Our Programs
Education
The Reality
- Hispanics outnumber non-Hispanic whites in Dallas, and 45% of children in Dallas County are Hispanic.
- Over 65% of students in the Dallas Independent School District are Hispanic.
- For every 100 Hispanic students that enter the 9th grade, only 47 will graduate from high school with their class. And of those 47 who graduate, only 20 enter college and only two will graduate from college with a two-year or four-year degree.
- Many Hispanics in the greater Dallas area speak limited English, have low levels of education and are unfamiliar with the American school system. Students from these families traditionally receive little or no support in their academic efforts at home.
Without social intervention many Hispanic children face failure in school, economic uncertainty, unstable families and dangerous neighborhoods.
Dallas Concilio: Bridging the Gap
Study after study shows that parent involvement in a child’s education is a vital part of the learning process. The Dallas Concilio believes it is imperative to focus on parental involvement, and we have implemented the following programs and are recognized as experts in this area.
- Parent Involvement Education: This training teaches parents how to take a participatory role in assisting their children to remain in school, improve their performance in class, graduate from high school, attend a college or university and earn a degree. Beginning with the original curriculum, the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE), we have developed additional curricula that address specific issues faced by schools and parents of children from Pre-K through 12th grade.
Results to Date
- 4,175 parents have graduated from our Parent Involvement programs since 2002.
- In the semester they attended Parent Involvement classes during the 2008-2009 school year:
617 parents met with their child’s teacher
498 parents attended a PTA meeting
325 parents volunteered at the school
- A study conducted by the Texas Schools Project reported that in mathematics and reading, the estimated scale scores of sixth grade children of PIQE parent graduates were consistently higher than their peers on the TAKS exam.
- A survey of 2005 parent graduates of the PIQE program who had children in high school indicated:
- 84% of their children graduated from high school – a 175% improvement on DISD’s average rate
- 75% of those who graduated went on to college – a 375% improvement on DISD’s average rate
Based on the success of our Education programs, Dallas Concilio was selected by the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas for the pilot year of its Destination: Graduation initiative in 2005-06. Destination: Graduation aims to reduce the dropout rate in the Dallas Independent School District using a multi-pillar approach which includes parent involvement, mentoring and college preparation. We have continued to provide programs to support the parent involvement component of the initiative for the last four school years.
Schools 2009
- Ascher Silberstein Elementary School
- Benjamin Franklin Middle School
- Boude Storey Middle School
- Bryan Adams High School
- C.A. Tatum Elementary School
- Cary Middle School
- Cesar Chavez Elementary School
- Cigarroa Elementary School
- David G. Burnett Elementary School
- E.B. Comstock Middle School
- Foster Elementary School
- Herbert Marcus Elementary School
- J. L. Long Middle School
- John Carpenter Elementary School
- John Reagan Elementary School
- Kimball High School
- L.V Stockard Middle School
- Lee McShan Elementary School
- Mark Twain Elementary School
- Medrano Middle School
- O.M Roberts Elementary School
- Plano East High School (Plano ISD)
- Raul Quintanilla Middle School
- Roger G. Mills Elementary School
- Rosemont Elementary School
- S.S. Conner Elementary School
- Saldivar Elementary School
- Samuell High School
- Seagoville High School
- Thomas Jefferson High School
- Whitney Young Elementary School
- Williams High School (Plano ISD)
Testimonials
“Before coming to the PIQE classes I did not have much knowledge of how much I had to participate in the education of my children. Although I have always been a volunteer in my children’s school, I didn’t much know about exams, grades, and setting up meetings with teachers, principals and counselors. Now that I have taken the PIQE classes, everything has changed. I don’t wait for parent conferences to ask about my children; I am more aware of their subjects and important points that they must cover to go to other schools. My children have improved their grades. They have more trust with me to talk about how it’s going in school.”
Leticia Ruiz, Parent Graduate (translated from Spanish)
“I believe wholeheartedly in the PIQE program of the Dallas Concilio…From a principal’s standpoint, I can say that the staff and I have truly benefited as parents have come to volunteer regularly at [Burnet Elementary School] and have joined the PTA. In fact, before PIQE our PTA consisted of less than ten parents. Since PIQE, that number has grown to over 400! Not only that, the PTA has eight different committees actively addressing aspects of the education environment. Our school truly has benefited by participating in the PIQE program.”
Judith A. Meyer, Principal, Dallas Independent School District
“I think that it is a good thing that the Dallas Concilio came to our school to educate us. The information is very good. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the things that we went through as young people to better understand our children and their needs.”
Aide Cabrera, Parent Graduate from Cary Middle School (translated from Spanish)
“At Texas Instruments, education is our highest priority for corporate philanthropy and volunteerism. We believe excellence in this area is a critical building block for America's economic vitality and for the quality of life in our communities. The Dallas Concilio has the same conviction we do: we all benefit when education works. As the Dallas Concilio helps Hispanic parents navigate the school system and get involved with their children's academic careers, Hispanic families see education work for them. And that works for us.” Philip J. Ritter, Senior Vice President, Texas Instruments (retired)
“I am very proud that my mom attended such a great program like PIQE and I am looking forward to continuing to study and graduating in three years. I still remember the day my mom graduated the program; I was very happy and proud to see my mom receive recognition for attending the program. Not only was she able to learn how the educational system worked, she also learned to encourage and support my brother and [me] through our school years. She became aware of all the policies and regulations that the DISD system is formed by. The program also introduced many opportunities available for students such as scholarships, organizations, etc…Thanks to my mom’s knowledge of programs such as the Talented and Gifted Program also known as TAG…I was able to take such [a] wonderful opportunity, gain a scholarship, and attend Parish.”
Melissa G., Student at Parish Episcopal School & Child of Parent Graduate