Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD), Toyota USA Foundation and SMU have joined together to collaborate on the creation of a new and innovative STEM-focused school in west Dallas. The aim is to inspire and prepare students for the next generation of STEM jobs through curricula that is project-based and business-aligned. “This is an exciting opportunity for our students and families of west Dallas as  this unique public private partnership comes together,” said Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. “STEM jobs are the wave of the future, and Toyota and SMU’s contribution is a major investment in shaping the next generation. This…

Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said today that Dallas ISD has not provided an acceptable level of transportation service so far this school year. He said the district leadership team is taking an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to identify and resolve transportation-related issues, and thanked “understandably frustrated” families for their continued patience. “We have not quite turned the corner, but we are confident we will get there,” Hinojosa said. “We should have identified these transportation issues before school started. I expect more out of our district and I’m disappointed we have not been able to handle these issues. We hope the parents, students, and…

Five-year-old Canon Lindenmeyer had an anticlimactic start to the school year at Walnut Hill Elementary School. Because he attended the school’s tuition-based pre-K program last school year, Lindenmeyer knew what to expect when he started kindergarten on Aug. 20. There were no tears or “I don’t want to go to school” on the first day; just a happy kid ready to learn and see his friends. “After attending pre-K through the tuition option last year, he is now so prepared and independent in kindergarten,” said Clarisa Lindenmeyer, Cannon’s mom. “It’s amazing how much your child can grow over the course…

Students at 12 Dallas ISD secondary schools may have the opportunity to make continuous academic improvement with the help of a $7.4 million Gates Foundation grant awarded to the Institute for Learning (IFL), an outreach of the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center. Upon the Dallas ISD Board approval in September, the IFL would like to partner with Dallas ISD to provide professional learning and support services to teams of teachers and administrators from the selected secondary schools. The focus of the partnership would be to increase the number of African-American, English Learners, Latino, and low-income students identified as on…