Three Dallas ISD schools earn National Blue Ribbon honors

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Three Dallas ISD schools have earned the National Blue Ribbon School award! Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Early College High School, and Edward Titche Elementary School are the district winners.

The U.S. Department of Education awards the Blue Ribbon recognition to schools where students perform at very high levels or where exemplary progress is being made toward closing achievement gaps.

Titche Elementary School

Damien Stovall, who served as principal of Titche Elementary until becoming a Dallas ISD executive director this school year, said he is still in disbelief about the Blue Ribbon nomination. After constantly being rated as one of the state’s lowest-performing campuses and facing closure in 2017 if it didn’t meet state standards, Titche Elementary underwent a tremendous transformation as part of the Accelerating Campus Excellence Initiative, which incentives high-performing teachers and campus leaders to voluntarily work at low-performing schools.

Stovall and current principal Jazmune Jenkins shared a joint statement congratulating the students, parents, staff and community on the incredible accomplishment.

“They truly deserve all the recognition, accolades and more. They are proof of what can happen when everyone believes and works towards the same goal,” Jenkins and Stovall said. “With resilience and grit, staff continue to overcome the many barriers and obstacles and are the epitome of equity in action. It is amazing and unbelievable what has happened and continues to happen at Edward Titche. While it hasn’t been easy, it’s always worth it. This honorable mention is just one example of that.”

Lassiter students on their way to class last year.

Meanwhile, Lassiter ECHS earned its second Blue Ribbon nomination in six years. Principal Michael St. Ama said the Blue Ribbon nomination is a testament to the school’s culture and community support.

“This group of students is so motivated to work hard and be successful, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “We push our teaching and our focus to ensure our students achieve on the highest level.”

Lorena Hernandez, who served as the Longfellow principal and is now an executive director with Dallas ISD, said the school, which also last earned a Blue Ribbon award in 2014, promotes student leadership at every opportunity.

“The school is building leaders, not just students who excel at academics,” Hernandez said. “And this Blue Ribbon recognition lets the students, teachers, and families know that our commitment to excellence has paid off.”

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