Author: The Hub

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…

When Lincoln alum Carlesa Dixon (Class of 1999) thought about naming her daughter, one name came to mind—Alanna. It was the name of her favorite teacher who taught her second grade at Charles Rice Learning Center. Today, Dixon is the girls head basketball coach at her high school alma mater. As coach, Dixon herself is the inspiration for many students she works with. AlumNow, a Hub feature that checks in with district alumni, took a few minutes to catch up with Dixon to find out what she’s been doing since her days as a stand-out player on the Tigers Basketball Team. What are you…

The road to potentially earning the district’s highest effectiveness levels and the corresponding compensation as a Dallas ISD distinguished teacher starts with submitting a Distinguished Teacher Review (DTR) application. To earn a Distinguished effectiveness level, teachers must: Earn an effectiveness level of Proficient II or higher. Achieve high scores in teacher performance, student achievement and student perceptions. Meet additional performance criteria assessed through the Distinguished Teacher Review. This school year, more than 2,000 teachers have been identified as DTR-eligible and invited to submit an application with examples of their leadership, lifelong learning and contributions to the profession. Aspiring DTR-eligible teachers…

For the next week, 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. Coast Guard veteran Ben Dickerson. Go here for the first story in the series — Honoring Our Veterans: U.S. Air Force General Frank Gorenc