Grand Prairie, Texas – Trinity Basin Preparatory (TBP) a public, open-enrollment charter school that serves students throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex from Pre-K to 12th grade, is marking its 25th year by opening its newest campus in Arlington, welcoming students at the start of the new term in August.
The Arlington campus, which has a total of 51 classrooms to accommodate up to 984 students, will serve students in grades PK3 to 8th. This brings the total number of TBP’s campuses to 13, and is the newest example of TBP developing a local community school to serve the needs of all students. With the DFW area having a high concentration of economically disadvantaged students, as well as students speaking English as a second language (ESL), TBP ensures that its educational programs and facilities adequately meet the needs of its students and their families.
“For the past 25 years, Trinity Basin Preparatory has been providing top-notch charter school education to children in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex,” TBP Chief Development Officer Brandon Duck said. “Our mission is to provide a learning environment where students are inspired to do more, expect more, and be more, and we are devoted to providing the care that leads to lasting student success.”
While education can be a pathway to a better life and a more secure future for one’s family, there are many barriers children from different backgrounds face throughout their educational journey. Challenges facing children may lead to a higher risk of negative outcomes in academic achievement as well as future employment, earnings and even life expectancy.
TBP understands how these challenges can affect students in the long term, which is why TBP requires many of its teachers to be ESL certified and classrooms maintain smaller class sizes to allow teachers to deeply engage with students. TBP schools also focus on overall student wellbeing to help pupils acquire and effectively apply knowledge, attitudes and skills, such as managing emotions, empathy, goal-setting, positive relationships and responsible decision-making.
Ultimately, TBP strives to create a culture of positive interdependence through shared goals and experiences of collective success, relying on data, expert knowledge and partnerships with local nonprofits to help both students and teachers overcome the daily obstacles they face.
“We continually expand our partnerships with local non-profits, with the goal of helping families, and improving our students' academic success,” Duck said. “We invest in school programs, such as music and art, which happen during and after the school day. We continue to acquire and install more modern playground equipment to help keep students physically active and we partner with healthcare organizations to provide free and discounted healthcare to students, including optical, dental and physical exams. These partnerships reduce the financial burden families usually encounter and help ensure students come to school better prepared to learn.”
According to Duck, a significant issue faced by students is coming to school hungry, which is one reason why TBP offers free breakfast and lunch for all of its students. He adds that, due to the social isolation caused by the pandemic, today’s students are behind in their development of social skills, so students’ social-emotional wellbeing is a priority.
Rhithm, a digital assessment tool TBP implemented to assess students’ daily emotional state, provides immediate feedback regarding the emotional wellbeing of students and staff. At the start of each school day, students use Rhithm to answer several questions about their current state of mind using emojis, helping them reflect on their feelings. This daily practice provides teachers with quick and impactful assessment data about their students, allowing them to adapt their teaching programs for the day, creating a dynamic that will help maximize learning by taking each student’s emotional needs into account.
Heart of America, a nonprofit organization that transforms spaces into modern, high-impact learning environments that facilitate learning and growth of students and communities, handled the interior design of TBP’s Arlington campus, ensuring the space is all new and purpose-built around educational best practices. Classroom chairs are flexible and molded with proper ergonomics in mind, layouts can be easily reconfigured to fit a specific class’ needs and each room has current technology including a Promethean board combining the functionalities of a whiteboard, blackboard, touchscreen computer and television in one.
Best practices from the field of educational psychology also inform the finishings of the building. For example, most of the Arlington campus’ walls are painted in a light bluish gray, which is less harsh on the eyes than the typical white. The color also improves concentration, maintains focus at the front of the room, and provides a calming effect. Other furniture and equipment, such as tables, classroom decor and library furniture, are specially designed to be multipurpose and conducive to comfort and learning.
“We’re excited to begin welcoming students to our Arlington campus this August,” Duck said. “Our newest campus is purpose-built and features innovative and evidence-based high-quality curriculums to help guide students in their pursuit of academic success.
Media contact:
Name: Seth Phillips
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