University of Texas at Arlington students who are cramming for finals are turning to some four-legged friends for some stress relief.

Dog owners from the group Paws With Partners have spent the last week volunteering their dogs at the UTA library for students to stop by, relax, pet and play with the dogs.

"Studies have shown that interacting with a friendly animal for as little as five to 24 minutes can lower blood pressure, the heart rate, relax muscles, lower stress muscles in the blood," said UTA librarian Jody Bailey, who is overseeing the program.

More than 2,000 students have stopped by the library to visit the dogs.

"College, to a lot of people -- myself included -- seems like a big scary place. Any comfort you can get just helps," said Samuel Boulet, a sophomore who stopped by for about 20 minutes.

"Just, they don't expect anything from you," junior Tifiny Spiva said. "They're just like, 'Hey, you're here, and I'm here."

Paws With Partners dogs help comfort people in stressful situations everywhere from children's hospitals to courtrooms.

More: 2013 North Texas High School Rankings | Middle School Rankings | Elementary School Rankings

Two North Texas schools are finalists in the "Make a Musical" contest to have their performance space renovated.  

Jasper High School and J.L. Long Middle School are among the 30 finalists in the contest that is a partnership between NBC’s show "Smash", Lowe's and iTheatrics, assisting schools across the nation to improve their theaters. 

The five schools who get the top votes will receive gift cards of up to $3,000 from Lowe's.

Students and teachers at J.L. Long Middle School in Dallas and Jasper High School in Plano say money is needed to make big repairs to succeed in their craft.

"With all the budgets cuts that have happened over the years, every little bit counts," Renee Harris, the theater arts teacher at Jasper High School said.

"The stage is constantly used and so we need help revitalizing it," Russ Sims Teacher, the drama teacher at J.L. Long Middle School said.

Sims and his students have had to deal with ripped stage curtains, water damage and a precarious screen overhead.

"It's live action and you're on the stage and you're moving from place to place and you don't want to trip over it," Emery Weis, a student said.

Students at Jasper High School performed their production of "Oliver" on the stage located in the school's cafeteria. 

If Jasper High School wins, its first priority is to cover the overhead windows to create blackout conditions during the shows and to include more indoor lighting.

The overall improvements will benefit the audience, too.

“We want to make our show the best we possibly can so we can reach our audience and that's what we're here to do and love doing that," Katelyn Deibert, a student said.

If you want to vote visit makeamusical.org, voting ends April 10.

A charter school opening in Garland will emphasize international cultures and languages.

The International Leadership of Texas' curriculum will require students to master three languages -- English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

"As a Spanish-speaking parent, that's really important to me, but a third skill would open the doors and broaden their horizons," parent Deyanira Lopez said.

"If our kids have the leadership skills and the language skills to communicate with over 3 billion folks on this planet, it's going to make us more internationally competitive," said Eddie Conger, school superintendent and former Dallas school district administrator.

"If you research the economics of Texas, our top three trading partners [are] Canada, Mexico and China," he said.

Nearly 1,300 students from kindergarten to eighth grade will attend the school when it opens.

The school, which administrators hope to open by August, broke ground on Thursday. There's already a wait list for grades kindergarten through six.

"It's going to be a great thing," Lopez said. "I'm really excited that my kids are going to the first ones."

School leaders are also planning a nearby high school and a location in Arlington.

"It's going to offer what a private school offers, but it's free for me, so I am really excited," Lopez said.

Garland Mayor Ronald E. Jones said the school is a good addition to the city, where, according to city statistics, Hispanics and Asians make up nearly 50 percent of the population.

"Garland is indeed an international city," he said. "Having a school that represents the international flavor and makeup of this city is a perfect fit."

The Arlington Independent School District and Tarrant County College are working to help students graduate from high school with a diploma and an associate’s degree.  

Arlington ISD and TCC are seeking approval from the Texas Education Agency to create the Early College High School that would allow students - beginning in ninth grade - to earn up to 60 college credits while going to high school.

It's not limited to but is designed with a specific student in mind.

“A first generation [college] student who has the capability of college work but doesn't have the academic support,” explained Dr. Bill Coppola, President of the TCC Southeast Campus.

Arlington ISD hopes around 100 students a year will graduate from the rigorous program, students who may not otherwise consider attending college for reasons ranging from financial obstacles to a lack of collegiate precedent in their family.

“Many of these students are first generation college students, they don't have role models, they don't understand that when they walk on a college campus that a lot of it is in their hands,” said Dr. Coppola.

Students enrolled in ECHS -- which would likely be on the TCC campus -- would have access to college facilities, resources and services.

But not only will students get a head start on college credits but they'll also get an understanding of what life is like on a college campus. 

