Inside Dallas ISD

Step into the Dallas ISD Translation Services Department and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the United Nations. With interpreters who speak American Sign Language, Arabic, Burmese, Chin, French, Italian, Kirundi, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili, you’ll feel part of a true global experience. The cultural background of the staff is as diverse as the district, and represents El Salvador, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Burundi, Puerto Rico and Myanmar. These languages and cultures mirror the student population in Dallas ISD schools. “In a district where Spanish-speaking students make up the majority of the student population, the need for language support…

Principal Olga Romero is the founding principal of Dallas Hybrid Preparatory at Stephen J. Hay, the first hybrid elementary school in the state of Texas. This new school aims to transform traditional learning, combining in-person and virtual instruction to create a learning environment that promotes meaningful connections to the local and global community.  To help achieve this, Dr. Romero brings not only her considerable experience–she’s been in Dallas ISD for almost 10 years and is in her third year as a principal–but also her background and heritage as a proud Latina and a doctor in education.  “By connecting with our…

As part of the ongoing Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, the Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas donated 60 collections of Mexican textbooks to be displayed at school libraries and Dallas ISD’s Margaret and Gilbert Herrera Intake Center. Each set contains books on every core subject for grades one through six. In a joint ceremony with the district’s Parent Advocacy, Family and Community Engagement, Bilingual and Dual Language departments, and the intake center, Francisco de la Torre, Consul General of Mexico in Dallas, highlighted the importance of languages as working tools for future students. “Dallas ISD is a key and permanent…

Skyline High School student Noe Peralta was born and raised in Dallas, to parents originally from San Luis Potosi and Coahuila, Mexico, so Spanish is the language he grew up with at home.  “I am proud to be bilingual, as it connects me to my heritage,” said Noe. Noe is part of the World Languages Cluster at Skyline Career Development Center, where students learn to communicate in the language they choose by using a variety of oral proficiency-based materials. Skills include acquiring new vocabulary and grammar for everyday living, exposure to the spoken and written language, and activities that enable…