Inside Dallas ISD

A familiar and friendly face for students and community members at Francisco “Pancho” Medrano Junior High School is Carlos Rodriguez, an education support professional, who has worked for the district for over three decades. In fact his journey as a Dallas ISD team member began when he was a teenager. In recognition of all they do to support learning, team members like Rodriguez, can be celebrated on Nov. 15—Education Support Professionals Day. The day was first celebrated in 1987 by the National Education Association’s Representative Assembly to honor the contributions of all school support staff. To learn more, click here. Rodriguez…

In the more than 20 years Yatta Johnson—a licensed mental health clinician—has worked as a school psychologist, she has played many roles but perhaps none more crucial as the one she has now at Emmett J. Conrad High School. Every day, she connects with students, guides them through difficult times and helps them better understand themselves and others. Johnson is one of several school psychologists in Dallas ISD, and thousands throughout the country, whose work is celebrated and highlighted through Nov. 10 during National School Psychology Week. “I’m a non-traditional school psychologist because my degree is in mental health counseling psychology and…

Dallas ISD Library and Media Services has been working for two years on Project R.E.A.D., and since last spring, there have been almost weekly launches of libraries with schools posting their ribbon cuttings and school celebrations on social media. Project R.E.A.D. is a library redesign initiative—whose acronym stands for research, exploration, application and design—is intended to increase students’ interests in the arts and design, deepen their knowledge of coding, hone their speaking and presentation skills using digital broadcasts, and increase their critical thinking skills through research and collaboration. Approximately 80 schools were scheduled to undergo this redesign.The project has been…

As the world continues to become more dependent on technology, more and more learning is taking place online. Education is catching up, and Dallas ISD’s Educational Technology Department is leading the effort to meet the technological demands of evolving educational opportunities with a new tech hub. “As we recognized the need to modernize technology at our campuses, we chose Frederick Douglass Elementary School as a technology incubator,” said Jon Hurley, assistant superintendent of Technology—Architecture and Operations. The work done at the school will serve as a guide for future technology upgrades in other areas of the district. As part of…