Enjoy the option of two school visits this year. Spend a day at IDA accredited Southern Methodist University or visit Shelton School and Wylie Independent School District. Buses depart from the Gaylord Texan at 8:30 a.m. Lunch is included with both visits. The school visit is $50 per person, space is limited for each tour so sign up early!
Read more about the schools below.
The Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in education with special focus on reading and writing, special education, bilingual, and gifted and talented populations. Tour participants will experience some of the technology that is currently used to train teachers. Additionally, a tour of the school’s new facility, Harold Simmons Hall, will be given before its official opening date. Tour participants will also have the opportunity to hear remarks from Dr. Suzanne Carreker, current IDA Secretary, as well as Dr. Jill Allor and Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba, SMU faculty members with research interests in special education and literacy. A luncheon and self-guided tour of the Meadows Museum will follow. The Meadows Museum collection includes masterpieces by some of the world’s greatest painters and houses one of the largest collections of Spanish art outside of Spain.
The Shelton School in North Dallas is the largest school for students with learning differences, including dyslexia and related disorders, in the world, serving over 850 students. The school’s mission is to serve and empower the lives of students who learn differently through education, evaluation, therapy, research, and outreach.
Wylie ISD is a fast-growing public school district in southern Collin County, 24 miles northeast of Dallas. WISD offers a broad range of programs, including programs for at-risk students.