A Dallas elementary school once facing closure now celebrated among nation’s best

Just two years ago, Edward Titche Elementary School in Dallas was facing the possibility of closing because it had long been failing state academic standards.

But this week, Titche was one of 28 Texas schools named a National Blue Ribbon School, an honor awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to recognize campuses that are high performing and closing achievement gaps. Only 317 public and 50 private schools received the designation this year.

“We knew our scholars had the ability,” Titche principal Jazmune Jenkins said. “It’s just a huge honor to receive this, knowing that we’ve proven some people wrong. Titche is still thriving, and the best is yet to come.”

In January 2018, the school was one of four in the Dallas school district that had been rated by the state as “improvement required” for four or more consecutive years. If the school were to miss state academic accountability markers for another year, state law would have required the Texas Education Agency to either close the campus or to take over operation of the entire school district.

That would have displaced the school’s primarily Black and Hispanic students, forcing them to attend other schools in the absence of a neighborhood school near them.

In 2017, Titche was placed in DISD’s Accelerating Campus Excellence, or ACE, program, a turnaround initiative that offers stipends to teachers as well as additional resources aimed at boosting student achievement.

Jenkins, who was the school’s assistant principal in 2018, credited Titche’s turnaround to strengthening the bond between students and teachers. Educators frequently checked in on students’ moods and encouraged them to practice mindfulness — the practice of being aware of their emotions — so they could better express problems they were having with each other or with teachers.

“We’re just really forthcoming with students, with the staff, about what our expectations are and what the steps are to meet the goals of the campus,” Jenkins said. “Those relationships have to be strong for students to learn and thrive in this environment.”

By May 2018, Titche experienced a 20-plus percentage point gain on fifth-grade math scores. The school also met state accountability marks for the 2018-2019 school year, avoiding closure.

Currently, Titche has about 700 students — about 55% of them are Hispanic and 45% are Black, Jenkins said.

Jenkins also said that she regularly communicates with previous principal Damien Stovall to figure out how to maintain the school’s success. Stovall is now an executive director of school leadership for Dallas ISD.

“He and I talk daily, if not every other day, navigating the new way and just making sure that Titche continues on a trajectory of success,” she said. “Three years ago, we would not have pictured this or imagined this.”

Other area schools that received the Blue Ribbon honor include:

• DISD’s Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School and Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy.
• the Early College High School in Farmers Branch ISD.
• the Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences in Fort Worth ISD.
• West Main Elementary School in Lancaster ISD.

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes schools based on multiple factors, including student scores on standardized tests and graduation rates.

Schools may receive a Blue Ribbon honor based on its high performance, measured by state or national assessments, or for closing the achievement gap between various racial and socio-economic subgroups.