What makes PISD look like it does? (Plano, Grand Prairie: to buy, school district)

[Trustworth]

Hello,

There is lot of hype regarding PISD. We hear lot of praise & full marks granted to these schools on every thread discussing the comparison among different ISDs in DFW. But the question is what really makes the PISD look like this? The schools or the kids? My Kid attends one of the PISD schools & what i learn from her is nothing much is taught at the school. They expect you to self learn most of the things, using Google! Yes, no doubt schools provide may competitions, clubs & other challenges which i am sure other ISDs does too...but simply doing that will not help unless & until proper guidance & teaching is provided. The fact is, Kid's here are already brilliant as huge majority of them are Asian population. I have no intentions to hurt anybody's feeling but another fact is these kids get a constant push from their parents to excel in everything. So what is schools' actual contribution? I personally do not think that PISD teachers are doing an exceptional job but the kids certainly are with self studying.

Anybody there to agree with this?

Thanks.

[HappyTexan]

A school is a reflection of the community.
Self motivated kids will do the work and learn.

[bencronin04]

Originally Posted by Trustworth

Hello,

There is lot of hype regarding PISD. We hear lot of praise & full marks granted to these schools on every thread discussing the comparison among different ISDs in DFW. But the question is what really makes the PISD look like this? The schools or the kids? My Kid attends one of the PISD schools & what i learn from her is nothing much is taught at the school. They expect you to self learn most of the things, using Google! Yes, no doubt schools provide may competitions, clubs & other challenges which i am sure other ISDs does too...but simply doing that will not help unless & until proper guidance & teaching is provided. The fact is, Kid's here are already brilliant as huge majority of them are Asian population. I have no intentions to hurt anybody's feeling but another fact is these kids get a constant push from their parents to excel in everything. So what is schools' actual contribution? I personally do not think that PISD teachers are doing an exceptional job but the kids certainly are with self studying.

Anybody there to agree with this?

Thanks.

Yes and no. Some of the kids have parents that push and supplement the education they are receieving at schools, be it the parents or tutors, etc. BUT at the same time, don't listen or beleive everything your child is telling you. If a teacher in PISD came into class each day and just said, "ok this is math class now go figure it out on google" they would not be working there long, nor would PISD have the results it does.

But the type of environment put in place by a community is a LARGE factor on the school. Take HPISD for example. They excel not only academically, but also athletically, across a multitude of different sports. The two main reasons are a tradition of excellence and parents that put forth the extra effort.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

Yes and no. Some of the kids have parents that push and supplement the education they are receieving at schools, be it the parents or tutors, etc. BUT at the same time, don't listen or beleive everything your child is telling you. If a teacher in PISD came into class each day and just said, "ok this is math class now go figure it out on google" they would not be working there long, nor would PISD have the results it does.

But the type of environment put in place by a community is a LARGE factor on the school. Take HPISD for example. They excel not only academically, but also athletically, across a multitude of different sports. The two main reasons are a tradition of excellence and parents that put forth the extra effort.

Yes to all of the above^^^^ and let's face it, it's about parents having resources to put towards education and all in addition to prioritizing those resources. Your average HP family has a LOT more available to allocate to education (if they wish) than the average family in, say, Grand Prairie (or pretty much anywhere else in DFW). At my daughter's first school down here, there was a big push to get $X raised TOTAL by the PTO to fund some stuff. At her current school, that $X threshold is reached from just a couple of generous families. (Yeah, I know, "Robin Hood" and all, you get the point).

Regarding Plano, overall it does a superb job with a more diverse student body (ethnically and socioeconomically) than the other top DFW districts. There are reasons it's spoken of highly. Doesn't mean it's perfect for everyone or that the world will end if someone chooses to buy elsewhere, tho'.

[TexanAgain15]

My sister and I both attended PISD schools K-12. That was awhile ago, but they were no less hyped at that time. Of course, the high educational level of the parents is the main driver of the high standardized test scores.

I'm not sure what you mean by "what i learn from her is nothing much is taught at the school. They expect you to self learn most of the things" of course, every school requires independent practice and homework. I would encourage you to go to the school to see what they are doing during the day, and how instruction is presented. If your daughter isn't "getting it" at school and needs to Google things to learn them at home, find out why. Is it that she's not paying attention during class, or does she just need more repetition?

Besides nice buildings and relative safety, the benefit is primarily at the middle to high school level. There are a lot of programs and classes offered that typically aren't offered at most high schools - a class for just about every AP test, excellent music programs, special programs for students wanting to enter healthcare and other professions. Add to that excellent teachers and that's the benefit of PISD.
Keep in mind though that unless your child is an extreme overachiever, she won't get a spot at UT.

[LauraLama]

Originally Posted by TexanAgain15

My sister and I both attended PISD schools K-12. That was awhile ago, but they were no less hyped at that time. Of course, the high educational level of the parents is the main driver of the high standardized test scores.

I'm not sure what you mean by "what i learn from her is nothing much is taught at the school. They expect you to self learn most of the things" of course, every school requires independent practice and homework. I would encourage you to go to the school to see what they are doing during the day, and how instruction is presented. If your daughter isn't "getting it" at school and needs to Google things to learn them at home, find out why. Is it that she's not paying attention during class, or does she just need more repetition?

Besides nice buildings and relative safety, the benefit is primarily at the middle to high school level. There are a lot of programs and classes offered that typically aren't offered at most high schools - a class for just about every AP test, excellent music programs, special programs for students wanting to enter healthcare and other professions. Add to that excellent teachers and that's the benefit of PISD.
Keep in mind though that unless your child is an extreme overachiever, she won't get a spot at UT.

Not true. My DD's guidance counselor at Renner told me that a good number of PISD's 15th-20th percentile get accepted in UT if they took challenging courses and earn good ACT/SAT scores. She said that IB Academy's diploma holders get accepted regardless of their rank because UT values their rigor and grit.

[TexanAgain15]

Sorry - I meant "overachiever" by the regular world's standards, not Plano's. It's quite difficult to get into the top 15% at Plano or Plano West - not sure about East.

[JimGarrison]

The public school system is a joke. If Asians are doing well, it's a reflection of their work ethic outside of the classroom. Besides public schools are intentionally dumbing down kids, and if you don't think that is a preposterous argument, you weren't listening. But it's true. A book called Brave New Schools has all of the data. And don't get me started on Common Core.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by HappyTexan

A school is a reflection of the community.
Self motivated kids will do the work and learn.

This.
And very educated parents with very high expectations.
Go to any "good school district" anywhere in the country and that is usually what's driving it.
The community/parents.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by TexanAgain15

Sorry - I meant "overachiever" by the regular world's standards, not Plano's. It's quite difficult to get into the top 15% at Plano or Plano West - not sure about East.

I agree...when 20% of the class has a 4.0 or greater.
Geezus.
THAT is serious competition.