International Baccalaureate-candidate and Dual Language schools, creating engaged, high-performing students that love school

A tiny spider has appeared outside Mrs. Arellano’s second-grade classroom at Arthur Kramer Elementary School, and her students are freaking out.

After the spider is dealt with, the panic turns into questions or, as they are called in the International Baccalaureate-candidate school, “wonders,” about the spider. “Where does the spider live?” “What does the spider eat?” “How long does a spider live?”

Because Arthur Kramer Elementary is involved in the International Baccalaureate program, which helps put students in char ge of their own learning, Mrs. Arellano encourages the students’ “wonders” about the arachnid.

Meanwhile, the IB program is in full effect less than three miles away at Preston Hollow Elementary. Inspirational IB murals are painted across the school, and on this particular Tuesday, students are outs ide reading in the school’s impressive new Real School Garden.

“We know from decades of research that the IB model provides a rigorous and rich curriculum that prepares our students for the demands of the 21st century,” says Mohammed Choudhury, a Dallas ISD administrator that helps to launch Choice Schools. “Through this unique model, students truly become globally minded and self-reliant learners.”

The IB program is just one way Preston Hollow and Kramer elementary schools provide educational choices for families. Kramer Elementary also offers the TwoWay Dual-Language Program that integrates English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students to create bilingual and biliterate learners. Preston Hollow Elementary will start offering the Two-Way Dual-Language Program next year.

Both schools are also environmentally minde d. Kramer Elementary has received the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon School Award for four years. The school even has baby chicks that give students first-hand learning opportunities about animals. Meanwhile, Preston Hollow Elementary has four additional outdoor learning courtyards that provide students outside-the-classroom learning and socialization opportunities.

“By offering the IB program in addition to the Dual Language component, students are able to attend a school that taps into their interests, learning styles and aspirations,” continues Choudhury. “Both Kramer and Preston Hollow have the potential to serve as playbooks for scaling innovations in teaching and learning district wide.”

Families can still tour and register their child to attend Preston Hollow and Kramer elementary schools for the 2016–17 school year. For more information about registration or to schedule a tour, contact Kramer Elementary at 972-794-8300 and Preston Hollow Elementary at 972-794-8500.