Author: The Hub

The 12 finalists for 2015 Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year are all distinguished teachers as measured by the Teacher Excellence Initiative. The four finalists for elementary teacher of the year were asked to share their strategies for effective instruction. On Oct. 22, prekindergarten teacher Tara Broadus was named one of four Dallas ISD Teachers of the Year. Monica Battison has served Dallas ISD students for eight years, the first three as a teacher assistant. Today, she teaches fourth-grade math and science bilingual at T.G. Terry Elementary School where she heads the teacher mentor program. Battison has this advice for teachers who…

The 12 finalists for 2015 Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year are all distinguished teachers as measured by the Teacher Excellence Initative. There are the four finalists in the secondary teacher category. One of these teachers will be named the district’s 2015 teacher of the year at a special event being held Oct. 22.  Angela Adams teaches sixth grade English at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School, where she is as likely to oversee a student pageant or step team as to conduct a training session for colleagues on STAAR reading strategies for at-risk students. This campus go-to sponsor for oratorical contests,…

To manage the daily requirements of running the second largest school district in the state of Texas, Dallas ISD employs more 20,000 people. But with nearly 160,000 students to educate, volunteers become critical to providing those students with the best opportunity for success. The mission of Dallas ISD Volunteer and Partner Services is to build relationships that meaningfully engage volunteers and partners to impact student achievement. To achieve that mission, department staff have created a variety of options for community members to become involved in local schools. “By working one-on-one with a student, you can help them improve their academic achievement, confidence…

Students at Alex Sanger Elementary scored a visit from notable Dallas Cowboys alum this week as part of an initiative aimed at promoting youth health and wellness. Former linebacker Bradie James and Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown presented Sanger with a $2,500 grant on behalf of Hometown Huddle, a partnership between United Way and Fuel Up to Play 60, and the Gene and Jerry Jones Foundation. The grant was in response to Sanger’s efforts to encourage healthy lifestyles among students and families at the school. In addition to presenting the $2,500 check, Brown and James joined volunteers from the Cowboys…

Pro football hall of famer Tim Brown will have his own day throughout the city of Dallas thanks to Mayor Mike Rawlings and the Dallas City Council. During today’s council briefing, the mayor proclaimed Nov. 6 as Tim Brown Day in honor of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year. Brown, the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner, was joined by his mom and other family members who attended the briefing to lend support and witness this historic day. Dallas ISD and the city are joining with the Woodrow Wilson High School Alumni Association to host several activities on…

On Oct. 21, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings officially proclaimed Nov. 6 as “Tim Brown Day.” Brown, a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School who went on win the Heisman Trophy and become a Pro Bowl NFL player, was inducted into the Hall of Fame over the summer. Click here to read the story from the Dallas Morning News about “Tim Brown Day.”

Nobody was singing the blues when several boxes of donated musical accessories were delivered on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to the band hall at W.H. Adamson High School. The gifts, made possible through donations to the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation, specifically benefit the Adamson percussionists – the “Blue Fire.” The donation includes mallets, mounting brackets, cymbals and drum stands. “This donation will allow you to take your music program to the next level,” said Nazanin Fatemian of the Music Forward Foundation. “We believe all young people deserve the opportunity to learn music, to play music, and to play it…

City Year Dallas AmeriCorps members volunteer each day at Dallas ISD’s O. W. Holmes Humanities/Communications Academy. The 12-member group provides one-on-one tutoring in math and Reading/Language Arts classes, greets students twice a week with engaging chants and inspirational cheers, and lends a friendly ear to students. A main goal is to keep students in school. Watch this video to learn how City Year Dallas mentors are helping Dallas ISD students reach their potential.

Watch a brief video of Arthur Kramer Elementary School’s Principal for a Day. Scott Frechette of Trane visited the school and spoke to several classes at the school during the districtwide event on Tuesday, Oct. 13. The annual event is designed to give Dallas community and business leaders a firsthand look at Dallas ISD schools from the inside.

PFAD Blog features blogs written by participants in the most recent Principal for a Day event. Guest blogger Dr. Judith Allen-Bazemore, president and CEO of Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region, shares her thoughts of the event. There are moments in your life when you are set in your routine – comforted by the sense that you know what you are doing and why. When my staffer approached me and recommended I sign up for this year’s Dallas ISD Principal for a Day Project, I did so, but not with a whole heart. Why would I? Communities In Schools is…