Beaver Technology Center
Encyclopedia
History
Beaver Technology Center, formerly Beaver Elementary, is named after Mrs. Edith Beaver. Mrs. Beaver and her husband, James Beaver, farmed the land where the school stands. Luke Abbett, the first principal of this school opened the doors to Edith Beaver Elementary in 1960 for 279 students and 12 teachers. The teachers did everything: library, music, art, core subjects, and lunch and recess duty for the 30 plus students in their classes. Within five short years, Beaver's population swelled to 650 students, eventually maxing out with over 800 studentsMagnet Program
Beaver Technology Center is an elementary magnet schoolMagnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
in the Garland Independent School District
Garland Independent School District
Garland Independent School District is a public school district with its headquarters in the Harris Hill Administration Building in Garland, Texas ....
located in Garland, Texas
Garland, Texas
-Climate:* The average warmest month is July.* The highest recorded temperature was in 2000.* On average, the coolest month is January.* The lowest recorded temperature was in 1989.* The maximum average precipitation occurs in May....
. Beaver Elementary opened in 1960. In 1997 it reopened as a magnet school for students who have a special interest in math, science and technology, also known as MSTs. Beaver Technology Center is one of two MSTs in Garland, serving students in west Garland, north Garland and Sachse. Watson Technology Center
Watson Technology Center
Watson Technology Center is an elementary magnet school located in Garland, Texas . Watson Technology Center enrolls students in grades K-5 and is a part of the Garland Independent School District....
, Beaver's sister school, serves east and south Garland, as well as the community of Rowlett
Rowlett, Texas
-External links:*...
.
In 2009, the school was rated "exemplary
Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system
The Texas Education Agency accountability ratings system rates all public schools, charter schools, and school districts in the State of Texas.The criteria are the same for schools and districts, and are discussed below...
" by the Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
.
Statistics (per 2010)
The attendance rate for students at the school is 95%, compared with a state average of 96%. 44% of the students at Beaver are economically disadvantaged, 9% enroll in special education, 4% enroll in gifted and talent programs.The ethnic makeup of the school is 31.8% Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, 25.7% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 29.3% White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, non-Hispanic, 20.0% Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
/Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, and less than 1% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
.
The average class sizes at Beaver are 21 students per class (with the exception of kindergarten).
Teachers at the school carry, on average, 10 years of teaching experience and 7% of the teachers on staff are first-year teachers.