Rowlett, TX:
My most recent charter school tour across Texas brought me to the “#1 Small City in America to Move To” – Rowlett, Texas. It is here where I landed at Education Center International Academy (ECIA).

ECIA has been serving students in the Dallas area (Rowlett and Sunnyvale) since 2001. As I migrated through the campus, one could easily see that its class sizes were small and my tour guide Bob, the school’s Assistant Superintendent, knew each and every student.  Students’ smiling faces appeared as I stepped into each classroom. There was definitely an upbeat learning aura abode.

The campus houses approximately 200 students and employs teachers and administrators with a multitude of nationalities that help educate its diverse set of students. Parent participation is high, which helps further engage students to learn.

This campus will never grow larger than its 200 or so students it serves in Kindergarten through 8th Grade. The small size is critical to its mission of providing tools and resources to its population. One such example of innovation I found was a university professor teaching ECIA students in Computer Science.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Bryan, TX
It is a Wednesday in early December as I wind down the road to Bryan Texas – where I find “The Good Life – Texas Style” just down the street from Texas A&M. It is here where I pulled into 410 Bethel Lane – the home of the Brazos School for Inquiry and Creativity’s Bryan campus.

The school is nestled amongst a quaint neighborhood. As I stroll through the campus with Principal Chris, its 145 students are located in a microcosm of a university. Classrooms are placed in such a way that you have the feeling that you are walking through a college campus. Class sizes for all students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade are intentionally small in an effort to help foster a pristine learning environment.