Richardson Proves a Diverse
District Can Succeed

Source: Dallas Morning News, July 27, 2008

Superintendents running school districts in Plano, Frisco and McKinney may want to pay attention to what's happening on campuses in nearby Richardson. If population trends hold up, the changes in Richardson, an inner-ring Dallas suburb ultimately will transfer to North Texas' other fast-growing districts, including those in Collin County.

Will their schools be ready?

Like many older suburbs, Richardson's demographics have become more ethnically diverse. As a result, so have its schools.

The Richardson school district's enrollment is about 34 percent white, 31 percent Hispanic, 26 percent black and 8 percent Asian-American. The Texas Education Agency also reports that nearly half of Richardson's students qualify as economically disadvantaged.

Large numbers of poor children can challenge educators, but schools in the Richardson ISD are going forward at pretty close to full speed.

The state has awarded Richardson its second highest-ranking the last two years. That's a feat for a diverse district and requires large numbers of students progressing in math, science, reading, language and social studies.

People familiar with the district point to several reasons for Richardson's success:

First, the district raised expectations long ago. The high-achieving parents who started making Richardson their home decades ago deserve part of the praise. So does Texas Instruments, which has a big footprint in Richardson and has crafted partnerships with the school district. And the district earns credit for making schools the center of Richardson's neighborhoods.

Second, the district places a premium on training staff to become leaders in their classrooms. The district has pioneered a teacher advancement program. It has worked on giving teachers the skills to teach math and science. And it has hired numerous teachers with masters' degrees.

Third, the district has used data to show it where it must shore up its weak points. All districts are supposed to do this, but Richardson has a reputation for combing testing data to see where teachers should adjust their work.

Newer, farther-out suburbs like Frisco and Allen don't have Richardson's demographic challenges yet, but they will, if history is any guide. Richardson has shown them how to eliminate failure as an option.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Copyright 2008

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