“The students do experience that collegiate life and it makes that transition to college more seamless,” said Marcelo Cavazos, Superintendent of Arlington ISD.

And if they can meet that challenge, they'll likely be prepared for the next one.

“The world that we live in today and the global economy really expects that students accelerate their pace of learning and accelerates their pace of preparation and Early College High School does that,” said Cavazos.

School officials hope to have the ECHS program running by 2014, pending approval from the Texas Education Agency. 

Grand Prairie school district teachers got training on school safety on Friday.

Adam Yeager, social studies teacher at Lamar Alternative Education Program, said the district's more than 2,000 teachers learned about school shootings.

Lt. Mike Fleming talked about school safety and additional police officers answered questions.

"Mainly what today is about is just informing all of the educators -- those that are going to be on campus when things happen -- what to expect from us," Lt. Barbara Dixon said.

The teachers said they are ready to implement what they learned on their respective campuses.

North Garland High School students got an up-close look at a Bell helicopter Tuesday as part of National Engineering Week.

The helicopter touched down at the school's football field for a lesson on aeronautical engineering.

"This is really going to spark an interest into the many minds of the students here and the younger students, and I'm excited to see that happen," student Nick Cerean said.

Teacher Emilie Baxter said the show-and-tell demonstrates "that people actually do this for a living and it can fun and entertaining and educational," which is the best way of teaching.

Students learned how helicopters work, from flying to landing.

"Math and science -- while most people interpret math and science from being a scientist or a mathematician or an engineer, you can be all of the above when flying a helicopter," Baxter said.

The demonstration was part National Engineering Week at North Garland's Math, Science and Technology Magnet Program and Project Lead the Way, which promotes real-life engineering experiences in the classroom.

"Engineering is something that I always wanted to do ever since I was little, so just learning about the different branches and things like that is just opening up my eyes and giving me a better view of what engineering I actually want to do later on in life," student Katelyn Daniel said.

South Irving will soon have the largest and most high-tech library in the city.

"We have the tables that a series of kids can work on that are computerized, we have computerized walls, we have all the tools that they need today to technologically move into the future," Councilwoman Rose Cannaday said.

City leaders and students celebrated the groundbreaking of the library, which will be located at Schulze Drive and Second Street.

Like the West Irving Library, the new facility will be eco-friendly and efficient. More than 52,000 square feet of space will feature convertible bookshelves and multiple meeting rooms, phasing out the aging Central Library just down the street.

Library Director Chris Dobson said almost 1 million people visited the city's libraries last year. She said she hoped building a modern facility like the South Irving Library will attract even more visitors and provide services that residents have been asking for.

"We're putting a lot more emphasis on teens than we did 30 years ago, so the teens will have their own facility," she said. "It'll have a lot of electronics because that's the kind of thing that they're using."

The city's goal is to have a library within four miles of every home.

Susan Michel said the new library will give her and her family an opportunity to continue learning at all ages.

"It's also a way for us to learn English," she said. "That's how I learned. Going to the libraries, get books, and little kids can do that and grown-ups do that, as well."

The library is expected to open in May 2014.

The Arlington Independent School District approved a measure on Thursday that allows any student to attend any school in the district.

Parents will be allowed to apply for a transfer as early as March 2. Arlington ISD spokesperson Amy Casas said most reasonable requests will be granted, assuming the desired school is not full.

“A lot of times it’s because [parents] work closer to that school or they like a certain teacher – whatever their reason may be for wanting to transfer,” said Casas. “But we’re not going to overburden the school with additional students, or add portables to accommodate additional students, or add staffing to accommodate additional students.”

Students within Arlington ISD boundaries will have first choice at open school slots. If a school is full, students will be waitlisted.

Those beyond Arlington ISD boundaries will also be eligible to transfer into the district; however, those students will automatically be waitlisted until students who live inside district boundaries are placed.

When considering whether to grant students permission to transfer, Casas said the district will consider such things as that student’s academic performance, disciplinary record and attendance trends.

Arlington ISD has also changed the cost of transferring. In the past, students who wanted to transfer into the district from another school district had to pay a nearly $2,000 tuition. Now, if approved, out-of-district transfers will have to pay a $100 fee. 

Students attempting to transfer within the district during the month of March face a $65 fee. After March the fee jumps to $100.

Most parents say having the choice is worth the price of admission.

“If you’re in an area that’s not a good area or the expectations are low, you can go to a better school,” said Donna Olszewski, an Arlington mother. “The level of expectation from the parent for the school goes up, they’re not stuck with what [other schools] were offering before and [schools will] start to compete. I think that competition will be good for the education of the children.”

Mary Powell said she thinks parents should have the choice, but worries that there will be a drain on poor performing schools.

“I think it hurts the poorer schools, the poorer performing schools because of course everyone is going to want to go to the better schools. But parents want the best education for their children – we all do,” said Powell.

