Yea, Dallas!
I
don't want to gloat, but...
Yeah, I do want to gloat.
On
it's annual list of America's best high schools, Newsweek
magazine next week will rank two Dallas schools at the top of the
list.
Incredible! Dallas has the top two schools in America: Town View
Center is #1 and the School of Science and Engineering is #2.
In
the nation!
It's
incredible because for 40 years I've been hearing how bad Dallas
schools are. Friends by the dozens actually moved to the suburbs so
their kids wouldn't have to go to Dallas schools.
My
daughter attended Dallas schools and did great.
I
always suspected Dallas had good schools; it just seemed like a fad
to put the Dallas Independent School District down: like, "Well, I
don't know, it's just what everybody says."
Just
this past Sunday, The Dallas Morning News had its usual section of
letters complaining about DISD. In this case, it's a school
administration credit card scandal that's made headlines for months.
Of
five negative letters, four came from other cities: Coppell, Plano,
Midlothian, and Colleyville. It's strange. So many experts on Dallas
schools live other places.
I'm
convinced a lot of the anti-DISD sentiment has been generated by
private schools. I got this idea many years ago when students from a
leading private school spoke at our church.
Every child in our church attended public schools, yet the
theme of the program was how bad DISD schools were, how unsafe and
immoral.
I
can't help but wonder how many naive parents have scrimped and saved
to send their kids to a dinky, inferior private school when a
superior public school was right down the street and free.
Of
course, even with the top two schools in the nation, many will still
continue to talk about how much other Dallas schools need to
improve. And it's not likely all 158,000 Dallas students have
excelled this year.
With
160 elementary schools, 61 secondary schools, and 15 magnet and
alternative schools, obviously not all are outstanding. The
five low rated schools, in fact, currently are in a "reconstitution"
process.
But,
hey, Dallas schools are probably as good as those you'll find most
places, and better than some, despite the negative letters from
people who don't really know.
And
say what they will, Dallas has the two top schools in America.
Sic
'em, Dallas!
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