Countdown to Class 2018 school uniform drive has begun
DALLAS – July 31, 2018 – Texans Can Academies, a non-profit organization giving young Texans a second chance at life through education, today announced that they are sponsoring a back-to-school fund drive, Countdown to Class, for their students who need assistance getting ready for the approaching school year. As summertime comes to an end, students across the state of Texas are gearing up for the upcoming first day of school. While some are out shopping for new clothes or visiting their campus to pick up their school uniforms, others are faced with the dilemma of affording new clothes. Texans Can Academies understands the challenges a lot of families face with back-to-school expenses and wants their students to begin the school year with confidence and refreshed outlooks.
From now until September, Texans Can Academies is hosting their annual Countdown to Class 2018 Uniform Drive to raise funds that will benefit students at their 14 campuses across the state of Texas. The open-enrollment public charter high school has campuses located in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. The funds from the drive will benefit students and their families by providing brand new clothes that fit properly to wear as the school’s uniform of khaki pants and white collared shirts. A $75 donation will provide one pair of pants, two shirts, socks and a belt for one student.
“We know the expense of school supplies and clothing can put a major dent in the household budget for a lot of families,” said Richard Marquez, President and CEO of Texans Can Academies. “All donations will help our families provide back-to-school items so that their children will feel proud and comfortable during the school year. It’s especially important for teenagers to feel confident in what they are wearing when they are in school so they focus on learning.”
A 2018 study by Deloitte found that the average United States household planned to spend $510 per child on back-to-school shopping. The National Retail Federation estimates that families shopping for students this year will spend the most on clothing, about $237 per school-age child.
The cost of clothes and school supplies for teenagers can create financial and emotional strains on families that cannot be met and can lead to a child dropping out of school. Texans Can Academies takes steps every year to offer solutions to any obstacles students face outside their classrooms to help them remain in school and graduate.
“We know that if children don’t have school supplies or the proper clothes to wear to school, they may decide to stay home,” continued Marquez. “Our goal throughout our campuses and programming is to break down barriers to educational success. We are asking for help to raise funds for our kids to have clothes they are proud to wear to school throughout the school year. All children deserve to come to school wearing clothes that fit comfortably and feeling like they look their best.”
Texans Can Academies believes in providing the highest quality education for all students. The high school’s curriculum has been designed to prepare their students for life beyond high school graduation with skills and concepts such as Marquez Reading, thinking skills, college preparation, workforce etiquette and more. Classes are structured with a learning, yet nurturing environment that touches on student-centered decision making.
Serving the education system for 33 years, Texans Can Academies provides open enrollment, public high schools of choice for students who have struggled in traditional high school settings. To participate in Texans Can Academies’ 2018-2019 Uniform Drive, please visit www.texanscan.org/countdown2class2018.
About Texans Can Academies Celebrating 33 years of providing the highest quality education for all students, Texans Can schools are graduating thinkers. Texans Can Academies are a unique network of 14 charter schools located in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. The schools are tuition-free, open enrollment, public high schools of choice serving students who have struggled in a traditional high school setting. To date, more than 143,000 youth have been given a second chance at life with the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Cars for Kids is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization benefiting Texans Can Academies and is the only car donation program in Texas that is operated by the charity it serves. For more information, visit: www.texanscan.org or www.carsforkids.org.
DALLAS POST TRIBUNE — AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Appleseed, a public interest justice center, is accepting scholarship applications as part of its Diversity Legal Scholars program, aimed at diversifying the legal profession. The program helps low-income students of color expand their law school options through a scholarship that covers the full cost of a Kaplan (LSAT) preparation course, valued at about $1,299 per scholar.
The scholarship is offered three times a year, corresponding with LSAT test dates. Key dates are below:
Round 1: Accepting applications now. The application deadline is February 12, 2018. Scholarship recipients would take the LSAT on June 11, 2018.
Round 2: Accepting applications starting May 14, 2018. The application deadline is June 4, 2018. Scholarship recipients would take the LSAT September 8, 2018 or November 17, 2018.
Round 3: Accepting applications starting August 1, 2018. The application deadline is September 5, 2018. Scholarship recipients would take the LSAT January 26, 2019.
Scholarship recipients must be Texas residents and apply to take the LSAT on the designated date that corresponds to their application round. Additional requirements and details can be found at www.texasappleseed.org/diversity-legal-scholars.
According to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 4.4 percent of all lawyers in 2016 were Black, 4.7 percent were Asian, and Latinos comprised 5.6 percent of all attorneys. Texas Appleseed has awarded hundreds of Diversity Legal Scholars scholarships since its inception to give applicants a better shot at fulfilling their dreams of law school and entering the legal profession.
DALLAS — From underwater robotics to computer coding, the Dallas Independent School District STEM Department briefed trustees on the amazing work happening inside schools.
From underwater robotics to computer coding, the Dallas ISD STEM Department provides students with hands‐on activities and inquiry‐based learning.
STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, provides students with opportunities to grow through hands-on activities and inquiry-based learning.
Assistant Superintendent Vince Reyes told trustees that he has made it a directive that Dallas ISD become the public school district that sends the most students on to four-year universities for computer science.
“We have the students that can make that happen,” Reyes said.
The district has been working to ensure STEM programs seamlessly sequence from elementary to high school. Students have the opportunity to earn high school credit in middle school for STEM courses such as Algebra I, Astronomy, Physics, and in Computer Science.
At the board meeting, students talked about the huge benefits STEM learning has on them.
Here are some notable Dallas ISD STEM facts shared at the board meeting:
The number of students participating in the District Science Fair grew by 36 percent this year;
Ten comprehensive high schools and two magnet schools offer the computer science and STEM endorsement;
Dallas ISD is home to 20 SeaPerch Underwater Robotics teams;
35 middle schools teach an Intro to Robotics elective course;
5,140 middle school students are enrolled in classes for high school credit.
Dallas ISD is home to six of the 10 best public high schools in North Texas, according to a new report from a Texas-based non-profit that researched and ranked 211 public high schools from nine area counties.
Additionally, the report from Children at Risk found that Dallas ISD is home to the best middle school in North Texas—William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted.
Children at Risk measured schools by achievement indicators; performance indicators; growth indicators; and college readiness.
The Dallas ISD high schools ranked in the top 10 are:
School for the Talented and Gifted (#1)
Trinidad Garza Early College High School at Mountain View (#2)
School of Science and Engineering (#3)
Dr. Wright Lassiter Jr. Early College High School (#5)
Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School (#6)
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (#7)
The report also named three Dallas ISD schools as the three Gold Ribbon Neighborhood High Schools, which is a high school that is neither a charter nor magnet, has a high concentration of economically disadvantaged students, and ranks highest on specific math and science indicators. The Gold Ribbon neighborhood High Schools are:
Moisés E. Molina High School
Sunset High School
W.H. Adamson High School
“North Texas has many schools that work hard to ensure they achieve success,” said Dr. Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk. “We are excited for the schools that continue to be at the top of the list, and welcome all newcomers to this group of elite learning institutions.”
“We know the expense of school supplies and clothing can put a major dent in the household budget for a lot of families,” said Richard Marquez, President and CEO of Texans Can Academies. “All donations will help our families provide back-to-school items so that their children will feel proud and comfortable during the school year. It’s especially important for teenagers to feel confident in what they are wearing when they are in school so they focus on learning.”
The scholarship is offered three times a year, corresponding with LSAT test dates. Key dates are below:
Children at Risk measured schools by achievement indicators; performance indicators; growth indicators; and college readiness.