But Casas played down the idea that there will be a mass exodus from certain schools.

“It usually balances out,” said Casas. “We haven’t really had a school where you’ve seen a dramatic drop in students going to that school.”

Parent Kevin Stokes said he is concerned about the potential impact on high school athletics.

“[Schools] are going to overload on players and you’re just going to have one school dominate the district. That’s not fair,” said Stokes.

Although students will not be allowed to transfer just on the basis of sports, those who play high school sports will be allowed to transfer for other reasonable reasons. Casas said athletes who are granted permission to transfer will have to sit out of their respective sport for one year “while they establish residency in their new school” that abides by University Interscholastic League regulations.

Every school in the district will be open for transfer with the exception of Adams, Atherton, Hale and Johns elementary schools, as they work on balancing out their school populations.

Arlington ISD is expecting a run on schools. The district will allow parents to camp out at the district offices in the days leading up to March 2, when the district begins taking transfer applications.

All applications will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Parents wishing to camp out will be required to purchase a $50 permit.

The sound of a student tweeting in the classroom has long made teachers cringe, but now one local school district is transforming the digital distraction into an educational tool.

The Northwest Independent School District has introduced weekly Twitter chats to its schedule. 

Every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m., NWISD invites educators to log on to the popular social network and discuss a variety of topics using the hashtag #nisdnov8.

The district uses the chats as instructional development sessions where educators can share ideas on how to better use technology in the classroom to lead students.

"It's critical,” said Karla Burkholder, Director for Instructional Technology within the district. “Our students, that's their life and that's, they're never going to have a job that doesn't involve technology; no matter what it is."

The district has held three chat sessions, so far. One session even rolled into the next day, attracting nearly 200 tweets.

"It's been really successful for us,” said Instructional Technology Teacher Cara Carter. “The teachers have been able to share the ideas that their students are using in the classroom, and they've been able to get ideas from other teachers and implement them in their classroom."

NWISD leaders say these instructional development sessions are just the beginning of the district’s Twitter endeavors.

The district hopes these sessions will translate into ones that involve parents, students and other community members so they can become more involved in the educational process.

"Technology changes so fast that you have to find a way to be able to access the resources wherever you're at any time,” said Carter.

"Yeah, it could go anywhere,” said Burkholder. “This is professional development for us right now."
 

The Kennedale Independent School District is the latest North Texas school district to offer the School Connect smartphone app to parents and students in the district.

The free app allows parents, students and faculty to "keep track of important district and school information and receive notices from the district, faculty, and staff, all in real-time via push and email messaging."

The app provides users with access to information on school activities, grade books, notes from teachers, athletic schedules and scores, lunch menus, and school calendars.

"Kennedale ISD's official mobile app empowers anyone in the community to stay connected with the information they want and need right on their mobile devices," said Rick Edwards, Kennedale ISD associate superintendent of administrative services in a news release Tuesday.  "We feel that efficient communication between the district, schools, parents and community is more important than ever.  We are excited to see this new app lead to a stronger, more connected school community." 

Several other North Texas districts currently use the app, including school districts in Dallas, Comanche, Corsicana, Crowley, Ennis, Gorman, Grandview, Irving, Midlothian and Venus.  Statewide, 36 districts use the app or are in development to use the app.  In Oklahoma, 119 use the app or are in development to use the app.

The app, which is provided free to school districts through a partnership with Jostens, is available on both Apple and Android devices.  Get more information at schoolconnectservices.com.

Hundreds of Grand Prairie school district parents lined up to enroll their children into their school of choice.

About 1,700 parents applied online for schools and programs of choice. The enrollment process is completed at the school district administration building beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.

Some parents and even grandparents camped outside the administration building as early as 5 a.m. Thursday. Julian Hernandez said he missed a day of work so he could make sure his twin daughters got the school they wanted.

"Whatever it takes, whatever it takes -- it's cold, but yeah, we'll do anything for them, and we want to make sure that they do get a good education," he said.

Ken Woods also made the sacrifice, camping outside the administration building 24 hours before the doors opened for enrollment.

"It's kind of gotten to a point where you have to do these kinds of things to get a good education for your kids," he said. "It's sad, but that's kind of where the educational system in Texas is."

The school district provided the crowd with coffee, snacks and portable bathrooms.

"I have to commend these family members for being here," district representative Sam Buchmeyer said. "It obviously speaks to their commitment to their children, wanting to make that educational choice and put them in the best place for them."

Open enrollment and transfer requests will continue through Feb. 1.

A Grand Prairie school administrator is receiving top honors from the Texas Classroom Teachers Association.

Catherine Bridges, Seguin Elementary principal, was named Administrator of the Year in the elementary category.

