The Texas Education Agency announced that 68 percent of Dallas ISD campuses have earned at least one academic distinction designation, up from 60 percent of schools in 2015. For reference, 57.6 percent of Dallas ISD campuses in 2014 and 55.2 percent of campuses in 2013 earned at least one distinction. Overall, 17 Dallas ISD campuses in 2016 earned the maximum possible number of distinctions for their group. “We are encouraged that more of our schools are earning academic distinctions, and all of our teachers, principals and staff should take pride in work they are doing every day,” Dallas ISD Chief…

Welcome to the latest edition of This Week in Dallas ISD, a quick rundown of the many great things that happened in the district over the past week! Go here to watch a 98-second video recap of the week, or read below. Innovative teaching grants The Junior League of Dallas donated 54 grants totaling $93,000 to fund innovative school and classroom projects in Dallas ISD. (Learn more) Operation Comeback District employees manned the Operation Comeback phone bank this week to reach out to the families of students who have not yet shown up for classes this school year. (Read this)…

The League of Women Voters and LULAC are recruiting volunteers in the community to explain the importance of the voting process to Dallas ISD students. Both organizations are visiting schools during lunch and history or government classes to encourage students to register vote. The main objective is for students to understand that elected officials make big decisions and they listen to the people who vote. The deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 11, in order to be registered in time to vote Nov. 8. More than 100 students registered to vote earlier this month at Skyline High School during one such visit. Volunteers will…

Efforts are currently under way to find the approximately 7,600 students designated as “no-shows,” or students in Dallas ISD’s system who have yet to show up for classes this school year. Dubbed “Operation Comeback,” the coordinated effort to find and return the students is in its sixth year. As part of Operation Comeback, district staff are operating a phone bank this week to call no-show students and their parents. Through the process, students who have moved out of the district are also identified and taken off the list.