30 Apr 2007
Language Enrichment Activities Program Better Prepare Students for Academic Rigor
DALLAS–A center established in collaboration with Texas Instruments Foundation, Head Start of Greater Dallas and Southern Methodist University in 1990 continues to successfully prepare Julia C. Frazier Elementary School students for academic rigor, causing the school to be named exemplary for six years in a row.
The Margaret H. Cone Head Start Center was built through a unique partnership that continues to yield academic success after almost 20 years. The center offers a language enrichment activities program for students who later enroll in the Dallas Independent School District's Julia C. Frazier Elementary.
"In the early 1990s, Frazier Elementary was a low performing campus and needed new ideas to assist students," said Principal Rachel George. "The incoming students from pre-kindergarten were not prepared for kindergarten. Then we began to see a change in the ability of students enrolling from the Margaret H. Cone Center."
The center, created to serve students who reside in the Fair Park neighborhood, focuses on developing preschoolers' vocabulary and listening and motor skills. The language enrichment activities program was created by Nell Carvell, director of LEAP of the Head Start Initiative at SMU.
Pre-kinder students who attend the center later feed into Frazier Elementary. According to George, students enrolled in the program are better prepared academically through pre-readiness skills, which has helped them to exceed on the state standardized tests. Research has shown that academic gains from LEAP stay with children through their elementary school years, which has resulted in the school receiving a good ranking by the Texas Education Agency. Frazier Elementary has been recognized by the Texas Education Agency as an Exemplary school every year since 2001.