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Old 10-27-2011, 12:16 PM
 
3 posts, read 11,514 times
Reputation: 15

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Hello,
Has anybody been in touch or got any feedback from the METSA program at the Turner High School in the Carrollton area? It is technology and engineering oriented, described here: Turner High School | METSA (http://cfbportal.schoolwires.net/22692054142324927/site/default.asp - broken link)
Thanks for your inputs...

Last edited by BstYet2Be; 10-27-2011 at 03:41 PM..
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Old 10-27-2011, 01:43 PM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
753 posts, read 1,481,908 times
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I sub in CFBISD and I mentally crossed them off of my sub list. Then again, I've crossed several high schools off my list. I find the middle school kids in CFBISD to be awesome. But the high school kids...

I only went there twice so take this with a grain of salt.

It seemed that the school was lacking in discipline. I was a teacher for many years and I can tell that about a place quickly. The attitude seemed to be one of "we don't want to run this school like a prison" (actually someone said that to me) so they would rather not have behavior standards. Another sub told me she had been there several times and it was always the same lack of discipline. It became obvious that she and I would have to lower our standards to make it through that day. That said, magnet programs usually have great kids, no matter what school.

The demographics of Farmers Branch are really changing and think kids who are behind or don't speak English may get most of the attention/funding. I wouldn't want my son to go there; we moved away from an inner city area and don't want to encounter those issues here.

http://bit.ly/t93IBB (R.L. Turner TEA Accountability Rating)

On the other hand, if you kid goes there, he or she can say he went to the alma mater of the great Vanilla Ice.
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Old 10-28-2011, 07:41 AM
 
3 posts, read 11,514 times
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Thanks for that insight which confirms what I knew/felt/was expecting of the school. I have little doubt that the school is quite average; now it really is that METSA program that I am inquiring about.
I heard that these students actually are in a separate building and that their curriculum is very different from the rest. I don't know about the teachers and the expectation but it seems that this program creates a school within the school...
Anybody knows more ?
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Old 10-28-2011, 08:06 AM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,282,852 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gabe1 View Post
Thanks for that insight which confirms what I knew/felt/was expecting of the school. I have little doubt that the school is quite average; now it really is that METSA program that I am inquiring about.
I heard that these students actually are in a separate building and that their curriculum is very different from the rest. I don't know about the teachers and the expectation but it seems that this program creates a school within the school...
Anybody knows more ?
I don't know anything about it. Have you called the school for more info? Talked to the program director or found out if there is a prospective student/parent night you could attend? Or some involved parents who would meet with you? That's the best way to learn more.

RLT has always had a high performing subset. They consistently have 1-2 National Merit Semi Finalists and kids going to top schools. I know a girl who got a full ride to SMU and another who graduated from Harvard Law....I'm not sure if they were in this special program or just in the normal AP/Honors track.
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Old 10-30-2011, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX
753 posts, read 1,481,908 times
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Not to be snobby but since you are interested in the magnet program only, you should find out what percentage of the day magnet kids spend with the rest of the school population. Are they kept in their area with their own teachers or do they mix with the rest of the school for everything but a few specialized classes?

I've taught in magnet programs and in one the kids only left the magnet hall for a few classes such as PE or art. This kept them with their intellectual peers most of the time. And frankly, most parents choose magnet schools because they want their kids with other smart, good students. Also, kids may have a few supposedly very good (I obviously think I was ) teachers for most of their classes. Those two things are a huge part of the appeal. After I left that particular school, they changed it so kids were all mixed up and there was no separation for magnet kids. It was far less successful than it was in the early days where we were a small cohesive, separate group.

Also, be aware that at some schools the magnet program and magnet kids are really resented by the administration. They are seen as elitist-although for some reason it's deemed okay to be elitist where athletics are concerned. I have no idea if that's the case at Turner but I've been through it. I think the resentment was why the principal of my previous school basically destroyed the magnet program.
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Old 10-31-2011, 06:49 AM
 
3 posts, read 11,514 times
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Very nice of you to answer.
I will visit and meet somebody mid-November and should know more at that point. I will for sure post an update here.
In the meanwhile, I welcome any additional input...
Thanks again
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Old 04-30-2013, 09:44 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,124 times
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Default METSA Info?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gabe1 View Post
Very nice of you to answer.
I will visit and meet somebody mid-November and should know more at that point. I will for sure post an update here.
In the meanwhile, I welcome any additional input...
Thanks again

I was wondering if anyone had any further information on the METSA program at Turner High School in Carrollton to share and how it compares with other high schools in the DFW area. Thanks in advance for any replies.
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Old 12-10-2014, 02:48 PM
 
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Hi I'm a student in r.l. turner metsa program. it's great! It's helping me understand what exactly I'm wanting to go in to school for and X's out drama from the bad kids. The only bad thing is that there is few girls in the program hhaah.
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Old 12-11-2014, 09:33 AM
 
16,087 posts, read 41,147,800 times
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It's also one of only a handful of schools in the Dallas area certified by Project Lead the Way. See - https://www.pltw.org/our-network/pltw-schools

"Engineering courses (PLTW) are taught at dual-credit level.
At the end of each course, students having an 85 average take
the college level exam. If they earn a 70 on the exam, they can
request college credit through PLTW-affiliated universities
which are transferable to other colleges and universities"
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Old 12-11-2014, 10:07 PM
 
205 posts, read 279,120 times
Reputation: 195
who would have thought that we finally see a thread about RL Turner on this forum. I actually was part of the first graduating class from one of the "magnet" programs that the district started at RLT and at least for us, we had our own classes when it came to the specific courses for the program but other classes like electives/honors/AP weren't exclusive to just the program but other students as well so it wasn't like we were completely separated from the rest of the student body. RLT was never a glamorous place when I was there but from what i've heard its kinda fallen a little downhill since then.
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