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…

The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees, district leadership and community members gave a standing ovation to the 13 Dallas ISD schools that diligently worked to improve student performance last school year and, as a result, are no longer on the list of the state’s lowest-performing schools. Dallas ISD has achieved a steep decline in the number of Improvement Required (IR) campuses, from 43 in 2013-2014 to four in 2017-2018. At the Aug. 23 board meeting, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa credited the district leaders, campus leaders, and outstanding teachers for the phenomenal turnaround at the 13 schools. “When you have dedicated leaders…

The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees on Aug. 23 unanimously approved up to $33.3 million in salary increases for eligible teachers, campus leaders and non-instructional staff. The district is able to fund the salary increases after receiving higher-than-expected revenue from property taxes. The salary increases will go toward: Employees that are eligible for salary modification TEI/Teachers: $16.1 million (includes benefits) Eligible teachers at Progressing II and above based on their 2018-19 earned Effectiveness Level will receive the greater value of a 2-percent salary increase or any earned Effectiveness Level change Performance Based Retention Increase – removed due to minimum of…