A hybrid model is best-fit for many

Housed in the brick building of the former Stephen J. Hay Elementary School, Dallas Hybrid Preparatory Academy may seem like another neighborhood school but it’s far from traditional. When it opened in 2021, with only 68 students, Dallas Hybrid became the first public school in Texas to offer a hybrid model that allows students to attend classes virtually and in person.

Designed for third through eighth grades, Dallas Hybrid is the brainchild of Chief Academic Officer Angie Gaylord, who noticed high levels of anxiety among students, especially coming out of the pandemic.  While this model is not suited for every family, it serves students with social or emotional needs who may not thrive in a conventional five-day-a-week classroom setting, said Dallas Hybrid Principal Lucia Salinas. 

“Many of our kids have previously been homeschooled. About 20% of our students have special needs, including a large percentage with autism,” Salinas said. “We’ve had so many stories about kids who were not thriving in other campuses, and they’re thriving now.”

For parents like Wendy Caltrone, whose son James A. is now an eighth grader, Dallas Hybrid is “the next step up from homeschooling—a gentle transition into a mo

re conventional form of schooling and even college.” 

James has made so much progress at the school, Caltrone said, that he was named the most improved student in seventh grade last year. 

“It just made my heart full,” Caltrone said while remembering her son’s recognition. “It’s the most eclectic group of kids you’ll ever see all over the place, and they just mesh well.” 

Salinas, who has been in her current role since 2023, said Dallas Hybrid also imitates a university model, with children working synchronously remotely on Mondays and Wednesday, in person on Tuesday and Thursday, and asynchronously remotely on Fridays. 

“On Fridays, the kids work asynchronously, which gives them flexibility, because we have kids involved in sports and hobbies or who meet with their therapists,” said Salinas.

On days students attend in person, the day begins in the student hub known as the Maker Space where they socialize and eat breakfast. Elementary and middle school students enter through different areas and have separate spaces. All students then spend the morning in lessons, covering the four core content areas while the afternoons are reserved for electives. 

“This is another piece of innovation we offer here at Hybrid, connecting learning to real-life projects,” said Salinas. “We have everything from Creative AI to CSI in the classroom. We even have a sports franchise elective that looks at everything that happens behind the scenes, from talent management and uniform creation to stadium design.”

The academy adopted a robust STEM-heavy curriculum as one of its primary innovations.

“We have a STEM focus. Each student has engineering for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, and we also have tech courses like drones, robotics, and problem-solving,” Salinas said.

Even classrooms do not follow a traditional arrangement. With its variously shaped furniture, the flexible seating aims to create a comfortable learning environment where students are expected to self-regulate, self-monitor, and develop self-efficacy, according to Salinas.

Because the turnover rate at the school is low, students often progress through multiple grades alongside the same classmates, creating lasting relationships. This strong sense of community is also supported by the school’s intimate size, 140 students.

“We have fewer discipline issues also because our kids own their learning,” said Salinas. “Our kids love the model and they want to stay here, so they are intentional about developing traits of accountability.”

Special education teacher Charie Malik expressed a similar sentiment: “This is like a training ground for the children to become more responsible, more accountable for their actions, and more independent.” 

The uniqueness of the hybrid model can present challenges. Unlike teachers at traditional schools, Dallas Hybrid teachers must adapt their lessons for multiple delivery modalities. 

“The lesson planning load is heavier because they have to make sure that they implement a curriculum that is state and district adopted, but also virtually friendly and adaptable,” Salina said. “They have to make adjustments and accommodations.”

Christian Weinke, who teaches technology, said student teaching in Indiana prepared him for his experience at Dallas Hybrid. 

“I did student teaching on a full campus, but it was already a hybrid schedule for me: three days of direct teaching and two days of college course work. The structure here at Dallas Hybrid fits that modality well,” he said. 

Weink said the dual environment gives him the facility to design digital curriculum on days students are not on campus. 

“The virtual days kind of gave me the stepping stone I needed to get used to the new technology and to design work there,” he said.

To William Broughton, a parent whose three children all have attended Dallas Hybrid, the teachers’ dedication is obvious. He said teachers genuinely care about their students’ success, helping them fill academic gaps and supporting them holistically. Teachers, he noted, actively work alongside parents to ensure student growth and success.

“The teachers are genuinely invested. I would say they take on the role of what a responsible parent should be,” Broughton said. “I’m a big fan of supporting the teachers, because I understand how hard it is just to manage my three children sometimes, and they are asked to deal with 20 or 30.”