Inside Dallas ISD

When Paul L. Dunbar Learning Center Principal Alpher Garrett-Jones started setting up for the school year’s first Parent Teacher Association meeting, she fielded questions on why they should set up so many chairs. After all, only three people signed in for the PTA meeting the previous school year. But Garrett-Jones, who previously served as the longtime principal at Charles Rice Elementary School—which many consider one of the best schools in Dallas—made parental involvement a top priority after taking over the campus this year. And by the time the PTA meeting kicked off with giveaways, student performances and a special talk…

Students at J.N. Ervin Elementary School got a closeup look at Dallas Police cars, a DART bus and one special vehicle few get to see in person – one of the 10 Lexus LC500 cars used in the movie Black Panther – complete with simulated scratches and bullet holes. During the “Career Day on Wheels,” students talked to police officers and DART representatives, as well as Toyota employees who, along with the special Lexus coupe, brought a more standard version and a giant Toyota Tundra pickup. Toyota has a special partnership with Ervin Elementary that includes pairing students with company…

Third-graders at Martin Weiss Elementary School filed into the gym recently not knowing they would be “trapped” in an escape room until finishing several academic tasks. In small groups, they would complete reading, science, math and art challenges to decode a message that would tell them that each student would be receiving an Amazon Kindle Fire tablet to use for schoolwork. Teachers also receive Kindles and training on how to maximize their use. The Kindles are issued to each student, and the devices stay at school. The creative “reveal” was one of several methods that Dallas ISD schools used to…

The American School Counselor Association announced that Billy Earl Dade Middle School counselor Nwakaego Edordu is one of six finalists for the 2019 School Counselor of the Year awards program. The award honors the school counseling professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates for students, helping them achieve success in school and life. Edordu has served as a counselor at Dade Middle School for four years. “Being named a finalist is a privilege and honor, but the biggest privilege is to help students, help this school, and help this community,” Edordu said. https://thehub.dallasisd.org/2018/02/06/three-schools-earn-statewide-counseling-award/ Nominations for the School Counselor…