Author: The Hub

As Dallas ISD continues to redefine teacher evaluation, one of the most talked-about pieces of the Teacher Excellence Initiative is the student-perception surveys. Students took grade-level and age-appropriate surveys to determine what they found were the most-effective qualities of their teachers. See what a few Dallas ISD parents think about the district allowing their children to have a voice in the process. This was the first year for the student surveys.

The week of May 4-8 was School Nutrition Appreciation Week, but with so many excellent cafeteria staffs at Dallas ISD, one week isn’t enough to extend our gratitude. The cafeteria staff at Hector P. Garcia Middle School go above and beyond to serve the students and faculty. Watch this behind-the-scenes video to learn about the cafeteria staff’s day-to-day responsibilities.

Advocate Oak Cliff recently spotlighted three “standout students” in Dallas ISD who have overcome significant adversity to shine. The three profiled graduating seniors are from Kimball High School. They are Chima Nsi and brothers Brothers Kenneth and Ben Robinson. Click here to read the full profile.

The School for the Talented and Gifted at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center (TAG) has been named the best high school in the nation for the fourth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. TAG was joined in the top 10 of the annual rankings by the School for Science and Engineering, which earned the No. 5 spot. Overall, 13 Dallas ISD campuses, including six based at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, received gold, silver or bronze medals in the magazine’s Best High Schools rankings. The School for the Talented and Gifted at Townview also earned the magazine’s top honor in 2012,…

Movies inspire me, and many of you know that I often use movie analogies to illustrate or reinforce a particular point. Last weekend, like millions of other moviegoers, my youngest son Anthony and I went to see Avengers: Age of Ultron. We share a love for action movies, and after seeing this one we debated over who was the coolest superhero: Captain America or Thor. Now that’s a tough choice. What wasn’t tough was seeing the similarity in this movie to the hard work of the Dallas ISD team. At one point in the movie, the members of the Avengers are…

WFAA 8 recently reported on Reading Partners, which works with students at campuses across Dallas who may need an extra boost when it comes to reading and reading comprehension. Specifically, the news report features volunteers that work with students at W.W. Bushman Elementary School. Click here to view the full report.

Univision recently spotlighted the Mariachi band that recently started  making some noise at Booker T. Washington High School. Booker T. Washington is known for everything from arts to dance to music and bands, but surprisingly not for a Mariachi band. The school only recently established a Mariachi program in 2014, thanks in part to enthusiastic students and the Mariachi program at W.E. Greiner Middle School. Click here to view a Spanish report on the Mariachi band from Univision.

Alex Simmons, a senior at South Oak Cliff High School, is a recipient of the 2015 Superintendent Scholarship Program. Simmons was one of 62 deserving seniors who received a $2,500 scholarship funded by the Superintendent Scholarship Program. View the above video to learn more about Simmons and how you can support the upcoming Superintendent’s Scholarship Run, which provides money for the Superintendent’s Scholarship Program. To register for the run, click here.

After 44 years of working in education, Mary Custer, the librarian at Alex Sanger Elementary, is ready for her next chapter. Custer is retiring after working at Alex Sanger for the past 25 years. Sanger staff is hosting a retirement party on May 14 to honor Custer’s service.

Jacque Rauschuber is the winner of the 2015 Volunteer Impact Award for Classroom Support for her efforts to boost student literacy through securing donations and by recruit other volunteers to work directly with students in the tutoring program at Reinhardt Elementary School. See how Rauschuber’s work is making a positive impact on the students at the school.