Inside Dallas ISD

One of the most important rites of passage in a young person’s life is the ability to do mental math without conscious effort. Children begin training for this process, known as automaticity, in the first grade and continue through elementary school. But as curriculum coordinators visit classrooms throughout the district, they’ve identified a recurring challenge: students lack the immediate recall of basic facts necessary for higher-level problem-solving, according to Aaron Daffern, director of mathematics in Academic Services. “It used to be that there was this false dichotomy: you either memorize everything but don’t understand what it is, or you go…

Natasha McLaurin’s passion for supporting students has led to an award-winning counseling program at Buckner Terrace Montessori that focuses on social–emotional learning and guides students as they begin discovering new possibilities for their future. As an elementary school counselor, McLaurin takes on the unique task of making college and career readiness meaningful for young students. McLaurin said the goal at elementary school is to help students learn how to dream. “We want them to dream of all the possibilities of who they can be and not take anything off the table,” she said. Through two campuswide initiatives, McLaurin found creative…

Across the district, schools and departments hosted events to benefit the community, a school, or families, making the end of year celebrations a little better for others. They shared these efforts below. Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Booker T. Angels is an annual event coordinated by the student council and Parent Teacher Student Association at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Students, team members, and families of the school adopt five families who need assistance from H.I. Holland Elementary at Lisbon. David G. Burnet Elementary School The effort involves…

Across the Lincoln-Madison Vertical Team, STAAR success is fueled not only by student determination and the hard work of teachers, but also by intentional community efforts that create vibrant well supported schools. “It is important that we have wraparound services for our students, to eliminate the barriers students are experiencing outside of school,” said Rockell Stewart, executive director of the Lincoln-Madison Vertical Team. “We want to see 100 percent of our students graduate and on grade level, while simultaneously addressing the whole need of each child.” Through a unified action, students and families receive support year-round, while students remain focused…