Author: News and Information

Dallas ISD is home to some of the nation’s top magnet schools. Students interested in attending one of these schools for the 2015-2016 school year can submit applications through January 30.    There are programs for every age level covering a variety of interests. The magnet program includes vanguards and Montessori for elementary students, academies for middle school students and magnets for high school students. For a complete list of schools and programs, visit the magnet school website. The requirements to attend magnet programs vary by school. Applications can be found online or at any Dallas ISD school. The deadline…

The Dallas Independent School District is forming a task force aimed at enhancing steps the district is currently taking to close the achievement gap for African-American students. Board of Trustees First Vice President Lew Blackburn will lead a group that will review progress made under the district’s African-American Success Initiative and explore ways to improve its outcomes. The task force announcement was made as part of a presentation on the initiative during today’s monthly Board Briefing. “I look forward to exploring ways to improve academic achievement for our African-American students,” said Dr. Blackburn. “It is incumbent upon all of us,…

Feedback continues to play a critical role in shaping Dallas Independent School District’s Teacher Excellence Initiative, the District’s new evaluation system. This week, the TEI Experts and Principal Focus groups met to discuss a number of items related to the design and implementation of TEI. In response to concerns raised by some teachers and parents, the groups considered decreasing the number of district-level exams (ACPs) for the elementary specials as well as other proposals. As a result of the feedback received from these representative groups and input from other staff members and stakeholders, the following revisions are being made to the…

Emmett J. Conrad High School’s hits a high note with its multiculural choir whose backgrounds stem from around the globe. Places like Burma, Mexico, Congo, even those students who belt out melodious lyrics from Nepal, Honduras, Somalia and even Italy are apart of the unique bunch. Though each come from a different background and their native languages may not be understood by one another, these students quickly learned the language of music is universal. In the link below, read more on the multicultural choir in an article published in the Dallas Morning News. LINK: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150105-conrad-high-s-multicultural-choir-excels-in-the-language-of-music.ece

Dallas ISD’s Thriving Minds Summer Camps receives top nods and high praise for helping more students excel in math, according to a new study by the Rand Corp. Read more on how kids who attended this enrichmnent camp avoided the “summer slide” in the link below. The study also revealed how these students were more prepared than their peers in other urban districts. The program is hosted by one of the district’s partners, Big Thought. LINK: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150105-dallas-isd-summer-program-helps-students-excel-in-math-study-finds.ece

While students prepare to return to class from winter break, principals and staff are smiling a little wider these days, as results from the Fall 2014 Dallas ISD Climate Survey are in. “I love what I do. I love my teachers. I love my school and I think that as long as you truly have a passion and you’re willing to treat people with, dignity and respect, and support them with their needs, in their learning and achieving their goals and growing – people respond to that,” said Carmela Levy-David, principal at John F. Kennedy Learning Center. Principal Carmela Levy-David…

Some Dallas Independent School District campuses were among 1,199 Texas schools identified as having underperforming test scores or unacceptable ratings under the Public Education Grant program. Approximately 71 campuses in Dallas ISD were included in the listing. In North Texas, 15 other districts have schools on the list including 39 in Fort Worth, 15 in Irving, 10 in Duncanville and nine in Arlington. SEE ALSO: TEA Public Education Grant List Under the Public Education Grant program, students at those schools may transfer to another school either in the district or any neighboring district that agrees to accept them. Schools on…

Dallas ISD recently polled parents on what school choice options they would like to see offered to their students. The survey is in. The Dallas Morning News released some of those findings on the top five new schools district parents want. Check out the full story in the link below. LINK: http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/the-5-types-of-new-schools-dallas-isd-parents-want.html/

Superintendent Mike Miles penned an article published in the Dallas Morning News, on what will make Dallas ISD a premier urban district, while looking ahead as a new year arises. LINK: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/best-southwest/headlines/20150102-looking-ahead-more-plans-to-arise-as-2020-approaches.ece

Editor’s note: During Dallas ISD’s Winter Break, The Hub will take a look back at some of the best and most popular stories. This story was originally published on Nov. 21, 2014. The Board of Trustees approved in last night’s meeting to increase the number of annual leave days, for all staff, from three to five. This change allows the district to shift back to the policy it once had in 2010. Back in the classroom… “We are tracking and really trying to look at each six weeks’, we’re doing perfect attendance,” said Onjaleke Brown. Numbers also played a big part in…