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As Diverse Students Fill Frisco Schools, Learning Gaps Are A Challenge

Lara Solt
/
KERA News special contributor
Students crowd the hallway after the last bell rings at Liberty High School in Frisco.

As the city of Frisco has morphed from small town to boom town, its schools have transformed, too. These days, the majority of Frisco students are non-white. 

Teachers and administrators are responding to the demographic changes in the district — and the academic challenges and community issues that have come with those changes.

Charis Hunt stood in front of colleagues last fall and talked about how to reach the wide range of kids in Frisco schools. Hunt, who’s African American, is the school district’s director of Human Resources. She also leads its diversity task force.

The group is made up of dozens of educators, parents and other residents. Members are exploring how the district can be more inclusive. For example, the district could hire more teachers of color, and could encourage more parents to come to school events — which can be a challenge.

Read the entire story from KERA's American Graduate series: "Race, Poverty and the Changing Face of Schools."

Stella M. Chávez is KERA’s immigration/demographics reporter/blogger. Her journalism roots run deep: She spent a decade and a half in newspapers – including seven years at The Dallas Morning News, where she covered education and won the Livingston Award for National Reporting, which is given annually to the best journalists across the country under age 35.