As the nation's eleventh largest school district, Dallas Independent School District serves more than 164,500 students who come from homes where 58 different languages are spoken. Operating with a $1 billion dollar budget, DISD employs 19,234 employees including 10,500 teachers in 218 schools.
28 Nov 2001
DALLAS-Students interested in accepting the challenge of studying at one of the Dallas Independent School District's specialized campuses should attend the Annual Magnet Schools Fair scheduled for Saturday, Dec.1, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, 1201 East 8th Street. Representatives from the 25 magnet, academy and vanguard programs will be at the fair to answer questions and to provide information to students and parents concerning the application process.
The magnet school concept, now in its 26th year in the DISD, has expanded from four programs in 1976 to 25 five high school, middle and elementary programs. More than 6,000 students each year have the opportunity to study specialized, career-oriented curriculum in areas ranging from dentistry, banking, and the arts to law, social services, and computer engineering.
Under the supervision of Federal Judge Barefoot Sanders, the magnet schools were born out of a 1976 desegregation court order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The goal of the magnet programs is to provide every available resource to children so they will improve their chances of having a productive and successful future.
"The future is change and we must plan for those changes now," said Carolyn Bailey, DISD Area 9 superintendent for the magnet schools. "Preparing our students for the responsibility of civic and business leadership requires teamwork and rigorous, state-of-the art instructional practices utilizing current technology and equipment."
The newest district magnet school is William B. Travis Talented and Gifted Vanguard/Academy. This program is an expansion of the existing TAG programs at Alex W. Spence and Polk Vanguards. The Travis campus is a stand-alone TAG school on McKinney Avenue serving students in fourth-eighth grades.
All magnet schools will begin accepting first round applications January 14, 2002 and the last day to file an application for the 2002-2003 school year is May 2.
Magnet school information teams have already made presentations to all eighth graders in the district regarding the upcoming recruiting period and letters of invitation to the December 1 magnet fair are being sent to the parents of all third, sixth and eighth graders in the DISD.
Each year since the inception of the program, individual magnet students, along with numerous student organizations are recognized for their accomplishments. Teachers and administrators are also lauded for their initiative in creating challenging learning environments.
For more information about the magnet school fair, call Jim Nodeland at (972) 749-2220.