In front of a packed room, the inaugural Dallas ISD State of the District showcased the outstanding gains the district has made over the past several years.
From a drastic decrease in low-performing schools, growing pre-K program, focus on racial equity and rapid rise of choice schools, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa detailed some of the district’s many recent noteworthy accomplishments. About 750 parents, district staff, community members and business partners attended the State of the District luncheon on Friday.
A highlight of the State of the District was the students themselves, who spoke, performed, operated a robot and led deep-breathing exercises, to name a few. An opening speech by Charles Rice Learning Center student Skye Turner and accompanying song by the Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts choir brought the crowd to its feet.
Other notable facts shared at the State of the District include:
- The Texas Education Agency gave Dallas ISD a “B” letter grade as part of its new “A through F” state accountability system;
- The district’s focus on social and emotional learning and getting more students involved in extracurricular activities is preparing the whole child for success;
- A partnership with the Dallas County Community College District and University of North Texas at Dallas has led to a huge increase in collegiate academies, where students can earn up to 60 hours of college credit or an associate degree, tuition-free, while still in high school;
- Other choice programs such as Two-Way Dual Language, STEM, and Personalized Learning provide many different learning opportunities for families.
Chief of Staff Pam Lear thanked the sponsors who made the State of the District possible. The inaugural sponsors were iStation, Achieve3000, Dallas County Community College District and Thompson & Horton LLP. Additional sponsors included KPMG and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Exhibits focusing on district initiatives and showcasing modern learning trends in classrooms were sponsored by Texas Instruments, Barnes & Thornburg, engage2learn and Sanford harmony at National University System.
