Should Preston Hollow Elementary have received a TAG program? (Houston: apartment, houses)

[Vicman]

Those of you familiar with Houston may know of River Oaks Elementary School. It's located in Houston (city limits)'s most prestigious neighborhood. HISD gave the school a vanguard magnet program. It had canceled the neighborhood program in the 1980s due to low enrollment from the neighborhood, but...

... in the 1990s River Oaks parents complained since their kids weren't automatically allowed to go to the school:
Class War - Page 1 - News - Houston - Houston Press

And HISD added a neighborhood program allowing children who are siblings of Vanguard students AND River Oaks neighborhood students. Today the school is thriving and is considered one of HISD's best.

So, in Dallas there is Preston Hollow Elementary, which serves Preston Hollow. To my knowledge it's the Dallas equivalent of River Oaks.

But Preston Hollow Elementary has struggled through demographic changes towards poorer students and a racial discrimination lawsuit (The school administration grouped white children in the same classes) and now few people from the Preston Hollow neighborhood send their kids there. Dallas ISD never gave Preston Hollow a districtwide magnet program like HISD gave to River Oaks.

Should Dallas ISD install a TAG program at Preston Hollow? Should it try to follow what HISD did with River Oaks Elementary?

[DailyDartRider]

Originally Posted by Vicman

Those of you familiar with Houston may know of River Oaks Elementary School. It's located in Houston (city limits)'s most prestigious neighborhood. HISD gave the school a vanguard magnet program. It had canceled the neighborhood program in the 1980s due to low enrollment from the neighborhood, but...

... in the 1990s River Oaks parents complained since their kids weren't automatically allowed to go to the school:
Class War - Page 1 - News - Houston - Houston Press

And HISD added a neighborhood program allowing children who are siblings of Vanguard students AND River Oaks neighborhood students. Today the school is thriving and is considered one of HISD's best.

So, in Dallas there is Preston Hollow Elementary, which serves Preston Hollow. To my knowledge it's the Dallas equivalent of River Oaks.

But Preston Hollow Elementary has struggled through demographic changes towards poorer students and a racial discrimination lawsuit (The school administration grouped white children in the same classes) and now few people from the Preston Hollow neighborhood send their kids there. Dallas ISD never gave Preston Hollow a districtwide magnet program like HISD gave to River Oaks.

Should Dallas ISD install a TAG program at Preston Hollow? Should it try to follow what HISD did with River Oaks Elementary?

Assuming it's true.....that's pitiful.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by DailyDartRider

Assuming it's true.....that's pitiful.

It is true.

In Dallas District Court, that Preston Hollow Elementary Lawsuit You Forgot All About - Dallas News - Unfair Park

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Vicman

So, in Dallas there is Preston Hollow Elementary, which serves Preston Hollow. To my knowledge it's the Dallas equivalent of River Oaks.

But Preston Hollow Elementary has struggled through demographic changes towards poorer students and a racial discrimination lawsuit (The school administration grouped white children in the same classes) and now few people from the Preston Hollow neighborhood send their kids there. Dallas ISD never gave Preston Hollow a districtwide magnet program like HISD gave to River Oaks.

Should Dallas ISD install a TAG program at Preston Hollow? Should it try to follow what HISD did with River Oaks Elementary?

No, I don't believe DISD should install a TAG program at Preston Hollow. The school shouldn't get preferential treatment to entice the wealthy neighborhood families to send their kids there. Why do they deserve that?

What Preston Hollow Elementary- and ALL of the Preston Hollow & North Dallas schools (Kramer, Walnut Hill, Pershing, Adams, Degoyler, etc)- families SHOULD be doing is building a strong neighborhood campaign to support & attend the neighborhood schools, similar to what East Dallas has done with Lakewood & Jackson elementaries. The teaching & scores are virtiually identical at Lakewood Elem vs Kramer/ Pershing / Adams/ Degoyler, yet Lakewood's Elementary's demographics resembles the immediate neighborhood (including both wealthier kids & apartment/lower income kids) and the PH/ND schools do not.

All of the kids who live within the PH/ND school boundaries should be able to attend those schools and receive an outstanding education from excellent teachers. That's what is best for the whole neighborhood (wealthy familes & lower income families).

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

No, I don't believe DISD should install a TAG program at Preston Hollow. The school shouldn't get preferential treatment to entice the wealthy neighborhood families to send their kids there. Why do they deserve that?

What Preston Hollow Elementary- and ALL of the Preston Hollow & North Dallas schools (Kramer, Walnut Hill, Pershing, Adams, Degoyler, etc)- families SHOULD be doing is building a strong neighborhood campaign to support & attend the neighborhood schools, similar to what East Dallas has done with Lakewood & Jackson elementaries. The teaching & scores are virtiually identical at Lakewood Elem vs Kramer/ Pershing / Adams/ Degoyler, yet Lakewood's Elementary's demographics resembles the immediate neighborhood (including both wealthier kids & apartment/lower income kids) and the PH/ND schools do not.

