Inside Dallas ISD

When Lisa Whitaker is struck by an idea, she jumps right into action. So when she wondered earlier this year why American Sign Language classes weren’t more common in the district, she started working toward creating more opportunities to introduce students to ASL. Her idea: organize the district’s first-ever ASL summer camp for elementary school students.  “We have a health and physical education summer camp, but we don’t offer ASL until ninth grade. That gives students only four years to learn it, limiting their proficiency,” said Whitaker, who is the director of Academic Enrichment and Support. “Research tells us that…

At Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School, fathers are valued for the impact they can have as positive role models. Campus security officer Joseph Thomas, with his son by his side, is showing fathers and father figures how to be more engaged. Thomas knows the importance of having a present father figure, which is why he started the chapter of All Pro Dad, a national organization, at the school. The goal is to get more fathers involved and strengthen family ties. Launched in 1997, the national program is based on a sports draft model that encourages fathers to be engaged in their children’s…

At John J. Pershing Elementary School, two educators are using innovative approaches to strengthen bilingual literacy in their classrooms. This year, Maria Fernandez and Jessica Riedel used the funding from Read Conmigo Educator Grants to transform their students’ reading experience. Fernandez, who teaches fourth-grade bilingual reading, used her award given by the Kemper Foundation to launch Break a Leg, a drama-based literacy initiative that uses puppets and theater to help students improve reading comprehension, build vocabulary, and express their emotions. “I began to notice emotional learning gaps after the pandemic,” she said. “The plays helped my students find new vocabulary…

For Jose Torres, a teaching assistant at W.A. Blair Elementary School, the district’s 2024-2025 theme of “Make it Happen” has been more of an approach to life. He made it happen as a senior in high school when he stepped in to teach a chemistry class and is doing it now as he works on his teaching degree. Torres, who graduated from Dr. Wright L. Lassiter Jr. Early College High School at El Centro College, loves chemistry. It was through that passion he learned he also loved teaching. When the chemistry teacher moved to teach physics, the chemistry class was…