Daingerfield Junior High visited by Best Practices Case Study Committee
By: Toni Walker
Editor
In January, Daingerfield Junior High School was named as one of seven campuses chosen to take part in a best practices case studies project by the Texas Education Agemcy. On March 16, the Case Study committee visited Daingerfield Junior High, meeting with Principal Linda Rhymes and other staff members.
Deborah Brennan, with Region 13, and Coco Masengale, with the American Institutes for Research, were both extremely pleased with their visit. Brennan stated the reasoning behind Daingerfield Junior High selections, saying “All the schools chosen are near schools with similar demographics that are struggling. Daingerfield Junior High should be struggling, based on those around them, but they are not. They are beating the odds. We are here to find out how and why.”
Both ladies believe the most important of Daingerfield Junior High’s best practices starts at the top. “It definitely begins with fabulous leadership,” said Massengale. “Principal Rhymes and her staff believe that they can prepare every student, and they stress success for life, for all kids.” Massengale also discussed how integrated the community is in Daingerfield Junior High. “The teachers live in the community, know the children outside the school, and have the desire to prepare the next generation of community members in Daingerfield,” Massengale said.
Brennan and Massengale are a small part of the group who is visiting the Best Practices schools for the TEA, although neither one works for TEA. The groups will take their data and information from their site visits, compile it all, then present that information to TEA, who will then do the final repart and disseminate the information. Information from the case studies will be used for the betterment of other schools with similar demographics.
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