Third-grade teacher Cynthia Capocci said she nominated Bridges because she knew her boss is unique.

"She's doing something crazy -- like getting a pie in the face -- then at a faculty meeting, the teachers are working and then she is standing there; she is cleaning up after us," she said.

Capocci said Bridges cares about her 60 staff members and 550 students.

"It means that much to her to know each and every child's name," she said. "It's not just a general 'sweetie' or 'honey,' you know; she wants to call them by name."

Fourth-grade teacher Amy Henderson said she gets occasional texts from her boss when she works late.

"I will literally get a text at 6 p.m. that says, 'Go home. You worked hard today. I appreciate you. Now go home,'" she said.

Henderson said having a boss that truly cares is priceless.

"When you're a teacher, it's hard work, and we put in a lot of hours that the public may not know about. But our leaders -- when they do know, it makes us want to go that extra mile every day," she said.

Bridges is the first elementary school principal in Grand Prairie to be recognized statewide as administrator of the year. She said the honor is extra special because it comes from a group of teachers.

Bridges, who began her career as a teacher and became principal at Seguin Elementary two years ago, said no award can measure up to the joy she feels in doing what she loves.

"I wake up every day and I get to come to work and be a principal at the most amazing school in the state of Texas," she said.

Bridges will receive her award in Austin later this month.

A member of the Dallas school district superintendent's cabinet whose salary drew criticism when she was hired is expected to resign, according to a newspaper report.

Superintendent Mike Miles brought Jennifer Sprague with him from Colorado Springs when he started at the Dallas Independent School District in the summer. Her salary of $185,000 is about $100,000 more than she made in her previous job, where she served as head of communications for Miles in Colorado.

The Dallas Morning News reported Friday night that Sprague plans to resign, possibly next week. The newspaper said that district officials were preparing to announce her resignation next week.

Sprague's salary was hard for critics to swallow at a time when the school district was closing schools and cutting jobs. But Miles defended Sprague's salary and those of three other cabinet members, saying they face high expectations.

"We have to have a first-rate cabinet of national quality if we're going to be the premiere urban school district in America," Miles said in June. "The salary range is not inordinate."

Students at Trimble Tech High School in Fort Worth pledged to do something that might seem impossible: shut down their cellphones for part of the day.

Senior Natalia Carroll considers it a life line.

"Getting into each other's business and getting in touch with the school. That's how we learn what's going on,"  she said. "Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. There's a lot of you can do, even do your homework."

Yet she admits a lot of time is wasted, too, goofing off.

The idea to take a break from the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week technology came after a conversation with a researcher at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

"If folks perceive the constant barrage of cellphone calls, text messages, pager beeps and emails as inconvenient interruptions, then they may be likely to become stressed out and irritated. The more irritated you become, the more cortisol is released. The more cortisol is released, the higher the likelihood that the irritability will escalate to anger. If this cycle continues, you have a higher-than-average risk of developing health problems," said Vicki Nejtek, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health. "To protect your mind and body, you need downtime."

That conversation lead to the Shut It Down Challenge. Students shut down their cellphones Monday and will keep it off an hour per day until Dec. 19.

Senior Jasmine Torbor understood perfectly the connection between her phone and higher stress level.

"I'm a senior and we're sending out college applications. I'm constantly checking emails to see if a colleges have accepted me, and it's causing stress. I can't sleep," Torbor said.

Yet there's been barely any stress from being without a phone for an hour a day. The students are using that time on school work or family.

"I'm reading 'Catcher in the Rye,'" said freshman Bauston Culton. "I'm a good writer but with texting and TV, it's effecting my writing. I'm using slang words. So, reading improves my writing."

"This is a good way to talk to our families. I found out my dad is pretty cool. I talked to them about things I never talked about. They know everything, and I know everything about what's going on," said Junior Kirston Royal.

"I help my family, clean the house, other things I don't do that often," said freshman Jasmine Watson. "I learned I can communicate better with other people without the phone to see how my friends and family are doing."

Family bonds are strengthening and so is the feeling of community on Tech's campus.

"When you put down your phones and talk to each other, be friends, you have more school spirit because you communicate with each other and be together," said sophomore Andrew Vu.

"If they just talk to someone, it'll be okay. and that's a way of breaking out school spirit," said Royal.

The challenge to shut it down may turn out to be the best lesson of the year. 

Texas and five other states have tied for America's third-best high school graduation rate under a new system that makes nationwide data easier to compare.

Preliminary U.S. Department of Education data released Tuesday reported Texas' four-year graduation rate was 86 percent for the Class of 2011.

That's the same as Tennessee, New Hampshire, Indiana, Nebraska and North Dakota.

It was one percentage point behind Vermont and Wisconsin, while Iowa led the nation with 88 percent.

