Author: The Hub

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,…

The boy’s soccer team at Benjamin Franklin Middle School is supporting the Kick for Nick Foundation by collecting new and gently used soccer balls to send to the foundation for distribution to U.S. military installations around the world. In July 2006, Pvt. Nicholas Madaras birthed the idea to donate soccer balls, after completing one of his tours in Iraq. Madaras hoped to round up as many soccer balls, as possible, to bring back to the children near his post. Unfortunately, Nick was killed by an IED on Sept. 3, 2006, and was never able to distribute the balls. Family and…

This year, Dallas ISD is piloting a new program called Restorative Discipline in select elementary and middle schools. The program is designed to proactively address disciplinary and behavioral issues before they escalate. “Restorative Discipline is a chance for the students to build a relationship with the teachers,” said Jay Sheets, the district’s Restorative Discipline coordinator. “And what we’re hoping is, if a student has a relationship with the teacher, a lot of the issues that come across as classroom management and classroom discipline can be solved with the teacher and student.” The process includes students gathering in circles in their…

Just like permanent classroom teachers, substitute teachers play an important role in improving student achievement in Dallas ISD. With that in mind, here are the Top 10 Reasons to become a substitute teacher in Dallas ISD: You can become a mentor to students to help inspire their creativity. You will be able to join a transformational school district focused on improving student’s achievement and making our students college- and workforce-ready. You will learn new best teaching strategies that impact the achievement of students. You will assist with ensuring students’ education is not interrupted in the absence of the teacher. You will join a…

We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s what you don’t know that can hurt you.” That’s certainly true of social media, the popular online tools that people use to connect with each other.  The vast array of these tools and the prevalence of tweens and teens virtually glued to their smart phones can create problems for the unwary. The potential dangers explain why experts like Christine Mack with Dallas ISD’s Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Prevention team are working with parents to get them up to speed about the potential dangers of social media. Mack is busy this fall making presentations…

Nov. 19, 2015 marks the 20th annual National Parental Involvement Day, established by Project Appleseed to recognize the extraordinary impact that public school parents have made in shaping America. Dallas ISD “highlights the powerful contributions of parents, guardians and other caregivers of our students throughout the year in a variety of ways, including our parent recognition in May, which is usually attended by hundreds of parents,” said Mari-Carmen Eroles, Manager of the Office of Family and Community Engagement. “We know that parents get involved in their children’s education in a variety of ways, and we encourage them to participate in…