As the nation's eleventh largest school district, Dallas Independent School District serves more than 160,000 students who come from homes where 58 different languages are spoken. Operating with a $1 billion dollar budget, DISD employs 18,613 employees including 10,000 teachers in 220 schools.
30 Nov 2000
DISD Magnet School Recruiting and Selection Process Begins
Students interested in accepting the challenge at one of the Dallas Independent School District' specialized campuses should attend the annual magnet schools fair scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Saturday, Dec. 9, at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, 1201 East 8th Street. Representatives from the 25 magnet, vanguard and academy programs will be at the fair to assist students and parents in preparing the application and portfolio required for admission consideration.
The magnet school concept, now in its twenty-fifth year of existence in the Dallas Independent School District, has expanded from four programs in 1976 to 25 high school, academy and vanguard programs this year. More than 6,000 students every year now have the opportunity to study in a specialized and focused, career-oriented curriculum. The areas range from dentistry, banking and the arts to law, social services and computer engineering.
The goal of the magnet programs is to provide every available resource to children so that they will improve their chances of having a productive and successful future.
"We will continue to work to enhance the magnet programs because technology and processes are changing every day," said Thelma Benavides, DISD Area 9 Superintendent for the Magnet Schools. " These students will be the next generation of business and civic leaders in our society, so we must prepare them for that challenge."
Two new schools have been added to the magnet middle school (academy) and elementary (vanguard) levels. E. D. Walker Mathematics, Science and Technology Vanguard is a new elementary program in North Dallas. The magnet school, with all-day Pre-K, was established to ease overcrowding in six North Dallas elementary schools and to provide an opportunity for young students in the area to study an advanced technology-based curriculum. The other new school is William B. Travis Talented and Gifted (TAG) Vanguard/Academy. This program is an expansion of the existing TAG programs at Alex W. Spence and K. B. Polk academies. The Travis campus is a stand-alone TAG school serving students in fourth-eighth grades.
All magnet schools will begin accepting first round applications in January, and the last day to file an application for the 2001-2002 school year is May 1, 2001.
"We have extended and streamlined the application process for all schools this year in an effort to better serve the students and parents," Benavides said. "However, the detail of the application package is still very important in order to rank each student for placement."
Magnet school information teams have already made presentations to all eighth graders in the school district about the upcoming recruiting season, and letters are being sent to the parents of all third, sixth and eighth graders in Dallas Independent School District about the magnet schools.
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.
Each year since the birth of the program, more than 300 individual magnet students, along with numerous student organizations are recognized for international, national, state, regional and local competitions, awards and achievements. Teachers and administrators are also lauded for their initiative in creating a challenging learning environment.
For more information about the magnet schools fair, call Robert Hinkle, (972) 749-2220.