Texas was No. 1 in the country among on-time graduation rates for white and Asian students, and tied for first with Montana in black-student graduation rates.

Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams applauded the results. He said they prove "our public schools are delivering a high quality education and our students are having great success."

It was the "best day of the year" for the Plano Independent School District's Education Foundation.

"Grant patrol" teams took to the streets Wednesday morning, rewarding 22 district teachers with resources to fund innovative education programs.

"This was a complete shock," said Belinda Kinney, a Mathews Elementary School second-grade teacher.

Kinney's grant proposal, Think is the New Pink, is for an after-school program for girls promoting science, technology, engineering and math.

"It definitely makes it possible," she said.

The foundation can provide $100,000 worth of funding this year. The money is 100 percent funded by private donations from individuals and corporate sponsors.

"We can step up and bring back some of the things that were actually cut because of the budget issues," said Lisa Raskin, a former president of the PISD Education Foundation. "They are out-of-the-box thinking. they are new programs the kiddos would not be exposed to unless these teachers went and did this on their own."

A large group of future engineers are gathering this week in North Texas. The FIRST Robotics Competition Dallas is getting ready to begin at the Irving Convention Center.

FIRST stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology."

For six weeks, Alex Sandro Sene from Brazil said he spent countless hours on his team's newest creation.

"A lot of nights without sleep because we have to work on the robot... it's exhausting work," he said.

Program Manager Carolina Azevedo said the ninth through 12th graders work on creating a robot that can compete in a given task.

"They gave them the game, which in this year is going to be Frisbees," Azevedo said, "So they have certain field with point levels and they have to get their robots to be able to make points. And the robot also has to be able to climb a pyramid."

72 regional competitions take place in 48 states and seven foreign countries. Every team is looking for a spot at the national championship next month in St. Louis.

Azevedo said more visibility and success at competitions like this could lead to scholarships for many students.

"This is the generation that will be building our next phones and cars and different technologies," she said.

17-year-old Wesley Tavares said it was his third year participating in the competition. He said each year gave him an opportunity to learn from within his team as well as from those around him.

"Learning how to come up with different ideas, I've learned throughout my years that no idea is impossible. You just got to work with it." Tavares said.

The two-day competition began Friday morning.

More: FIRST Robotics Competition

Regular wellness checkups aren’t just helping some North Texas kids stay healthy they are also helping them excel at reading.
 
Parkland Health and Hospital System is teaming up with the national literacy campaign "Reach Out and Read" to help low income kids be more successful in school.

Reading for 9-year-old Kevin Vega is opening up a whole new world as he reads and waits in the lobby of the pediatric wing of deHaro-Saldivar Health Center in Dallas

"I can imagine stuff in the real world that you cannot do," said Vega.

His primary language is Spanish and his second language is English and it's books he gets for free at the health center during his checkups that help him excel at both.

The Reach Out and Read program encourages parents to read to their kids between 6 months and 5 years old and sometimes donations of more advanced books allow older kids here like Vega to continue the success they’ve started.

"It helps you with your vocabulary," said Vega.

He's a 4th grader who can now read at a 6th grade level in English and an 8th grade level in Spanish.

While the program is helping him, it’s also helping his mom Adriana Vega.

"Reading isn't only helpful to him it is helpful to me. I've been learning English too you know when I'm reading with him," said Vega.

The program is also credited with helping Latino children who are at risk of performing poorly in school excel like Vega, all by simply giving away something so fundamental for free.

The family of a U.S. Marine who died serving in Afghanistan made another significant gift to Texas Christian University.

Lance Cpl. Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt told his father before he left TCU to join the Marines that he wanted half of his life insurance policy to go to the university if he died while serving his country.

"Not too many young men volunteer to go to Afghanistan twice," said his father, David Schmidt. "The second time because he was the most senior sniper and he didn't want to send his buddies over there without him, so he was a very special individual, and we want to honor him, and he loved TCU."

His son's name is now on a plaque at TCU's Veteran's Plaza.

The Schmidt family is creating a million-dollar, endowed professorship in the Marine's name in the university's history department.

Fundraising is beginning after Schmidt's $100,000 contribution.

"Ideally, what we would like to see is a professor here who studies the affect of war on societies," David Schmidt said. "I haven't talked to the dean about that yet."

AddRan College of Liberal Arts Dean Andy Schoolmaster said the new position would help the university recruit the best students and researchers to campus.

"It also influences when we're recruiting regular faculty members that folks want to come and work with people who're so well-known and recognized in their disciplines, so we think this is just an extremely important and wonderful way to remember Benjamin and honor him," Schoolmaster said.

Click here for more information on how to contribute to the professorship.

Fort Worth Independent School District says while it's still early in one of its newest endeavors, there are already signs of success.

