Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Marissa Limon, the principal of Dan D. Rogers Elementary School in East Dallas. I wanted to learn more about the “Accomplished Campus” rating the school received from the Texas Education Agency for the 2022 school year. Dan D. Rogers received an “A” rating, making it one of only 26 schools in all of Dallas ISD to achieve the top ranking. For the record, Dallas ISD has 237 schools, placing Rogers Elementary in the Top 10%. What makes this truly special is that Rogers Elementary is a Title 1 school, and according to the principal, out of approx. 427 students, 75% of the students are considered “at-risk” or of low socioeconomic status.

 

Dallas ISD started giving the schools performance indicator names, to help the public better understand the grading system. Instead of A, B, C, D and F ratings, Dallas ISD calls schools and campuses “Accomplished”, “Breakthrough”, “Competing”, “Developing”, and “Focus”. Overall, Dallas ISD scored a “B” rating from the Texas Education Agency. Out of the 26 schools in Dallas ISD that achieved an “A” rating, only 9 were Elementary Schools. That’s a huge deal for this campus and administration (and the surrounding community).

 

Mrs. Limon believes that their focus on being a personalized learning campus has been the biggest contributing factor to their recent success. They believe that every child learns differently, so they try hard to not administer blanket instruction. They spend a lot of time teaching and learning in small groups. In addition, the bedrock of everything they do is routed in social-emotional learning. They want the students to feel like they are in a place where they can trust their surroundings and mentors/teachers. They spend a lot of time checking in with the students about their feelings, and the teachers really feel like they know their students and their diverse needs. The school also implemented a “House System” to create a fun culture that brought the entire school together. There are 4 systems they focus on:

 

1) A Growth Mindset
2) Having Integrity
3) Persistence
4) Empathy

 

I’m really proud of Dan D. Rogers Elementary, and the great work they are doing with the students, parents, and the community. I’ve been sitting on their SBDM Committee as a volunteer for about 3 years now, and I donate 100% of the proceeds of my “Cans for Change” initiative to help the students and faculty with needs they have over the school year. To date, we have donated $542.08! I love seeing their “Accomplished Campus” sign when I pass the school, and can’t wait to see what this school year brings!