Dallas El School

I'm a parent of a child who went to this Dallas Intermediate (Elementary) School. Our experience at the school was pretty poor. Where to begin? The teachers do not review homework and instead mark in their books only whether the assignment was "done" or not. This means that if the student did have trouble with their homework or did not fully understand the lesson, they are quickly left behind. For math, the teachers use online LinkIt! assessment tests for their Unit tests, which are every month. These tests are very difficult and each problem is a long and complicated word problem (no joke) requiring 5 or more steps to complete. It is for some reason assumed that each student either knows multiplication and division perfectly, or if not, they are allowed to use a calculator. This method does not facilitate learning. The math homework can sometimes take up to 3 hours to complete. There is little to no notice of when a quiz or test will be given. Social studies class is a mere 12 minutes per day. The reading level was 1st grade level. My child was WAY beyond that, so reading time was very boring. My child did only 1 science experiment during a 10 week period, and was very bored and frustrated about the situation. There are few (if any?) textbooks used. Nearly everything was online. There was not a standard curriculum used. It seemed to be what the teachers found online for a low price or free. There was no Houghton Mifflin or Harcourt or anything similar used. The images which were given as teaching aids were often blurry or too small to be legible. We raised many of these concerns with the teachers but no changes were made. The principal was unreachable for any meaningful discussion. Long story short is that we ended up pulling our child out and switching to homeschool. Now at least I can be satisfied that my child is actually learning. The only reason why I'm giving my review 2 stars is because my child liked one of his teachers and the principal was nice to us. However, I would definitely not recommend this school.

This is an excellent school for the area. Teachers and principal work together to individualize instruction for students so they are working at or above grade level. In primary grades, students are given an excellent amount of outdoor recess time which is still so important yet often forgotten in recent years. There are excellent supports for students who are struggling. The principal knows all the students by name which to me is a huge plus! Structurally the building needs updating, but their heart for education is solid and successful!

PTO is a joke they plan " fluff stuff" and don't care about real issues such as bus, snack , computers , safety ,Ect, and have an enormous budget bur still want more money! Principle doesn't have same opportunities at other schools do this school is half day ' no snack , and the other school has snack for all grades same curriculum probably better education at wycallis

We have a few schools to compare this to, as we move every couple of years for work. After being told this district is the best in the area, we are disappointed. They make everything way too complicated, including holiday festivities, the bus system, and mealtime. I'd like to see them spend less time planning parties and writing redundant letters, and more time on the education our child is receiving. We do a lot of supplementing at home. Also, the PTO is a joke, and many parents refuse to join simply because they agree you shouldn't have to pay money to volunteer at your kids' school.

I was a student there and now I am a teacher in the same school. it is still filled with fun, and excitement. Such great things happening everyday. Vote yes for DES