Dan D. Rogers Elementary Gains Recognized Status!
Submitted by Allen Gwinn on Wed, 06/02/2010 - 19:16.
by Mike Millican, President, Dan D. Rogers PTA
Through the years 2009 through 2010, I was privileged to have served as El'Presidente of the Dan D. Rogers PTA.
Through the hard work by their wonderful principal and expert staff, Dan D. Rogers now stands as an equal in it's school peer group and will continue to rise in it's future.
They now serve as a reminder to everyone as Socrates did; that standing true in the face of a popular vote against it, truth can never be anything less than it is, that Plato's bewitchment of languages can be bridged through the hard work of free will and that dancing has a value that shows anyone can be a winner, only if we cooperate together in a meaningful way.
On a more personal note:
My 10 year old graduated Dan D. Rogers this year after attending it for years. He completed the TAKS Test in record time, didn't miss a question on the test and didn't get a single answer wrong. Did yours?
As PTA President for the years 2009-2010, I would like to thank all the PTA Members for all of their hard work. I was only the mouth piece, you were the difference!
And for all those that live within the Dan D. Rogers service area with elementary school age children, come on down to Dan D. Rogers, we've got a dandy little recognized school for your child to receive the finest standard of a Texas education.
Passing the standard and soaring towards excellence, that's Dan D. Rogers.
Come On Down, We're In Your Neighborhood,
Mike Millican
PS: Many thanks to Dallas.org for bringing this issue to the light it deserved.
[Ed Note: You're welcome Mike. Your dedication and belief in the parents, students and teachers of your school is commendable. This goes to show how any dedicated group of parents can make a difference in any school in spite of the prejudices, and biases against you!
Heck, you can even overcome an elected official who stacked the deck against you!
I hope that whoever comes along behind you continues the tradition of excellence and I hope the Ridgewood Park parents gang will give your school a try next year.
Thanks, again, for all you did; and thanks to the parents who showed courage in the face of adversity.
You won!]
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I am actually moving to this
I am actually moving to this district and am now horrified. any other experiences that can be shared?
Dear Moving
One word, run.
School Info
I had a child at Stonewall and have since moved into Dan D zone. I am considering home schooling my child rather than send him to Dan D based on several phone calls and a visit to the school. I was really hoping my phone experience was not an indication of what the school visit would be like but the actual visit was worse.
Can anyone give me some parent feedback on this school?
As a little background info, I called the school twice and asked questions, apparently too many because the woman on the other end said "you are do ask a lot of questions for just a kindergarten class". She also informed me that parents were not allowed to tour the school except at open house (I had to work that night and asked if I could stop by another time) she said parents were not allowed in the school. I asked about room mothers and volunteering and she said "I just told you parents are not allowed in the school."
Here were some of my questions and answers I got:
Does the school have any special programs- sign language, choir, music, that sort of thing? No
Is there a PTA (to this she said "yeah but they aren't active and the teachers don't like to go", imagine how suprised I was to find this thread!)
Is there an after school care or homework study program? No
What do you have to do to volunteer? parents aren't allowed in the school
What about field trips? We don't do those
It was at this point I was told I asked a lot of questions and needed to come to the open house.
I tried again the next day and was told to just come to the open house.
The week after open house I took my son to visit the school. It was a school day, no one was in the office, we waited, no one came, we walked around the halls, saw teachers and students and still there was no one in the office. I was there walking around the school with my son for 20 minutes with no badge or anything and noone said anything. I asked a lady in the lunch area if she could get someone to the office and when someone did come they said we'd have to come back in August for registration.
After this we planned on private care but now we have lost our jobs to outsourcing and can't afford it. We also can't move into another zone due to lack of verifiable income. We are stuck. Based on what we have seen I am scared to leave my child in the hands of this school.
If anyone has information from a parent point of view I'd be happy to hear it. It looks like we'll be homeschooling until we can move, I just hate to have my little one miss out on the friendships and interaction that come with traditional school.
As a parent of a child who
As a parent of a child who attended Dan D Rogers last year, stick with your first instinct on this one. I can confirm everything that you mentioned and it just gets worse.
From one Mom to another
Ley, I commend you for your sense and concern for your child. Pre School and Kindergarten are very important and the issues I had with DISD for my children forced us to leave the city.
I doubt there is much better, unless you move or request a transfer to a school that you are more interested and trusting of. Beware of going to the administration, because the staff will retaliate and your kid will never get anything. As long as your kid passes the TAKS there is no real help, unless our kid qualifies for one of the attractive magnet programs. In DISD the schools are all going to be magnet, but some are attractive, but most are repellent. You just had a repelling experience.
And they will apologize... They always say "sorry" as they continuously do just as you witnessed, or worse.
There are lots of Home school social networks. Your boy will be the better, but there are good public schools, especially in the other cities, if you are planning to move, look for the best middle school, and you will have a good elementary.
Good Luck!
Reply to School Info
Dear Ley214,
If I were you, I would immediately get on the phone and call the Superintendants office and the school principal. Do not allow the ignorance of an uneducated receptionist alter your feelings about a school. Yes, I too would be concerned about the lack of personnel in the office at that time. Perhaps there is an acceptable excuse for that.
If the school is identified as Recognized, then they must be doing something right.
Don't make a rash decision. Air your concerns now. I pretty much guarantee you will be getting an apology.
Good Luck,
DISD Teacher (30+ years)
congratulations
congratulations to dan rogers and their staff on a job well done! i teach in a neighboring school where we have worked quite hard to come up from low performing many years ago....had many adversities but have made great gains. so glad this neighborhood and more, this faculty, did not give up on rogers' potential.
AA
Lets look at EBC! EBC is AA, but still on AYP. Is it the area that caused this? Is it the majority population whose cultural influences that caused this? Weigh in on this.
I saw they're on the Exemplary List!!
Great Job! Unfortunately, our DISD school regressed from Recognized to AA. So glad I moved out of town, so my child had the opportunity to score commendable, like your kid, but in a good non DISD school. I still think that there needs to be fair school attendance zones and that all neighborhoods need to be supportive regardless on whether the parents choose for the kids to attend or not. We were chased out, and that is the reality. I know the BoT do not care, and in many cases the kids are never offered opportunity.
Why did Bayles go down, do you think?
Is it because they chase out the good families? Seems like that to me!