The district launched the Gold Seal Programs of Choice two years ago, which allows students, in addition to their required classes, to pick an area of study or focus, like aviation, culinary arts or biomedical sciences.

For students at the Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences, or TABS, they chose to take on a rigorous area of study as their program includes includes work at UNT Health Sciences Center and Tarrant County College. But the students that chose to come here, knew what they were getting into and know what they want to do.

"I hope to become a pediatrician," said Rachel Donison, a TABS freshman.

"I hope to become a physician, a surgeon," said Nicholas Muga, a TABS Sophomore. "But don't quite know what my specialty would be. That's part of the reason why I came here, I want to explore different careers."

The Gold Seal Programs and Schools of Choice allows all students to pick a school or program to explore their future careers and often gain college credit in the process.

There are three schools of choice and 13 programs for high school students. And between middle and elementary school students, they can choose between nine schools and nine programs.

"We are responding to the interests of students and responding to the interests of parents," said Michael Sorum, the district's deputy superintendent of teaching and learning.

He said the program offers magnet school quality programs to all of the district's students. And while it's only the second year of the program, students are already buying in.

"They are driven to do well, they want to do well in anatomy and physics and pre-calc, they also want to do well in my class, mainly because they value their grades," said TABS English teacher Amie Sheffer.

"The results from last year were very successful and we'll know that we'll continue to grow and be successful," said Troy Langston, TABS principal.

While individual student success on campuses are evident, the district says the real sign of success is in the interest in the program.

"We're really encouraged," Sorum said. "Last year we had thousands of applicants within the district, that was our second year of recruiting. Not only did we have thousands within the district we had 500 applicants from private schools and 200 applicants from districts outside the Fort Worth Independent School District."

Sorum says the program and the courses offered has the potential to improve graduation rates and give students a reason to succeed in other classes as well.

"If this can be a hook for a student, just like athletics can be a hook for students, fine arts can be a hook for students, many programs in gold seal initiatives are hooks for students," Sorum said.

The programs real goal though is to prepare students for when they leave the district, be it for a career or college.

"We call it gold, because it's money in the bank," Sorum said. "It's either increases students' earning power or saves on the bank account when going into college."

And while it may be a few years before the district knows the true impact of choice these students are already on board.

"It was going to offer opportunities like no other school would," said Muga.

"It was a really good opportunity," Donnison said.

The district is preparing to start its third application cycle. Presentations on the program to students and parents begin in November. Applications are due in January. For more information, click here. 

The Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center in Dallas is a world-class high school that is consistently recognized for academic excellence. Now Townview's School of Science and Engineering has been awarded Intel's School of Distinction Award for the best high school math program in the country.

Only five schools in the United States received the award, and Townview SEM was the only school in Texas recognized.

Along with the title came $75,000 to advance programs at the school. SEM got $5,000 for being a finalist, $5,000 for winning and a $65,000 award package that includes hardware, software and curriculum materials.

"It's validation that what we are doing here works," said senior Sydney Quade who hopes to be a chemist working on new medicines and curing diseases.

This year SEM was ranked No. 4 in Newsweek's list of America's Best High Schools 2012 and No. 3 on the Washington Post's Most Challenging High Schools list.

The Blue Ridge Independent School District has undergone a transformation over the past five years.

When superintendent Todd Lintzen arrived in town, he said the state was ready to throw the book at the district.

"The high school was labeled academically unacceptable," he said.

Lintzen said the district was in financial distress and was struggling with academic achievement, behavior problems and a lack of parental involvement.

This year DeSoto High School changed its name to Desoto University in hopes of raising student achievement and making students more serious about their classwork.

The rebranding better aligns the school with the college-prep reputation it's been building. The school added six academies including liberal arts, law and business.

The school's campus also expanded by a whopping 165,000 square feet.

Students say the name change has had an effect on them.

“We carry ourselves more at a higher level than others. We want to be known for having good character and good academics, just to be on a higher level than other schools,” said DeSoto senior Aubry Beal.

DeSoto students will also tell you that teachers are empowered by their enthusiasm and are open to letting them find new ways to learn.

For example, Advanced Placement English students studying for an SAT vocabulary test are all doing so in their own way. One group wrote a story incorporating the words so they could remember their meaning, another group beat-boxed a song.

Students are motivated to score high in the classroom in hopes that translates to high SAT scores that can help them get into the colleges they want.

Aspirations to go to college are what sparked the name change.

Last year's track team had some of the fastest times in the country and the team sent 40 students to college.

Teammates started calling their school “DeSoto U” and had shirts made to help raise money for the school.

Students loved the name and the shirts and administrators decided to use change the name to help develop a new culture that fosters a new level of accomplishment on campus.

Teachers in the Arlington Independent School District are not just teaching students, they are also teaching each other.

