Author: The Hub

J.L Long Middle School janitor Enrique Mendez has been named a finalist for a nationwide Janitor of the Year contest. Sponsored by Cintas Corporation, the contest aims to recognize the best-of-the-best in school janitors. Mendez is one of 10 finalists competing for a $5,000 cash prize along with $5,000 in Cintas and Rubbermaid products and services for his or her school—not to mention bragging rights. Mendez often works 12-hour days and even some weekends in order to keep the school in tip-top shape, according to Cintas. During last year’s ice storm, Mendez spent several nights away from his family to…

Urban Park Elementary staff, teachers, and parents worked together to put on an out-of-this-world STAAR pep rally for the school’s third-, fourth- and fifth-graders on Wednesday. The rally, which aimed to motivate the students taking the first round of STAAR exams next week,  started with the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders parading across the front of the school as younger schoolmates cheered “si se puede” and “may the scores be with you!” Meanwhile, the Skyline High School drumline performed high-energy arrangements that had students dancing and nodding their heads. The students then entered the auditorium, where they were greeted with flashing lights…

Voters who live in Dallas ISD trustee districts 2, 4, 5 and 7 have an opportunity in the May 7 elections to choose a new board member to represent them. Residents who are eligible to vote but are not registered to vote have until April 7 to register. Find information here on how to register to vote in Dallas County. Four candidates are seeking the District 2 seat in a special election to fill the unexpired term of Mike Morath, who was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to be Texas Commissioner of Education. The winner will serve the remaining year…

Dallas ISD is expanding opportunities for students to graduate high school with a college degree prepared to enter their chosen career. In fall 2016, the district will expand its early college high school model by adding eight new collegiate academies. In recognition of Early College High School Week, which is March 21–25, here are six great things an early college high school allows students to do: Earn an Associate of Applied Science degree tuition free while in high school; Earn as many as 60 hours of tuition-free college credit as a high school student; Eliminate thousands of dollars in college…

KERA has an in-depth report on a Dallas ISD pilot program designed to proactively address disciplinary and behavioral issues before they escalate. The restorative discipline program, which is being piloted at select district schools, rethinks how to discipline students. The process includes students gathering in circles in their classrooms. Teachers ask questions, and then students – one at a time – have a chance to respond. The goal is to reduce the amount of time students must be disciplined outside the classroom, cutting into valuable instructional time. Click here to read and listen to the full report from KERA.

Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn spoke to Dallas ISD students from Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School and the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy about their experiences in writing about Sudan, inequality, sex trafficking and other topics. Kristof and WuDunn, also husband and wife, have written two books together, Half The Sky and A Path Appears. Students asked how they could be part of the solution to these issues. Kristof had a suggestion: find an issue that speaks to you and your friends; research the issue; start a club that could have activities such as raising money…

Expanding Dallas Independent School District’s two-way dual-language offerings has been a top priority of the district. And while Dallas ISD facilitates one of the largest dual-language programs in the country, the Bilingual/ESL department is working to add 28 additional two-way dual language programs by the start of the 2016-2017 school year. Why the emphasis on two-way dual language in Dallas ISD? Cloris Rangel, the district’s director of Bilingual Programs, said the two-way dual-language program brings many benefits. “Being bilingual and bi-literate gives students a huge leg up not just in school, but in their lives well beyond graduation,” Rangel said. “For these students and…

Telling trustees that the district “must do something differently” to close the student achievement gap, Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa recently recommended that the district sunset the Imagine 2020 program and replace it with an alternate effort to bolster achievement in struggling schools. The Imagine 2020 program was launched in 2013 at 33 schools and offered in-school tutoring, extended school hours and extra staff, including urban specialists, social workers and psychologists. At the trustees’ March board briefing, the superintendent presented data showing the program had not performed nearly as well as the more recently created Accelerating Campus Excellence, or ACE program. Like…

Artículo publicado en Al Día Dallas – A partir del año que viene, ocho preparatorias adicionales de Dallas ofrecerán 60 horas de estudios superiores y diplomas asociados en alianza con los colegios comunitarios de Dallas.  Siete preparatorias han sido seleccionadas para convertirse en Academias Colegiales en alianza con colegios comunitarios. Las preparatorias ya empezaron a recibir solicitudes de estudiantes de octavo grado . Se planea seleccionar a un máximo de 125 estudiantes por plantel de aquí al 30 de abril. Pregunte cuál es la fecha de corte en su escuela. El objetivo es aliviar la carga financiera de los estudiantes,…

Inside High School Sports on NBC 5 talked with Lincoln High School basketball guard Kortrijk Miles and head coach Cedric Patterson about the team winning the state championship earlier this month. Miles, a junior, led the team to the improbable state title. By scoring 28 points and getting 11 rebounds, Miles helped the Tigers beat the state’s number one team. Click here to see Miles and Patterson interviewed on NBC DFW.