What an amazing first week! Students back in classrooms! Lowest first-day teacher vacancies in over a decade! And now, the new A-F ratings are so good that you’ll want to print them out and put them on your refrigerator! I know you’re busy, so I’ll make this quick: Dallas ISD has gone from a C (79) to a B (83!), and that’s even better news if you look under the hood: Dallas ISD doubled the number of A schools from last year, going from 30 to 60 this year. Now, 163 campuses (over 70%!) have earned an A or B…

As students across Dallas ISD settle into the new school year, the Woodrow Wilson High School Wildcats Marching Band is already in mid-season form thanks to an intensive two-week summer camp that readied the group for the months ahead. Before the first notes of the season sound off on the field, new and returning members spend long days honing the skills that fuel Friday night football games, competitions, and community events. For the students, it’s more than just music; it’s about pushing themselves to their fullest potential, working as a team, and creating an electric atmosphere. Senior and drum major,…

When Officer Sergio Pacheco saw a vehicle driving the wrong way, he didn’t hesitate. The driver then traveled through a stop sign and went into an intersection, eventually hitting Pacheco’s patrol car. The driver was found unresponsive, and Pacheco called for medical assistance. EMS arrived on scene and transported the driver to the hospital. said Albert Martinez, chief of police of the Dallas ISD Police Department. “His decisive actions exemplify outstanding law enforcement service, directly contributing to saving a life and possibly saving lives of others,” Martinez said. This heroic action, which occurred in June, earned Pacheco the Life Saving…

When students at John Lewis Social Justice Academy at Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School and Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy begin classes this week, they will do so in brand-new, purpose-built campuses. John Lewis Social Justice Academy and Longfellow Career Exploration Academy are brand new state-of-the-art buildings, totaling an estimated $143 million combined. They are part of the district’s voter-approved 2020 Bond Project, which includes $3.2 billion for new schools as well as infrastructure repairs and upgrades to more than 200 of the district’s 228 schools. Longfellow Principal Michael Tatum said that he’s excited about the district’s innovative work…