The purpose is obviously to promote expanding charter schools.
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From: Commit! -
Todd Williams [mailto:todd.williams@commit2dallas.org]
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 3:59 PM
Subject: New Dallas-area charter school to teach in Chinese
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 3:59 PM
Subject: New Dallas-area charter school to teach in Chinese
Eddie Conger, former DISD Thomas Jefferson High School
principal and Exec. Director over the TJ feeder pattern for first few months of
2012-13 school year, opened a new charter school network with focus on language
exposure. Per attached article, they accepted 2,900 students out of 6,000
applications in first year. Certainly highlights strong parental demand
for this feature given enrollment for a brand new concept; this network is the
same size as Harmony's footprint in Dallas County after multiple years and 4-5x
larger than KIPP (which also expanded in Fall 2014). As superintendents
think about potentially growing schools of choice within districts across the
area, this is a concept that certainly seemed to resonate with certain parents
and students.
New
Dallas-area charter school to teach in Chinese
GARLAND, Texas (AP) —
Texas Education Commissioner Michael
Williams was so impressed with plans for students at a new
Dallas-area charter school to be taught in English, Spanish and Mandarin
Chinese that he traveled from his Austin office to offer best wishes.
Williams attended an
open house Thursday for International Leadership of Texas
school, which opens charter school campuses Monday in Garland and
Arlington, The
Dallas Morning News (http://dallasne.ws/12uy2OW ) reported.
"I came to praise
the good in advance of you doing it," Williams told the audience that
filled an auditorium. He saluted school leaders for their plans to make
students multilingual and prepare them "for a world that might be a tad
bit bigger than Garland, Texas."
International Leadership
was one of eight charters approved by the State
Board of Education last year. The charter school accepted about 2,900 students
in kindergarten through 10th grade; it received about 6,000 applications.
Superintendent Eddie
Conger, a retired Marine and former high school principal in the
Dallas Independent School District, thanked current and former state board
members for or supporting his school's proposal.
"If they had not
voted for the merits of it, we would not be here today," Conger said.
Denise
Toliver of Rowlett, a parent, said she was impressed by the
school's diversity and mission.
"Leadership for a
global world is exactly what we're looking for," Toliver said.
Charter schools in Texas
are publicly funded but privately managed.
___
Information from: The
Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
