Inside Dallas ISD

Before he began shaping lives in Dallas ISD as an educator, Robert Gonzalez was a family doctor in Colombia who made sure kids were healthy. Gonzalez left Colombia for Texas as his home country grew increasingly dangerous. He felt called to become a teacher and joined Dallas ISD through the alternative certification program. “Serving students and serving patients as a doctor are very similar: You get to make a positive difference in a child’s life,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez went on to become an instructional coach, assistant principal and, most recently, principal of Stevens Park Elementary. He jumped at the opportunity…

Dallas ISD’s Special Education Department has implemented Partner PE, an inclusionary Physical Education program designed to meet the unique needs of students with various disabilities, and its focus is peer teaching and individualized instruction.   Partner PE provides activities pairing age-appropriate general education (GENED) and special education (SPED) peers in an integrated setting at the secondary level. The class is taught by a certified physical education teacher and is established as a regular unit of instruction in the master schedule. The purpose of the program is to encourage physical activity, increase knowledge of health and fitness strategies, and assist in the…

Dallas ISD Spanish teacher Akash Patel, from Ignite Middle School, has just been elected to the highest office in the country for foreign language teachers. Patel will serve the next three years as president-elect, president and immediate past president of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). His main focus will be on addressing the foreign language teacher shortage. In his role as leader of the national organization, he will advocate for equitable access to foreign language certification, support the teaching of multiple languages in elementary school, and address state legislatures to push for foreign language teacher…

A book donation and rally at Rusk Middle School kicked off Dallas ISD’s Homeless Youth Awareness Month this week. Rusk cheerleaders welcomed students as they arrived at school on Tuesday, and a community donor stopped by to hand out books about homelessness, which students will be discussing in small groups throughout the week. Students with “thank you” signs greeted the donor in the school library. Throughout the month of November, librarians will hold readings and discussions about homelessness. Schools are encouraged to join in by wearing purple, the color of homelessness, every Friday. Last year, Dallas ISD counted 4,400 students…