Inside Dallas ISD

With so many school choice options available to families today, deciding where to attend high school can be tough. For Kaci Anderson, the decision to switch from a private to public school was easy after she visited Dallas ISD’s Innovation Design Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA) and learned about the school’s personalized learning model, NAF Academy, small class sizes, and opportunities for real-world experience. Not only has IDEA impacted and shaped Anderson into the person she is today, but she has impacted and shaped her high school as well. Anderson has served as student council president all four years and is chapter…

Dallas ISD has established an aggressive timeline to complete conversations toward a goal of establishing restorative discipline practices in all of our schools. An outcome of these conversations is to develop a robust and holistic approach to student discipline. A critical piece to this work is to eliminate suspensions for Level I and Level II discretionary offenses beginning in the 2021–2022 school year. Level III and Level IV offenses require mandatory removal to an alternative site. As it determines how to move forward, district officials want to hear from parents, students and community members. All stakeholders are invited to attend…

Did you know that Pre-K through second-grade students in Dallas ISD have been using technology in their class work since the start of the current school year? With iPads distributed by the district’s IT Department, and a partnership with Apple that provides two Professional Learning Specialists, the district’s Early Learning Department has been supporting professional development and training for teachers, families and students—as young as Pre-K through 2nd grade—to integrate the use of technology into classroom work. Some of that phenomenal work will be showcased in the department’s upcoming Early Learning Digital Palooza, and submissions of technology creations by students,…

The girls’ volleyball team and members of the debate team at Lang Middle School challenge themselves to a different type of victory. They were selected by Tajuana Brewster, Volleyball Coach and Teacher at Lang to participate in a Girls Inc. afterschool program funded by the Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) Department to learn more about themselves and the world around them. The students meet virtually every week with a Girls Inc. facilitator who engages them in topics such as “Girls Take Another Look” which focuses on exploring a variety of media and analyzing obvious and hidden media messages. They learn to…