All of the kids who live within the PH/ND school boundaries should be able to attend those schools and receive an outstanding education from excellent teachers. That's what is best for the whole neighborhood (wealthy familes & lower income families).

All reasonable efforts to make the school great should be attempted.

However, given its proximity to Good Shepard, St. Rita, St. Marks, Hockaday, St. Monica, Greenhill, Lamplighter, Grace (I know little about Grace frankly) Preston Hollow Elementary will struggle to get the best prepared kids.

[SMS_Parent]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

What Preston Hollow Elementary- and ALL of the Preston Hollow & North Dallas schools (Kramer, Walnut Hill, Pershing, Adams, Degoyler, etc)- families SHOULD be doing is building a strong neighborhood campaign to support & attend the neighborhood schools

Although I understand the concept and do support families who make the choice to use neighborhood schools, I cannot agree that families that make other choices are remiss in their duties to their neighborhoods. We chose Catholic schools primarily for religious reasons, but also so that our children could avoid the strong "teaching to the TAKS test" that is the focus in even very good public school districts.

The public schools will never be able to provide what our children receive at St. Monica in the arena of faith formation. Having strong alternatives to public schools can also strengthen a neighborhood -- particularly when those schools offer options that the public schools are unable, by law, to offer. Many people choose to live in the 75230, 75229, and 75244 zip codes precisely because of the proximity to great DISD alternatives.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by SMS_Parent

Although I understand the concept and do support families who make the choice to use neighborhood schools, I cannot agree that families that make other choices are remiss in their duties to their neighborhoods. We chose Catholic schools primarily for religious reasons, but also so that our children could avoid the strong "teaching to the TAKS test" that is the focus in even very good public school districts.

The public schools will never be able to provide what our children receive at St. Monica in the arena of faith formation. Having strong alternatives to public schools can also strengthen a neighborhood -- particularly when those schools offer options that the public schools are unable, by law, to offer. Many people choose to live in the 75230, 75229, and 75244 zip codes precisely because of the proximity to great DISD alternatives.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not anti private school and there are a million good reasons to choose them (religion, special needs/learning disabilities, a d opportunities that cannot be had in public schools). But there are a lot of families who immediately look at private schools (even the lesser quality ones) due to fear of DISD demographics. Look no further than the post started today by the parent who seems unsure of his exemplary neighborhood school due to only 6% of the students being white. There are tons of great reasons to choose private schools; fear of "brown students" or worries about a white child feeling left out are not good reasons, IMO.

[BigDGeek]

I grew up in the Preston Hollow catchment area but attended private school. My parents did not fear 'brown' children; rather, they wanted me to have a Jewish education. Most of my friends growing up went to Preston Hollow or Pershing, then Franklin, then Hillcrest. There were plenty of kids in PH who went to private school, but it was by no means the near-universal situation that you see today. I think a lot of parents want the cachet of private school, they think it's better, and there is also an element of racism there. I doubt you will see Preston Hollow parents get behind the schools anytime soon.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I grew up in the Preston Hollow catchment area but attended private school. My parents did not fear 'brown' children; rather, they wanted me to have a Jewish education. Most of my friends growing up went to Preston Hollow or Pershing, then Franklin, then Hillcrest. There were plenty of kids in PH who went to private school, but it was by no means the near-universal situation that you see today. I think a lot of parents want the cachet of private school, they think it's better, and there is also an element of racism there. I doubt you will see Preston Hollow parents get behind the schools anytime soon.

Speaking for myself as one who has paid for a good bit of local private schooling, I'm not racist and I don't care about cachet vis a vis school (not sure I've ever written the word cachet before or knew how to spell it thanks for throwing it out there). I care about challenging curriculum, extra-dedicated teachers, emersion in cultures of success, achievement and results - not to mention generally strict discipline. That said, I'd much rather have pocketed the money sending my kids to public but for us the bang for the buck of our choice of privates beat out the notion of moving to HP or sending our kids through the Plano system.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Speaking for myself as one who has paid for a good bit of local private schooling, I'm not racist and I don't care about cachet vis a vis school (not sure I've ever written the word cachet before or knew how to spell it thanks for throwing it out there). I care about challenging curriculum, extra-dedicated teachers, emersion in cultures of success, achievement and results - not to mention generally strict discipline. That said, I'd much rather have pocketed the money sending my kids to public but for us the bang for the buck of our choice of privates beat out the notion of moving to HP or sending our kids through the Plano system.

My post wasn't actually directed at you. However, having grown up in Preston Hollow, I do know that race is a factor, at least for some. YMMV.

(As in "I don't want my kids going to school with the children of the people who cut our grass and clean our houses," or simply, "those dirty Mexicans." I've heard both verbatim.)