Under a new program called Professional Learning Communities, teachers of specific departments regularly meet to talk about what is and is not working in the classroom, how students are responding and to analyze data -  everything from quiz scores to parent and student surveys.

“They’ll review data, analyze that data and make very specific plans for improvement,” said Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, AISD Superintendent of schools.

“We collaborate together but we each get to be our own individual teacher in our classroom, even though we're covering the same subject matter. But we can borrow ideas from each other,” said Duane Forson, an 8th grade science teacher at Shackelford Jr. High.

Like most departments, Shackleford’s 7th and 8th grade science teachers used to spend six weeks teaching students, then they would grade them at the end of that term.

Now, they have weekly assessments with flexible lesson plans that can be adjusted daily - based on collaborations and data collected from other teachers in their department.

“So, we're not waiting to until the end of the six weeks to realize, ‘Oh my gosh, the kids don't understand the difference between density, mass and volume.’ We can address that on the fly as we go,” said Michael Allen, who teaches 7th and 8th grade science at Shackelford.

Dr. Cavazos agreed. “That's critical because we know that the improvement of student’s performance or the improvement of a department or a system needs to be very frequent.” 

Not to mention, across all levels. Teachers now look at trends among all science students, for example, as opposed to just one class.

“In the 8th grade we can go, 'Hey, remember in the 7th grade learning this?' So, it allows a lot of dialog between the levels but also among the 8th grade teachers, what's working for you, what's not working, what do we need to go back and reteach?” said Allen.

Shackelford Principal Andrew Hagman said that allows not only students to do their best, but teachers to do theirs too.

“It allows them to get the best out of each other and it allows them to get the best for the kids out of each other.”

The largest network of high performing charter schools in North Texas has come a long way. Uplift Education started in the 1990s with a small school in Irving.

Throughout the years it has grown into an education enterprise with 26 schools on 12 campuses and more than 7000 students. The schools have been gaining a lot of national attention.

North Hills Preparatory in Irving was recently ranked the 10th best public school in America by Newsweek and The Washington Post.

1,500 students attend the kindergarten through 12th grade at North Hills Preparatory in Las Colinas. They represent more than 50 different countries.

"Going down the hall, sometimes you hear different languages being spoken. And because we have a really multicultural and diverse campus," said Senior Arina Favilla.

Favilla is from Brazil and has been attending this school since she was in the first grade. She said she couldn't imagine learning anywhere else.

"You get a lot of that one-on-one attention with the teacher which helps a lot, especially when you are struggling with a concept or when you are preparing for the AP or IB exams," she said.

The college-prep school prides itself on setting the bar high for every student.

Hundreds of students' lives will get a lot easier in the Irving Independent School District thanks to a state grant to provide Internet access for students who currently don't have the service at home.

Starting as early as next month, close to 250 students at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center will be able to check out wireless internet devices.

Teacher John McFarland said students need access to the internet as more classes require online participation.

"All of our teachers are using Project Share, so we use that to post notes, and activities, and lessons," said McFarland.

He hoped the $125,000 state grant will help keep the students better connected.

Sophomore Ruben Meza said not having internet at home also forces him to maximize his hours on campus. "Every day I go through a course where I take 11 classes a day, three of them being online," he said.

"I have to wake up early and 7:30am, and sometimes I can't so I get behind," said senior Vianney Galindo.

McFarland said the grant will help students progress in their online courses, even while off campus.

"They can catch up on work, they can move ahead, they can get on the internet and research for projects and papers they need to when they run out of time here at school," he said.

The grant program was established by the 82nd Texas Legislature in Senate Bill 6, section 32.201.

Its goal is to ensure that all students, including economically disadvantaged students, have dedicated access to a personal technology device.

Northwest Independent School District is leading the pack in digital learning, and its superintendent is being recognized for the success.

Dr. Karen Rue received the 2012 Bayard H. Friedman Hero Award for being the most outstanding superintendent in North Texas. 

Rue remains hands-on as students evolve and a school district rapidly expands around her.

"We have said hello to 17,700 students this year," Rue said.

Rue became Northwest ISD's superintendent seven years ago. Since then, the district has gained 10,000 students, and it's growth that attracted Rue. She calls it an opportunity to create.

"We are literally building a school system, communities, together," Rue said.

As the district develops, Rue has turned classrooms into laboratories of learning.

"We have changed the tools we have for use in the classrooms," Rue said. "They are literally digital platforms. The kids have everyday access to iPads and to computers. The teachers use a completely digital teaching platform."

It has not been an easy journey. Northwest ISD spans 14 cities and three counties. As school districts across the state face budget cuts, superintendents must deal with the challenge.

Rue said Northwest ISD has been reduced $22 million in state funding in the past two years. Despite these cutes, she said they have found ways to keep focus on the classroom.

