Class size concerns - Elementary HISD (Dallas, Bellaire: 2015, magnet school, camps)

[Hope99]

My daughter has 27 children in her first grade class at Horn in Bellaire and by Texas state law the maximum is 22. I have the following questions and would appreciate any feedback...

1) Is it worthwhile appealing to HISD to correct this issue? Will they do anything? Is there anyone above HISD with whom we could address this?

2) Has anyone heard anything about re-zoning plans for 2015/2016 school year?

3) Does class size really make a difference in the quality of education? We are considering private schools that have 20 per class. Has anyone switched because of class size and did you see a difference?

Thank you.

[diggity101]

The Texas Education Agency excused 1,272 elementary schools from the 22-pupil limit in kindergarten through fourth grade. Most cited “financial hardship” or “unanticipated growth” in their requests for waivers.
That’s a slight improvement from the previous year, when 1,480 schools were exempted. But it’s nearly 30 percent of the elementary schools in the state

Class size waivers still rampant in Texas elementary schools | Dallas Morning News

[EasilyAmused]

We have put all our children through private. And yes, class size was one of the main reasons. Elem. School classes ran around 16 kids, HS most around 20.

The biggest pull for private for most is that all parents are on the same page about the seriousness of education. We are paying two tuitions.Public school taxes plus private school enrollment. Therefore, most of the kids are working harder at achieving because it's expected,and the classrooms are controlled and orderly. Slower learners are seperated out and usually in a class with different concentrations. There's A LOT more enrichment classes, advanced science and computer labs, and a huge list of available languages to learn. school has the freedom to suspend/expel children and fire poor teachers.There're always a few jokers,druggies etc.,but most of the kids know they are there to perform and achieve. Without the distraction of gang type elements, thugs that have that have no desire to granduate yet take all the teachers time, Language barriers,aggressive beatdowns..... The enviroment is better. For the most part the teachers are happier because they don't have to deal with this either. Which makes them more receptive to the kids, and willing to give extra help.


If your child can excel in a large classroom and is a self-starter, it may not be worth the money. Especially if they're magnet school Einstein's like all the public school children in this forum,and are confirmed those spots.

[Meyerland]

Class size can be an issue, but if the teacher is really good the effect is minimal.

I taught in a highly regarded suburban school that was overcrowded. One teacher had only 18 students in her class, while the others had22- 24. She was such a poor teacher that they kept her numbers down and they still had issues with the students not mastering what was necessary.

You also need to look at the overall program to assess the quality of it. I have been touring some private middle schools lately. Some offer less and some offer more than the magnet middle schools in HISD. It just depends on the campus.

In my child's current HISD school she is in the science lab 1-3 times a week, which is phenomenal. She is already doing prealgebra in grade 4. Her class is overcrowded, but she is still making excellent progress. Of course, every campus is different.

They are preparing them for the accelerated vanguard program in middle school. They have 6th,7th and 8th grade math in the grade 6. Then they have High school algebra I in seventh and Geometry in eighth.

[David Dollar]

This is a serious question. Is your kid dumb? If your kid is dumb, public education is fine. That is where all the resources go. If your kid is average to smart, then he/she will not be pushed very hard.

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by David Dollar

This is a serious question. Is your kid dumb? If your kid is dumb, public education is fine. That is where all the resources go. If your kid is average to smart, then he/she will not be pushed very hard.

That's not always true. Here is a run of the mill homework problem for a fourth grader in HISD...

Cara had 57 rocks, but she dropped some in the street. She has 14 rocks left. Which equation, when solved, will show how many rocks Cara dropped in the street?

A. r ÷ 14 = 57

B. 14 – r = 57

C. 57 – r = 14

D. 57 ÷ r = 14

Here is another...
Write 6 5/8 as an improper fraction.

And another..

What is the mean?

10 7 10 2 1

I know plenty of adults who would have trouble answering these questions.

[KatieKennedy]

Many of the schools that are highly rated and located in desirable parts of town like Horn get waivers because there are more folks zoned there than they have the capacity to serve at the regular teacher/pupil ratio given the existing classrooms and budgets. No one is going to leave Horn because of overcrowding unless they go to a private school.

[N. Buck]

I worry about this from time to time. My son is in Pre-K at Travis. Hopefully he will go the Vanguard route (hopefully HISD will still fund that in the future!).
I honestly can't afford private school, so I am going to supplement as much as possible. My parents put my brother and I in Kumon, piano, and gymnastics. That seemed to work well and we became very well-rounded.
For my little guy I plan on doing computer programming camps, mma, and piano/classical guitar.
In all honesty, if a private school wants to hook my son up with a scholarship for doing something like writing a hit play, then I'm all for that!
Rushmore class of 2001!

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by N. Buck

I worry about this from time to time. My son is in Pre-K at Travis. Hopefully he will go the Vanguard route (hopefully HISD will still fund that in the future!).
I honestly can't afford private school, so I am going to supplement as much as possible. My parents put my brother and I in Kumon, piano, and gymnastics. That seemed to work well and we became very well-rounded.
For my little guy I plan on doing computer programming camps, mma, and piano/classical guitar.
In all honesty, if a private school wants to hook my son up with a scholarship for doing something like writing a hit play, then I'm all for that!
Rushmore class of 2001!

The magnet funding may lessen in HISD, but there will always be funding for the vanguard programs. I hope you get in the program you like.

[diggity101]

Originally Posted by David Dollar

This is a serious question. Is your kid dumb? If your kid is dumb, public education is fine. That is where all the resources go. If your kid is average to smart, then he/she will not be pushed very hard.

This couldn't be further from the truth. The slower kids are the ones that are going to have the hardest time in most HISD schools. They will slip right through the cracks unless the parents lean on the school. In most of your remedial classes, the teacher spends most of their time disciplining rather than teaching.

The driven, smart kids will place in the the advanced classes and/or magnet/vanguard programs and can get a similar quality education to a prestigious private school.

Just look at what the Carnegie Vanguard program turns out every year. Sure, this is the cream of the crop, but don't tell me HISD doesn't have solid programs for gifted kids.