Tamara Singleton’s favorite thing about being a counselor at W.W. Samuell High School is helping students realize their full potential to achieve their academic and personal goals. Because of her efforts, she was named 2015 Dallas ISD Counselor of the Year at a special reception earlier this month. “It is wonderful to observe students transition from good to great, overcome obstacles, and graduate from high school college- and career-ready,” Singleton said. “I hope the many conversations that I have with students are encouraging, sincere, and broaden opportunities for them to excel in life beyond their expectations.” Counselors are nominated for…

Caps and Gowns. Pomp and Circumstance. Graduation season is upon us, and the soon-to-be 2015 graduates of Dallas ISD’s 36 high schools are gearing up for the celebrations. Looking for information on how you can join in? These resources have the information you need to take part in the festivities. Find your graduate’s event by downloading the most up to date graduation schedule, which includes commencement locations. Dallas ISD’s 2015 graduation ceremonies will be streaming live and can be viewed and/or downloaded from a dedicated page on the district’s website. To respect and honor all graduates, please use the following guidelines…

The American Heart Association recently spotlighted the good work happening at Charles Rice Learning Center, which is one of the nearly 95 percent of schools across the country that has successfully implemented the nutrition standards under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The American Heart Association was so impressed by how nutrition standards are applied at Charles Rice Learning Center that AHA CEO Nancy Brown stopped by the Dallas ISD school for lunch and a visit. Watch the above the video to learn more about the visit and the school’s impressive nutrition standards.

Overall, results for Dallas ISD students on the 2015 STAAR test administered in grades 3-8 show improvement. The results indicate progress and stability in most of the exams compared with the previous year. The gains shown in Dallas ISD STAAR results compared to a year ago include: A higher percentage of fourth- and fifth-graders passed the Reading test; A higher percentage of seventh-graders passed the Writing test; A higher percentage of eighth-graders passed the Science test; A higher percentage of eighth-graders passed the Social Studies test. The Social Studies test was only given to students in the eighth grade. While…