Author: The Hub

Data released today by the Texas Education Agency shows that 210 (91 percent) of Dallas Independent School District campuses met state standards, up from 190 schools in 2015 and 184 schools in 2014. In all four categories calculated by the TEA—student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness—Dallas ISD outperformed thresholds set by the state. The district’s official rating for 2016 from TEA is “Met Standard. Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said the accountability results are more evidence that the district is headed in the right direction. “Our teachers, principals, and staff can take pride in the work they…

Woodrow Wilson High School’s librarian, Valerie Tagoe, is pushing for library excellence. Tagoe was awarded the S. Janice Key Continuing Education Award from the Texas Woman’s University School of Library and Information Science this past April. The $500 award encourages professionals to continue education and development. The award helped Tagoe attend two state and national level librarian conferences as a presenter. She also had the pleasure of being selected to attend the first ever Texas Library Association Executive Leadership Program in Austin this August. Participants were selected to attend the Leadership Program through an application process that centered on a focus…

The Volunteer Department at Dallas ISD recently announced changes and enhancements to the overall volunteer experience. As of August 15, Dallas ISD Volunteer Services starts using a new volunteer management system called “VOLY.”  This system is widely used in organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and familiar to many of volunteers already in our system. Some of the great advantages of VOLY are: Easy campus check-in Browse and sign-up for opportunities from anywhere Self-Manage your own volunteer profile, including changing your school of choice or adding a school No more printing out the “You Are Cleared” letter for the school office Online…

About a dozen dads whose daughters will attend the new Solar Preparatory School for Girls this fall worked on a few projects around the school on Friday, Aug. 12. One of the projects was repurposing an old chalkboard into a hanging Lego wall in what will be the school’s art room (formerly the library) on the second floor. Green Lego squares were being glued to the surface to create a vertical building surface. Downstairs, and learning materials were being sorted to clear office space that was being painted Friday afternoon. The school, which will open with grades kindergarten through second grade,…

More than 125 incoming H. Grady Spruce High School freshmen got their first taste of Timberwolf spirit at the school’s ‘Fish Camp’ held on Tuesday, Aug. 9. More than a dozen local organizations including CiCi’s Pizza and the Southeast Dallas Chamber of Commerce joined the beginning of year momentum by providing pizza and Class of 2020 t-shirts for every incoming freshman, complete with a design by Robert Cooper, Spruce art teacher. Spruce staff and community welcomed the ninth-graders with open arms and immediately ushered them into the auditorium. There, a pep rally kicked off the half day of rotating sessions, which included…

Members of Dallas ISD’s early learning team, staff, and volunteers took to the streets on Friday to let people know in person about available pre-K opportunities in the district. The teams went door-to-door in the Dallas neighborhoods with the lowest pre-K enrollment. The staff and volunteers told residents about the critical importance of high quality pre-K, and shared how a parent could register their 3- or 4-year-old. “We want to ensure the families in these neighborhoods know the great things we are doing and that we can be a partner with them for their child,” said Derek Little, assistant superintendent of Early…

Magellan Healthcare, Dallas ISD’s mental health provider, has some helpful advice on how parents can reduce anxiety for them and their child. Share positive stories If a child expresses hesitancy about the upcoming year, he or she may get reassurance from one of the many age-appropriate books showing children overcoming their fears. Also, describe for your child how you once felt scared when starting something new. Explain how most children have these feelings, yet everything turns out fine. Promote resilience When saying goodbye to a young child each day, use a fun phrase or gesture you can share. Repeated use of…

With the first day of school less than 12 days away, events such as the New Teacher Academy and Mayor’s Back to School Fair are laying the groundwork for a successful school year. A look inside those events, and much more, are included in this week’s roundup of great district news. Watch the above video—or read below—to learn more! Student athletes score college scholarships Recently released data shows that Dallas ISD’s 2016 high school graduates earned an impressive amount of academic-athletic scholarships. See the amount of scholarships here. Mayor’s Back to School Fair Thousands of students and family members showed…

As a professional basketball player, Nancy Lieberman’s jersey number was 10. On Thursday, Aug. 11, she visited Dallas ISD’s Robert T. Hill Middle School to ask students to commit to working at least 10 hours of community service during the next year. In return, each student received one of about 300 new backpacks from Nancy Lieberman Charities. Perhaps more important, Lieberman committed her ongoing support to the school. “We’re not a one-and-done program,” she said. “I will come back to this school.” Lieberman’s professional resumé leaves no doubt that she is one of the most successful American basketball players of all…

The Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program has given Dallas ISD high school juniors and seniors real world experience in a professional field. The Hub is spotlighting some of these Dallas ISD students participating in the program. Today, meet Daniel Akwei, a student at Thomas Jefferson High School who is an intern with Dallas ISD’s Communications Department. What is your role as an intern? As an intern with the Dallas ISD Communications Department, I mostly organize articles, news, and do research for the annual reports of schools. I also help create content for Dallas ISD’s social media pages. What do you hope to accomplish through the internship?…