By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 17A It was his son who made Jesus Barraza want to go back to school. “I knew I wanted a better life for him,” said Mr. Barraza, 19, who dropped out of North Dallas High School soon after his son, also named Jesus, was born. “I knew I had […]
Category: DMN | Education
Ratings of 10 FW high schools rescinded over dropout tracking; State says too many students unaccounted for in district
By Laurie Fox Staff Writer Page 20A FORT WORTH – Fort Worth school Superintendent Thomas Tocco says he’ll seek an outside consultant and meet with principals after 10 schools were sanctioned for losing track of students who had left. The Texas Education Agency has told the district that it will rescind the “acceptable” school ratings […]
Lesson learned in DISD; After last bond, officials stress that needs for money may change
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 11A When it was still on the drawing board, the campus of Townview Center was the finest top sirloin. By the time it opened in 1995, the campus had lost some of its sizzle. The Oak Cliff school, built with bond money approved by voters in 1992, saw its […]
Bush signs far-reaching education bill; ‘America’s schools will be on a new path of reform’; More funding for low-income students to benefit area districts
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A President Bush signed his education bill into law Tuesday, acting on his top domestic priority and pushing many of the reforms that Texas has seen to a national scale. “As of this hour, America’s schools will be on a new path of reform and a new path of […]
Jammed schools calling for help; Can DISD bond fix this? Lunch at 10:15, shifts for restrooms, patched roofs
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A At some schools, teachers know all the students. At Burnet Elementary, teachers don’t even know all the teachers. About 1,550 students crowd into Burnet to learn everything from their colors to multiplication tables in prekindergarten through fifth grade. The northwest Dallas school was designed for about half that […]
United in public, not in private; DISD trustees’ intense disputes on redistricting revealed in transcript
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 35A Dallas school trustees say they’ve found a way to coexist peacefully and effectively behind the high-profile chief executive they hired to turn the district around. But transcripts of closed meetings that came out in the battle over the redrawing of voting boundaries indicate that, at least on one […]
Judge: DISD broke open-meetings law; Ruling on closed-door talks could void redistricting vote
By Tawnell Hobbs Staff Writer Page 35A A judge ruled Friday that Dallas school trustees violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by haggling behind closed doors while redrawing district boundaries. Attorneys for the Dallas Independent School District and Latino plaintiffs who sued the board said the ruling by 191st Civil District Judge Catharina Haynes could […]
Dropout study paints worse picture than state; Criticized report shows just over half of DISD students graduate
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 36A Barely half of all high school students in Dallas and Fort Worth schools graduate, according to a new study by a conservative think tank. That includes less than 40 percent of Latino students. Those numbers are sharply different from the numbers reported by the Texas Education Agency, which […]
School duty or hard sell? Fund-raising options sought as practice cuts into time for learning
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A It’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing, Friday nights are for football, and small, sad-eyed children are asking you to buy a candy bar. Or some cookie dough. Or a roll of wrapping paper. “My gosh, how many candles or mugs does a person need?” […]
New study shakes up school rating system; researchers put higher value on ‘proficiency,’ level playing field
Saturday, October 20, 2001 Page 33A New study shakes up school rating system Researchers put higher value on ‘proficiency,’ level playing field By Joshua Benton Staff Writer By most standards, Flower Mound Elementary School is doing an excellent job. State officials have labeled it “exemplary.” More than 90 percent of its students pass the Texas […]