David G Burnet Elementary School

Love this school i have been in 3 different disd schools in this area and joe may is by all means my favorite they have the best teachers and have are very patient especially with the special education program which is why i had to move my kids so much due to rude teachers in other schools that did not want to deal with my son and his disabilities. I love joe may and have placed all of my children on transfer just to attend this school. I recommend to everyone! Best school!!!

High turn over rate in administration. This school has had over 4 different Principals/Vice Principals in the last 6 years. Teachers are often first time educators and have unrealistic/unreasonable expectations for students. My student is on a 504 plan, and we received little to no follow through in accommodations. It's definitely gone from bad to worse, we decided to withdraw him, and enroll him elsewhere.

I love this school i recommend this it is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

During my past few years as a parent at this school, I've realized that this school has many shortcomings that prospective parents should be aware of. The first is the class size. Every class in kindergarten is well above the state cap. One class has 31 kinder students- thirty-one!!! That ratio makes it nearly impossible to build teacher/student relationships, monitor student progress, or really provide any individual attention at all regardless of how skilled the teacher is. The classes within a grade level are not balanced either. Some have 16 or 17 while other classes in the same grade have 25 or 26. Several grades have split level classes. This means that your first grader may be put in a class with mostly second grade students. As a result, your first grader will not see any of his or her friends at recess, lunch, or during specials. They will be isolated from everyone they have been friends with for an entire school year. It's really sad to see your child separated and missing all of their friends and working on above grade level curriculum they may or may not be ready for. This school uses and openly supports shame based punishment. Students clip up or down on a behavior chart displayed in front of the whole class. Can you imagine as an adult if every time you made a mistake at work, you had to get up in front of your collogues to move a clip with your number down? Or, if every time you did something compliant, you clipped up above your coworkers? This behavior system is antiquated, goes against current academic research, and creates a competitive community where students are viewed and labeled as good or bad in front of everyone. At a time when youth are struggling with mental health more than ever, this school disregards student emotional well being and places more emphasis on compliance and fear/shame based behavior management. The communication about academics at this school is inconsistent. Only a few teachers send out weekly newsletters. Parents have no clue what their students are working on, which in turn makes it very difficult to support your child academically. Yes, there was one curriculum night that overviewed the entire year, but for parents who want to work with their child at home, you are left on your own guessing what would be beneficial. Many of these shortcomings would be easy to fix; it's just not a priority which is a shame. This could be a great school, but it needs a leader with a vision who strives for growth.

JT Saldivar Elementary tiene que ser una de las mejores escuelas primarias en el Distrito Independiente de Dallas. Los estudiantes usualmente se portan bien y los maestros son muy trabajadores. Las empleadas en la oficina, como la Sra. Aguilar, la Sra. Leyba, y la Sra. Medina, son muy simpáticas también. La escuela tiene clases bilingües para la mayoría de los estudiantes, y también hay programas fuertes de divulgación para la comunidad. Hay estudiantes en todos los grados entre Pre-K y sexto grado. No sé si él apoya a los maestros de manera suficiente, pero el director es inteligente, accesible, y habla español. Las subdirectoras son muy trabajadoras y simpáticas. JT Saldivar Elementary has to be one of the best elementary schools in the Dallas Independent District. Students usually behave well and teachers are very hard-working. The employees in the office, such as Mrs Aguilar, Mrs Leyba and Mrs Medina, are very friendly too. The school has bilingual classes for most students, and there are also strong outreach programs for the community. There are students in all of the grades between Pre-K and 6th. I don't know if he supports teachers enough, but the principal is intelligent, approachable, and speaks Spanish. The vice principals are very hardworking and kind.

So blessed to have found Oak Hill. It is perfect for my daughter and has brought out the best in her! Communication between home and school and great, and the school community really feels like a family. Oak Hill has been an extension of my efforts to provide what is best for my daughter—the admins, support staff, nurse, and teachers all focus on her strengths while helping form a comprehensive plan to help strengthen her weaknesses. I can’t wait for the years ahead, to see what else she can achieve with the team at Oak Hill behind her!