Remember the classic schoolyard retort to an insult – “Takes one to know one!”? Well, the Dallas ISD teacher recruitment team has put a positive spin on the saying, asking classroom leaders to refer well qualified teachers to the district. Current teachers are often in the best position to know the skills necessary for success in Dallas ISD classrooms and can identify those qualities in other teachers, district recruiters say. “We recognize how great a resource our current staff of teachers can be when searching for qualified teaching candidates,” said Jordan Carlton, talent acquisition leader. “Each teacher represents a wide…

A record number of Dallas ISD schools have received a statewide award that recognizes great work happening in school counseling programs. Twenty-six Dallas ISD schools this month received a Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas (CREST) Award. The Texas School Counselor Association sponsors the CREST Award, which allows counselors to demonstrate the work they do helping students. “The CREST Award is about recognizing the success that school counselors have on their campuses,” Dallas ISD Counseling Services Director Dr. Sylvia Lopez said. “We are proud, but not surprised, that a record number of our schools are CREST Award winners this…

Walk down a hallway in Kimball High School and you will notice dozens of pairs of blue jeans hanging from the ceiling above the lockers. Stand by the hanging blue jeans for a few minutes and you will probably see a student or staff member look up and ask: “Why are there blue jeans hanging from the ceiling?” This question is exactly what students in Kimball High School’s Distinguished Academy of Hospitality and Tourism want to hear, as it means their guerrilla marketing campaign to draw attention to Teens for Jeans, which collects donated jeans to give to homeless youth,…

Trustees are considering adopting six new student achievement goals to set expectations that, in part, more students will graduate and be involved in school. Trustees and Superintendent Michael Hinojosa developed the proposed achievement goals after reviewing district results and holding multiple workshops. Hinojosa said most of the proposed goals have key performance indicators. The goals are: Goal 1: All students will exhibit Satisfactory or above performance on State assessments. Students below Satisfactory performance will demonstrate more than one year of academic growth; Goal 2: Dallas ISD schools will be the primary choice for families in the district; Goal 3: The…