Author: The Hub

From stability balls for ADHD students and math games to classroom tablets for English Language Learners, 125 Dallas ISD teachers got a #BestSchoolDay Surprise on March 28: their classroom project request on the nonprofit website DonorsChoose.org was “flash funded.” Ripple, a San Francisco-based technology company, and its executives announced a $29 million donation to fund every classroom project request on the site. As part of that surprise funding, 175 projects from Dallas ISD teachers were funded, totaling $134,370. Combined with previous citizen and corporate donations, $181,022 in Dallas ISD classroom supplies and resources were supported. “Donations from DonorsChoose make a huge…

Three projects from 20 Dallas ISD high schools participating in the Aspen Challenge have emerged as winners and will compete against others from Philadelphia – this year’s other partner city – in June at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colo. On Tuesday, March 27, Dallas high schools presented their projects for judging. Learn more about the Dallas Aspen Challenge here. Emmett J. Conrad High School’s “I.M.P.A.C.T.” project, along with “Mobility 4 All” from Moisés E. Molina and “Dreamers Not Criminals” from Sunset high schools, are the top Dallas projects. Members of the Molina team (shown above) focused their project…

A special reception at City Hall honored the teachers and leaders at Dallas ISD ACE campuses who have dramatically improved student learning over the past three years. The ACE program, which stands for Accelerating Campus Excellence, boosts student achievement by staffing struggling schools with strong leaders and high-performing teachers. The reception held March 27 showed appreciation to these teachers and campus leaders. “We are celebrating how we are closing the achievement gap and ensuring all students have excellent schools in Dallas ISD,” said Jolee Healey, the Dallas ISD assistant superintendent overseeing the ACE program. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings thanked the…

A new editorial from the Dallas Morning News details the positive ways Dallas ISD is emphasizing social and emotional learning with younger students to help address any underlying mental-health issues that could lead them to act out in class. The editorial details how Dallas ISD and Big Thought, with a grant from the Wallace Foundation, are “training elementary school teachers to help students understand what’s happening in their brains and how to better handle their emotions.” https://thehub.dallasisd.org/2017/07/25/dallas-isd-and-big-thought-to-receive-wallace-foundation-grant-to-foster-childrens-social-and-emotional-learning/ Go here to read the full Dallas Morning News editorial and see other ways Dallas ISD is addressing behavioral issues through social and…

More than 500 students attended an interactive reading event that brought books and learning to life. The Dallas ISD Reading and Language Arts Department hosted Read for Me at Adamson High School on Saturday, March 24. The event featured more than 40 different sessions for children of all ages and their parents and more than 10,000 books were given away. Special guests included renowned author and researcher, Dr. Alfred Tatum; authors and former NFL players, Nate Livings and Langston Moore; and book characters Cat in the Hat and Curious George. “We are so appreciative of all of the community partners…

Stonewall Jackson Elementary School hosted a deaf education reunion on March 24 to bring together 60 years of current and former deaf education students. Deaf education students shared stories and memories at the reunion. Leading up to the reunion, the school live livestreamed its announcements on March 23 with deaf education students providing sign language, including for the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge. Watch the announcements here.

Nine Dallas ISD National Academy Foundation academies have achieved special designations this year from NAF among nearly 200 others recognized across the country. There were more than 100 “Model” schools determined by NAF’s annual assessment. That designation recognizes academies that deliver high-quality educational experiences. Sixty-nine academies in the network reached the “Distinguished” level, which is the network’s highest level of achievement. 2018 Distinguished academies include: W.H. Adamson Academy of Finance Emmett J. Conrad Academy of Hospitality and Tourism Emmett J. Conrad Academy of Finance Emmett J. Conrad Academy of Engineering Emmett J. Conrad Academy of Health Sciences Thomas Jefferson Academy of…

La Junta Escolar de Dallas ISD aprobó la apertura de dos escuelas de transformación nuevas con modelos de aprendizaje que han tenido éxito en otros planteles. Las escuelas abrirán en agosto de 2018. Sam Houston Elementary School ofrecerá aprendizaje personalizado que se asemejará al modelo exitoso que se utiliza en Dan D. Rogers Elementary School. Los estudiantes que actualmente cursan los grados 2º a 4º en Sam Houston Elementary School podrán seguir asistiendo a la escuela, siguiendo el mismo modelo que se ha utilizado hasta el momento. Los estudiantes que actualmente están inscritos en prekínder a 1er grado comenzarán el…

Dallas ISD is expanding an initiative that helps boost student achievement by staffing struggling schools with strong leaders and high-performing teachers. The district launched the ACE program, which stands for Accelerating Campus Excellence, in the 2016–2017 school year at seven historically low-performing schools. Dallas ISD this school year added an additional six schools to the ACE program. With ACE campuses showing significant improvement in student achievement, the district is building on this success by bringing these additional six schools into the ACE program for the 2018–2019 school year: Cesar Chavez Learning Center Paul L. Dunbar Learning Center L.L Hotchkiss Elementary…

Dallas ISD trustees approved opening two new transformation schools in August with learning models that have been successful on other campuses. Students have until April 30 to go here and apply to these two new schools. Sam Houston Elementary will become a personalized learning campus that will mirror the successful model of Dan D. Rogers Elementary School. Students currently in grades 2–4 at Houston Elementary can stay at the campus under the same elementary school model as previous years, while students currently in grades pre-K­­-2 will start under the personalized learning model next school year. Meanwhile, Onesimo Hernandez Elementary will become…