"We are finding ways to sustain what we are doing by thinking differently about the operational side of the district," Rue said.

It is her determination to keep up with technology and a culture that is built on instant information that is building her reputation.

"We have a district filled with people who have caught the vision," Rue said.

NBC 5 and Score a Goal in the Classroom hand out the Bayard H. Friedman Hero Award each year.

A relatively new program in the McKinney Independent School District is taking off with its students.

In its first year, the aviation and avionics elective had about 40 students enrolled.

However, this year, the district had to cap enrollment at 250.

“I’ve definitely been looking forward to getting a pilot’s license more than a driver’s license,” said McKinney Boyd Junior Jimmy Bauder, who eventually wants to become a commercial pilot.

Students like Bauder get in-class instruction five days per week as an introduction to the industry.

Eventually, they qualify for ground school and, at age 18, may apply for a pilot’s license.

“When I’m up, I don’t get nervous at all,” Bauder said about times he’s flown with neighbors and friends. “You’re just floating and you can see for miles.”

Fellow classmate, McKinney Boyd senior Robyn Pope, says she is looking for a career in the military.

“This program has really pushed me in that direction and really given me a lot of inspiration,” she said.

She’ll soon begin studying for her pilot’s license.

Program founders Fritz Mowery and Alejandro House are funding the program.

Mowery says he had been thinking about starting a class for years, since he began mentoring an at-risk young man by teaching him to fly.

“It changed his whole life course,” he said.

House says the in-school training also lays a foundation for beyond graduation, even if a student doesn’t immediately pursue college.

“They can actually start working in jobs that are paying 35, 50 dollars per hour, right out of high school,” he said.

The program is a nonprofit – and its sponsors say they are looking for alternate funding streams as well.

Garland Independent School District students are getting a foot in the door on their future, before they even step out of the classroom. The district is expanding several programs to get students ready for the real world and an administrator is celebrating a big achievement for his vision.

The district is adding several technical programs, like auto-technology and welding, and doubling the student capacity for cosmetology in response to a growing demand to keep students of top of their job skills.

Director of Career and Technical Education Phillip Gilbreath said the district is emphasizing two things, college preparation and practical job training.

"Learning is lifelong, so students coming out of high school are going to have to go on and get some kind of education or training in the future regardless of what they do," said Gilbreath.

For the first time since 1975, the district is doubling the student capacity and lab space for the cosmetology program from 40 to 80 students.

"I believe it's working because the students want to be here, they don't have to be here like they have to be in their algebra classes, they choose to be here," said instructor Shawnda Rodgers. "They choose to be here, so they choose to be on task and they choose to be on time and they get to choose what they want to be when they're adults."

Students like Alma Olguin come out will a license to work once they pass the state board exam.

"I thought this could be something to help me pay for college once I graduate," said Olguin.

The auto body and collision curriculum is adding a new auto-technology program. Already several students have jobs at dealerships in Garland.

"It will really help me if I want to go into the industry," said automotive student Alec Austin.

Gilbreath won the Texas' Outstanding Administrator in Career and Technical Education and he wants to make sure his vision and initiatives translate into a life of possibilities.

"I love to see a student come out with a skill and pride in what they learn and what they do, so they can use it in the years to come," said Gilbreath.

The district is also building a new Health and Sciences Building at Naaman Forest High School.

Grand Prairie's city and school district leaders are making a series of videos highlighting the importance of water safety after a series of drownings this summer at Joe Pool Lake.

The videos are part of a year-long "Learn to Swim" initiative.

Superintendent Dr. Susan Simpson Hull hit the waves Friday morning with Grand Prairie's Chief of Police Steve Dye.

They hoped more people will pay attention to their important messages if they're out in the element.

"We can show everybody by example. Number one, you're going to have to learn how to swim if you're going to be out in the water, and then number two, be smart and wear your life jacket. That's why they call it a life jacket, because they save lives," said Chief Dye.

The school district is working with a number of city departments to create a series of promotional videos emphasizing water safety.

Chief Dye teamed up with the Parks and Recreation Department this summer to offer free life vests for visitors to borrow at the lake.

"Unfortunately we had five drownings at the lake this summer. However that's down three. Last summer we had eight," said Chief Dye.

The Parks and Recreation Department also teamed up with GPISD to start a water safety imitative.

"This fall, we're going to start with basic water safety, where we teach the kids some ways to be safe around the pool and safe around the lake without actually getting in the water," said Dr. Simpson Hull.

She also said eight elementary schools will offer free swimming courses to all of their students.

"We led the nation I think in drownings this year in Texas with the heat, and we can't take any more chances on our kids not being safe," she said.

The videos will be made available online and throughout the city via public access channels.