All elementary schools are now required to offer daily recess for students in preK–fifth grade following a policy change approved by trustees last week. The policy change requires elementary schools for the rest of the school year to offer at least 20 minutes of daily recess for all students. Starting next school year, elementary schools will be required to offer at least 30 minutes of daily recess. Trustee Dan Micciche, who proposed the policy change, said during a December board briefing that research shows the positive benefits of recess for young students. While many Dallas ISD elementary schools have daily…

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,…