Author: The Hub

The 51 teachers at Dallas ISD’s E.D. Walker Middle School must challenge the school’s more than 700 students because most of them perform at such a high level. To aid in that goal, teachers attended Kagan professional development training to implement cooperative learning strategies. “Kagan is really just kind of a strategy for keeping students involved and working with each other,” said sociology teacher Robert Ramsey. “It tells them, ‘OK, you have 30 seconds, talk about this.’ And so their brains have to really focus really quickly and then it gives them a focus strategy to use to be able…

This week is an important time for Dallas ISD eighth-graders: they are in the middle of selecting a career endorsement that will guide the courses they take in grades 9-12 and, possibly, where they attend high school. The Pick Your Path process began on Monday with middle schools staffs escorting eighth-graders to visit exhibits and talk with high school representatives to help students choose one of five career endorsements. Legislation known as HB 5 requires students entering ninth grade to select an endorsement in Arts and Humanities; Business and Industry; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); Multidisciplinary Studies; or Public Services. Students’…

The Dallas Morning News reports that Dallas ISD’s annual financial audit shows no major material weaknesses, according to the district’s chief financial officer. Click here for the full story.

Dallas ISD is hosting another two community meetings this week to discuss proposed attendance boundary changes that could impact two sets of schools. A meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 6–7 p.m. at William Hawley Atwell Middle School, 1303 Reynoldston Lane, regarding proposed feeder pattern changes for Birdie Alexander and Ronald E. McNair elementary schools. Meanwhile, the district is also hosting a meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 6–7 p.m. at Oran Roberts Elementary School, 4919 Grand Ave., to discuss proposed attendance boundary changes of the school’s feeder pattern, which includes Roberts Elementary, Billy Earl Dade Middle School, J.L.…

Solidarity was on display as men from the community arrived at Dade Middle School for its first annual Empowered Men in Black March Against Bullying. The men and community leaders participated in the event as a way to say “not on our watch” when it comes to bullying within Dallas ISD schools. “Bullying is a problem at all schools, and we want our parents, our community, our students, and our friends to all come together so our students know we stand behind them,” said Ellyn Favors, community liaison at Dade Middle School. Dade Middle School Principal Tracie Washington said she…

As of Nov. 20, more than 78 percent of Dallas ISD seniors had applied to at least one college. Dallas ISD Goes to College Week, a weeklong push from Nov. 16–20 that encouraged district seniors to apply for colleges and universities, helped the district surpass a goal of having 70 percent of seniors apply to at least one college by Nov. 20. In addition to emphasizing that it pays to go to college, Dallas ISD Goes to College saw central staff volunteer to share their college experiences with seniors. Oscar Rodriguez, a Dallas ISD Educational Technology employee, volunteered at Dr. Wright L. Lassiter…

The entire Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School community recently gathered to celebrate the school’s National Blue Ribbon status during a schoolwide ceremony honoring students for their perseverance and teachers for their unwavering commitment and dedication to excellence. Joining in the celebration was school namesake Trinidad “Trini” Garza, a former Dallas ISD trustee and longtime education champion, along with Dallas ISD Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa, Dallas ISD Board of Trustees President Eric Cowan, and former superintendent Nolan Estes. Earlier this month, Garza principal Janice Lombardi traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the official ceremony recognizing the 339 schools…

As students filed into the Adelle Turner Elementary School cafeteria, they ran over to the empty tables topped with college pennants from schools across the country. Excited third-, fourth- and fifth-graders rapidly discussed where they planned to go college—Texas A&M, University of Texas, and the University of Chicago were among the top choices. “Oh, I want to be a Longhorn,” said one fourth-grade boy. “Well, I’m going to Prairie View A&M University,” another student emphatically replied. The students then sat down to draw and color their own pennants provided by the African American Success Initiative (AASI), a program aimed at closing…

Claudia Castro has made self-improvement a life habit. “I have always valued life-long learning, pursued personal growth and have had a deep desire to become better each day, not just professionally, but as a person,” said Castro, a self-contained kindergarten teacher at Larry G. Smith Elementary School. “As a teacher who is passionate about teaching young children, I feel a strong commitment to reach excellence so that I can make a positive impact in my students’ lives and in my community.” Castro was one of more than 245 Dallas Independent School District teachers who applied for the opportunity to attend…

In Mrs. Vadillo’s kindergarten classroom at Bethune Elementary, the start of the school day is not filled with lessons or discussions of the previous night’s homework. Instead, the school day starts on a much simpler note, with students sitting at their desks eating a fresh, hot breakfast. On this particular Thursday morning, students are washing down their chicken sausage sandwiches with orange juice and milk while talking about their weekend plans and favorite superhero (Batman is declared the “coolest superhero” of this particular class). A similar scene plays out every day at thousands of classrooms across Dallas ISD. Since 2012,…