Author: The Hub

The Bilingual ESL department awarded Title III professional development scholarships to a group of 20 teachers and administrators from Dallas ISD to attend the Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) conference in El Paso, TX earlier this month. Participants listened to speakers such as Dr. Kathy Escamilla, María Arreguin-Anderson and artists like José Orozco, who presented best instructional practices and research-based strategies for English language learners. Attendees also benefited from visiting schools that currently implement dual language programs both one-way and two-way. The conference whose theme was “Biliteracy, ¡ya es hora!”, is the biggest in the state of Texas for…

Dallas ISD’s Benjamin Franklin Middle School offers its students programs and activities to make them better students now and prepare them for the future. One of the offerings is the school’s first-year participation in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. If approved, Franklin would join J.L. Long Middle School and Harry Stone Montessori and International Academy as IB middle schools. “It’s more rigorous,” said James Bryan, IB coordinator at Franklin. “And it allows for more inquiry-based learning, project-based learning.” Not available at every district middle school, Franklin also offers athletics for sixth-graders, which lets them play a variety of sports.…

In this episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo, listeners can learn more about the leadership development opportunities in Dallas ISD. Dr. Bravo, Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership, talks with Joe Miniscalco, Executive Director of the Dallas ISD Leadership Academies, about the district’s efforts to develop the leadership skills of administrators and interested teachers. The discussion also goes into a new speaker series that brings policy makers and national education leaders to talk with Dallas ISD staff. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Move over, Romeo and Juliet: Gary Griffith and Jackie Griffith overcame much more impressive star-crossed odds—they fell in love and later married, despite going to rival high schools. It was the ‘60s, and Gary was a Woodrow Wilson football player; Jackie was a Bryan Adams cheerleader. The schools, which are less than six miles from each other, were in the midst of a heated rivalry, each boasting a powerhouse, state-ranked varsity football team. But after seeing Jackie at a cheerleading camp held at SMU, Gary, who had dated several other girls from Bryan Adams, walked over to her and asked…

When Brooke Varner, a biology teacher at Dallas ISD’s Woodrow Wilson High School, noticed some of her students didn’t have enough to eat, she wanted to act. She started buying extra food and giving it to students who needed it. Last year, a parent approached her about starting a food bank for students. The “Woodrow Peace Pantry” fills a need – and students’ stomachs – at the school. See a report from NBC 5 here.

Dallas ISD is creating new Transformation Schools that offer specialized academic programming, similar to Magnet Schools. Unlike Magnet Schools, Transformation Schools do not have any academic entry requirements — they are open enrollment for all students across the entire district, regardless of academic ability.  Transportation will be provided. Dallas ISD employees, parents and the community at large can get answers to these questions and take a close-up look at Dallas ISD Transformation Schools at a series of open house events. The dates and times are listed below. All meetings will have both English and Spanish options available. Solar Preparatory School…

Leading up to Veterans Day 2015, Dallas ISD will salute district employees who are veterans of military service. Each day, the series will feature a video produced by Dallas Schools Television focusing on a veteran from one of the military’s five branches. Today’s video features U.S. Army veteran Edwin Dumas. Go here for the second story in the series: Honoring Our Veterans:  U.S. Coast Guard veteran Ben Dickerson. Go here for the first story in the series — Honoring Our Veterans: U.S. Air Force General Frank Gorenc

The need for bilingual teachers in Dallas ISD is so great, that recruiters travel to Spain, Puerto Rico and Mexico to find qualified educators. CBS 11 recently produced a video on that need and how it is fulfilled. Watch the video here.

District officials are using data to get a better idea of students’ socioeconomic status to better address their educational needs. The Dallas Observer published an article that shows the need for better analysis and what Dallas ISD is doing. Read the article here.

When Dallas ISD’s $1.6 billion bond package passed late Tuesday night, district leaders thanked the community for supporting all district students. The next morning, staff immediately got to work to start the process of bringing the bond to fruition. To find out what happens following the passage of the bond, The Hub spoke with Ed Levine, Dallas ISD executive director of Construction Services. What happens now The district is in the process of creating a construction timeline for the bond projects. Meanwhile, the district is also working to send out a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which is a pre-screening process, for…