Author: Messaging and Marketing

What does exemplary teaching look like? What does it sound like? How do students act and respond in a classroom where it’s occurring? And how do administrators become proficient at objectively measuring the characteristics of effective teaching? Principals, assistant principals and other staff who coach and evaluate teachers are in class themselves this week discussing these and similar topics at the Teacher Excellence Initiative Certification training at W.H. Adamson High School. The weeklong professional development session is aimed at making administrators keenly aware of what they should be looking for when conducting spot observations of teachers. The training is also…

Before he was elected to the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees, Dan Micciche’s volunteer efforts at a district school challenged him to dig deep to help students succeed. Through his law firm’s involvement, he helped create a tutoring program that would change students’ lives. Today, Micciche’s efforts to develop an instructional tutoring program using volunteers is taking root across the district. The Advocate magazine caught up with Micciche to highlight how the program has already made a difference in District 3. Advocate magazine: How a volunteer tutoring program transformed a neighborhood school Advocate magazine: Q&A: DISD Trustee Dan Micciche on…

The Dallas Independent School District will host its eighth-annual Districtwide College and Career Fair for all high school juniors and seniors and their parents 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Ellis Davis Fieldhouse, 9191 S. Polk St., Dallas, TX 75232. The college fair is free and provides many benefits to students and parents, including supporting the district’s stated purpose to educate and graduate students ready for college and the workforce. Important Information: • To attend, contact your counselor. • For information about the fair, call (972) 925-3505. • Pre-registration deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 10. • Transportation will be provided…

The Health and Physical Education department wants schools to get students up and moving and to increase their awareness and practice of healthy nutrition and physical activity. To make it happen, the department has developed a full year’s calendar of activities as part of its Coordinated School Health Initiative, or the CATCH program. A program to help keep kids healthy isn’t just a good idea, it’s actually mandated by Texas Education Code for grades K-8.  Full details of the program are online. The annual CATCH calendar combines a list of national observances, local events, daily themes, and character education tie-ins.…

Pamela Taylor’s first teaching job was 14 years ago in the L.G. Pinkston High School Reconnect Center. She enjoyed teaching, but struggled with the challenging nature of the program. One evening nearly four years into her role at Pinkston, she saw a ticker across the bottom of her television saying that there was a shortage of school librarians, and she knew what her next step would be. “I immediately began pursuing my certification to become a librarian. I’ve always loved reading and knew this was where I could make a difference,” said Taylor. She and her husband relocated to Louisiana…

Zero teacher vacancies for the start of the 2014-2015 school year was the goal of Dallas ISD’s Human Capital Management department. “To be able to reach that goal, we had to change our mindset, “said Tony Muñoz, executive director of Human Capital Management. The department came incredibly close to reaching its goal as there are currently no bilingual teacher vacancies, and only 17 teacher vacancies districtwide — many of which are in Career and Technology Education (CATE) courses. CATE teachers are required to have experience in specialized fields (such as cosmetology, automotive, etc.) and those positions can be challenging to…

In the span of 60 seconds, one’s life can change in many ways. What if students chose to use those 60 seconds to read? That is just what Dallas ISD librarians are hoping to achieve when International Literacy Day (ILD) lifts off on Monday, Sept. 8. The worldwide event, sponsored by the International Reading Association, will encourage students to read for an additional 60 seconds each day for 60 days. The hope is that by the end of the 60 days, students will have formed a reading habit that will continue throughout the school year. The theme for this year’s…

Join us in congratulating the Business Management Center HS Class of ‘89 (formerly Crozier Tech) for celebrating its 25th Class Reunion this weekend! Thanks to Jacqueline Edwards, a current #DallasISD staff member, for taking us back down memory lane with some photos from school days with her classmates. #ThrowbackThursday

Dallas ISD’s annual college fair aims to increase students’ awareness of the benefits of attending college, and to get families face to face with the representatives of the higher education institutions that are expected to participate in this year’s event. The free fair is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at Ellis Davis Field House, 9191 Polk St. Dallas ISD Counseling Services Executive Director Dr. Sylvia Lopez said the event is all about exposure to the world of college, increasing awareness and providing opportunities for students to talk directly with college admissions staff. “The fair introduces our…