Progressive Schools in the area? (Houston, Dallas: school districts, cost, vs.)

[Serafina347]

Like everyone else, it seems, we are considering a relocation to the area from NJ/NYC metro area. Our children attend a private, very progressive school. Very hands on learning, child centered, lots of art, music and science .. not the usual sitting in rows preparing for standardized tests. Are there any schools like this in the Dallas or Houston or Austin suburbs? And/or if you could tell me where the best public school districts are for consideration. Thanks in advance!

[4Movingeast]

Coppell ISD is known in the area for championing progressive learning methods.

[HockDad]

I would think that most private schools, but certainly not all of them, in Texas would be a better fit.

[frenzyrider]

Originally Posted by HockDad

I would think that most private schools, but certainly not all of them, in Texas would be a better fit.

Can you say more about the difference between how elite privates like Hockaday, Greenhills and St. Marks prepare kids vs. public schools from a learning objective?

[loveandcoffee]

I've researched the progressive schools in the NYC area extensively, as well as the private schools here in the Dallas area too. I don't have any kids of my own and I'm not an expert on the Dallas private schools like several others on this board are, but just from my research alone and observation of such, I would say that Greenhill or Alcuin specifically are probably the closest you're going to come to that here, and if your children are younger than 4th grade, Lamplighter is another.

Generally, if we're comparing to the independent progressives of the NYC area, there aren't that many here. Depending on the age of your children, I'd say that your best bet is going to be with private schools, specifically Montessori or International Baccalaureate in terms of philosophy, since they're the closest to the NYC progressives that you'll find in the Dallas area. Montessori is mainly in preschools and elementary schools, and while IB programs do exist as early as 3rd grade, the majority of the ones in this area are in the middle and high schools. Both Montessori and IB can be found in several public schools and many private ones as well. Of the Dallas/Houston/Austin comparison, I'd say that Austin has the edge on the amount of schools that fit the definition of independent progressive, followed by Houston, then Dallas. However, we still have great options like I listed above, so if you're leaning toward Dallas, don't let that alone scare you off.

One note however: while not every public school district or even individual public school will focus endlessly on teaching to tests, the pressure from the state is severe enough that many schools and districts do simply out of survival. It can be difficult to know which ones do or don't to someone coming in from outside, and often times it can change within a year or two when a new principal or superintendent takes over. Also, while there are Montessori/IB schools within our public school districts, they sometimes get locked into a tug-of-war of sorts between the parents who want the differing philosophy and the district or state who want to implement standardized classroom structure with results they can test. This is another reason that HockDad and I both mentioned that private schools will likely be a better fit no matter where in Texas you end up, since they eliminate that factor entirely.

It's a lot to take in and it's a difficult choice. Many of the posters here are experts regarding the private schools in the Dallas area. HockDad is one of them, and there's several others. If you have questions on specifics, they're the ones that can help you. Good luck in whatever you decide!

[Serafina347]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses - especially loveandcoffee. I did not experience the same when I posted that question on the Austin board, that's for sure. I'm not looking for a "liberal" school. I'm not political in that sense (or in any sense really). It's more of a preference for a style of teaching - especially knowing my children and how they learn.

Our kids are in 1st and 3rd grade. They've been at their school since Nursery/Pre-k/K and the school's curriculum is a strong spiral curriculum (meaning there is a continuity of learning from grade to grade) using the Reggio Emilia approach heavily (especially thru Kindergarten).. by the time the kids are in 1st/2nd/3rd the children have a very good sense of being good learners, they're confident, conscientiousness citizens. Curious, respectful, kind to their peers and adults. There's a strong social curriculum that starts early.. What I love about our school is that the kids get messy, they create art, they're allowed to experiment, to fail and try again, it's collaborative -- all the while, reading, writing, math, and science are incorporated in to every aspect so that math is not a scary thing - and science and history are not "boring, like I thought it was when I was in school.

Anyway, thank you. I will look into the schools and areas that have been suggested and visit a few of them when we go out for a visit in a few weeks. Much appreciated.

[metroxian]

Serafina347, you'll have to forgive our cousins in 'The Peoples Republic of Austin' aka 'Moscow on the Colorado'. They consider themselves as very progressive, heavy on the liberal. They speak a very specific 'be like us because we are weird' language. The response you got from the Dallas forum as compared to the Austin forum reflects the disdain Austinites hold for rest of us in Texas.

Good luck with your search for a quality school and potential move to Texas.

[Serafina347]

Thank you Temp43k!

[Serafina347]

Thank you Temp43k! And you are right - "disdain" is exactly what I was met with on that post. Oh well.. definitely helps me to focus my search!

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Serafina347

Like everyone else, it seems, we are considering a relocation to the area from NJ/NYC metro area. Our children attend a private, very progressive school. Very hands on learning, child centered, lots of art, music and science .. not the usual sitting in rows preparing for standardized tests. Are there any schools like this in the Dallas or Houston or Austin suburbs? And/or if you could tell me where the best public school districts are for consideration. Thanks in advance!

You are looking for a private school. Texas public education has seen some pretty large budget cuts over the past 5+ years which have greatly reduced or eliminated art, music, etc arts from many public schools. Just this week I read an article that Woodrow Wilson HS (Dallas ISD) has something like a $1k annual budget to run it's high school band program (one that is a long time & beloved tradition).....the real cost is $7k annually so the school is fundraising the budget gap. This is VERY common in Texas and how the best and wealthiest schools have been able to keep their arts programs- parents ante up to close the budget gaps each year. Private schools charge hefty tuition rates (upwards of $25k+ for upper grades) and have large endowments which protect their arts programs, and allow them to continuously upgrade facilities for the sciences and other subjects.

In order to reduce exposed to standardized testing, again, privates are the best route. I believe they do some national testing in a few milestone grades, but there isn't the incessant focus on teaching to the test and practicing for the test that you get in the great majority of public schools.

I think you might like any number of Dallas area private schools - Alcuin and Lamplighter are the most Montessori-inspired. Hockaday (girls) has a great arts program as well as very strong sciences (and a new Multi-million science wing on the way). ESD (co-Ed) also does a great job in stilling a love of learning, as does Good Shepherd (PK-8 co-ed) where kids and families rave about their "classroom of the earth" trips program. Greenhill is considered the most liberal school but I can't speak to their individual departments / programs.