Input from all corners of the Dallas Independent School District has played a key role in the proposed 2015 – 2016 school year calendar that will be considered by the Board of Trustees on Thursday, Dec. 18. In November, Dallas ISD posted an online survey about the proposed calendar to get input from staff, parents and community members. Of the feedback, there was significant support to extend Thanksgiving week the full five days, instead of the current partial week. On other topics such as the use of half-days and start times, there was no clear consensus. The proposed calendar to…

Students attending a voluntary, school district-led summer learning program Dallas ISD entered school in the fall with stronger mathematics skills than their peers who did not attend the program, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Among the students studied in Dallas, students attending at least 22 days of the summer program or receiving at least 39 hours of reading also entered school in the fall with a meaningful advantage in reading. While this impact cannot be generalized to students across the study, the study did identify key factors linked to reading achievement. The near-term findings did not indicate significant…