Inside Dallas ISD

John Ireland Elementary School students, staff, parents and community members headed to voting booths set up in the gym on Nov. 2 to make an important decision: what activist and upstanding humanitarian leader they think should be their school’s namesake. Students and staff for the past two months worked to identify four possible humanitarian heroes that could serve as the school’s namesake. Under the Public School Choice 6.0 process, Ireland became an expeditionary learning campus this year with a focus on human rights. The school’s current namesake is the 18th Governor of Texas who also volunteered in the Confederate Army.…

November is Homeless Youth Awareness Month and Dallas ISD Homeless Education Program (HEP) is here to help students and parents experiencing homelessness by providing resources and training. One parent shares her experience with Dallas ISD’s Homeless Education Program below. “The Homeless Education Program has provided stability to my family when no one else could for over three years now by providing help with food, school supplies, technology such as hot spots, and referrals out to others outside the district programs. The staff at this program has made me feel like things can be manageable and easier to handle at times.…

As an 8-year-old, John Paul Gonzalez often felt dumb and he would pray for help to be able to read. He used to place a book under his pillow to give God a hint that he needed help to make sense of the letters in the book. His prayers were answered the next year when his new third-grade teacher told his mother that she thought he might be dyslexic. After being evaluated and receiving additional support, Gonzalez figured out the code and was able to read. “If I had not received the services, I could almost guarantee you I would…

Dallas ISD cheer camps began with an exciting warmup to the musical beat of Turbo Hustle: “Whatcha gon do? You can do it too, with the Turbo: 5, 6, 7, 8; Right, right, right; left, left, left; right left, kick, kick, knee, knee, bend down and roll.” Middle school students from across Dallas ISD spent the first two Saturdays in October participating in cheer camps at Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy. During the camps, more than 100 cheerleaders from 10 schools learned dances and cheers while adhering to UIL COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Guidelines, including social distancing, wearing masks and washing…