Editor’s note: During the Thanksgiving holiday, The Hub will take a look back at some of the best and most popular stories from our first semester. This story was originally published on Sept. 30, 2014. Four Dallas ISD schools have been named 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The announcement was made today by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who recognized 337 schools across the nation for their academic excellence or for making exemplary progress in closing the achievement gap. Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy, Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School, Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, and School of Business…

Student achievement occurs when high-quality teachers are paired with balanced class sizes. Dallas ISD is achieving this important balance and requesting its fewest number of class size waivers since 2012. “Through Destination 2020 and the Teacher Excellence Initiative, we are making great strides in attracting, retaining and supporting the type of teachers needed to bring positive change to our classrooms,” said Ann Smisko, deputy superintendent and chief academic officer. “The plan is to place those instructors in classrooms with the right number of students in order to maximize their talents.” Dallas ISD is priming its schools for potential gains…

As we pause to reflect this Thanksgiving holiday, I want to express my appreciation to you, our community, for the countless ways you support our District. As superintendent of a school district that serves more than 160,000 students, I am thankful for the outpouring of support Dallas ISD receives from our community. Parents who entrust our schools with their children, businesses and organizations that invest in and contribute to the well-being of students, civic leaders who are engaged in the challenging issues facing education, volunteers who devote hours of service as tutors and mentors, and citizens whose investment in schools…

Think back to your days studying art history. Keep going—back a little farther. Now, see if you can recall an important event of the Northern Renaissance? Here are your choices: Conquest of Constantinople by the Turks Emergence of the Medici family as art patrons Rebuilding of Saint Peter’s Basilica Publication of Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Artists Challenge to the Catholic Church by Martin Luther That was just one of the questions asked of Dallas ISD students the weekend of Nov. 15 as they competed in the Academic Decathlon. Students from 19 Dallas ISD high schools met for a day of…