. White (171) and Woodrow Wilson High Schools (637) were among those listed from Dallas ISD. Numerous other districts in the region made the list as well. Among the top 100 schools were Irving ISD’s North Hills Prep, and Highland Park ranked 23.

A complete list of the 13,000 high schools along with their rankings can be found at:
www.newsweek.com/id/201160?tid=relatedcl.

Taking it a step out of our backyard, as a state, we made significant gains in our TAKS scores.

According to TEA’s website, “a significant majority of Texas students have met a significant promotion requirement by passing the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading test this spring, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced this week.

Students in grades 3, 5 and 8 must pass the reading TAKS to meet promotion requirements for their grades.

Ninety-three percent of the state's third-grade students, 89 percent of fifth-grade students and 95 percent of eighth-grade students passed the TAKS reading tests.
Students in grades five and eight must also pass the mathematics TAKS to meet promotion requirements for their grades.

TEA reported last month that 84 percent of fifth-grade students who took the test in English and 79 percent of the eighth-grade students passed the TAKS math test on the first try.
While the tests at grades 3, 5 and 8 determine promotion, in order to receive a high school diploma, students must pass all four parts of the exit-level TAKS, which is given for the first time in the spring of the 11th grade.

Complete results for TAKS and TELPAS are available on the TEA website. For more Education updates in the area, continue to check out our website at www.dallaschamber.org/education. We will keep you apprised of events and happenings on the education scene that will affect the area. One such example is our annual lunch with the Superintendent of DISD. On September 29, you have an opportunity to hear directly from Dr. Michael Hinojosa. Join us at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel to hear about challenges and successes from the District.