Author: News and Information

Editor’s note: During the Thanksgiving holiday, The Hub will take a look back at some of the best and most popular stories from our first semester. This story was originally published on Sept. 25, 2014. Efforts to fill teaching vacancies prior to the school year are paying dividends during the Dallas Independent School District’s annual review of school staffing. Less than 1 percent of the district’s 10,000 teachers are expected to be impacted by the review. Through a process called staff leveling, teachers are transferred from a school with lower enrollment than projected to a campus that needs additional teachers. The transfer process is…

Editor’s note: During the Thanksgiving holiday, The Hub will take a look back at some of the best and most popular stories from our first semester. This story was originally published on Oct. 31, 2014. This may look like your typical doctor’s office, but in reality these are Dallas ISD students practicing for a career that has recently become the focus of much attention. Karrington Wright, a freshman at the Health Professions Magnet at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, says that despite what’s been on the news lately about Ebola, she has always wanted to work in the medical field. “I knew this…

Editor’s note: During the Thanksgiving holiday, The Hub will take a look back at some of the best and most popular stories from our first semester. This story was originally published on Aug. 22, 2014. The Dallas Independent School District’s rapid improvement in both academic and financial performance is nothing short of a miracle, according to an independent,  education research firm. ERG Analytics, a Houston-based company, annually ranks the 200 largest Texas ISDs on how well they educate students compared to the relative cost of providing that education, considering poverty and other factors. Based on 2013 data, Dallas ISD ranks 26th in ERG’s education…

Editor’s note: During the Thanksgiving holiday, The Hub will take a look back at some of the best and most popular stories from our first semester. This story was originally published on Sept. 30, 2014. Four Dallas ISD schools have been named 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The announcement was made today by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who recognized 337 schools across the nation for their academic excellence or for making exemplary progress in closing the achievement gap. Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy, Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School, Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, and School of Business…

Student achievement occurs when high-quality teachers are paired with balanced class sizes. Dallas ISD is achieving this important balance and requesting its fewest number of class size waivers since 2012. “Through Destination 2020 and the Teacher Excellence Initiative, we are making great strides in attracting, retaining and supporting the type of teachers needed to bring positive change to our classrooms,” said Ann Smisko, deputy superintendent and chief academic officer. “The plan is to place those instructors in classrooms with the right number of students in order to maximize their talents.” Dallas ISD is priming its schools for potential gains…

Board President, Miguel Solis, sits down with  Inside Texas Politics as he speaks of the district who, despite what critics may say, is academically improving. The full interview can be found in the link below. http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/23/inside-texas-politics-dallas-isd-cathie-adams-immigration/19444975/

As shared in an earlier Dallas ISD notice, staff will receive an additional two local days for a total of five. The implementation of additional local days is on an expedited timeline. However, there are some personnel and payroll systems that need to be adjusted to account for the additional days. The additional local days will be available to use effective January 1, 2015. Please note the following guidelines regarding the addition of days: The additional local days will be applied effective Jan. 1, 2015. If you were credited the original three local days on Sept. 1, 2014, two additional…

Students of Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, speak about what it means to be the first senior class of the school, and how their future is being shaped while attending the district’s only all-male school. The seniors were profiled on WFAA-TV Ch. 8, Nov. 18. You catch a glimpse of that story by clicking the link below. http://www.wfaa.com/videos/news/education/2014/11/20/19308879/

Josh Derrough-Harvey, a senior at W.H. Adamson High School was named Sports Illustrated’s High School Athlete of the Month presented by the U.S. Marine Corps. This year, Derrough-Harvey faced adversities many teens his age would never have to face. He along with his fellow teammates took pledges from men in the community, to help stop domestic violence, garnered national attention. For his efforts off the field, the national sports magazine sat down with the running back to learn about why he chose to push past the challenges in his personal life. Derrough-Harvey’s story was received by various media outlets, who wanted to capture a…

Adequate funding for Dallas ISD’s youngest students and for those who have fallen behind topped the discussion during the district’s legislative breakfast on Nov. 18. Superintendent Mike Miles spoke to approximately 40 people including Rep. Roberto Alonzo, District 104, and several legislative aides as he outlined Dallas ISD’s Legislative Agenda starting with full state funding for full-day pre-K programs and support for programs that provide remedial instruction for students who fail one or more STAAR/EOC assessments. “If we’re truly committed to ensuring every student performs on grade level by third grade and helping students accelerate learning to close the achievement gap,…