Inside Dallas ISD

Dallas ISD’s Computer Science & Technology department, in partnership with the Dallas Education Foundation, provided an opportunity for students to see STEM in action at 900lbs, a design agency that specializes in interactive, visual storytelling content and innovation. The team at 900lbs presented demonstrations on how they help industry and the military enhance their work through the use of virtual and augmented reality simulations. This exposure highlighted to students the unlimited creative potential that is possible through the use of digital technologies. “These students are the future of our community, so we need to invest the time to make sure…

For Deana Williams, Tammee Sandle and Leandrie Gabriel—members of the award-winning school counseling team at Dr. Frederick Douglass Todd Sr. Middle School—empowering their community is always the priority. This can happen in different ways like providing guidance to students, hosting parent conferences, teaming up with their school’s social worker and other local partners, assisting test coordinators or supporting their administration team. “I always say we’re flexible,” Williams said. “Although this is a small campus, we have a lot of needs. We fill in the gaps.” Each member of the counseling team is dedicated to a specific grade level, which they…

Being a woman leading a successful athletics department for a large school district that has earned several state titles is not the norm. But Silvia Salinas, the first female executive director for the Dallas ISD Department of Athletics, stands out not just for these accomplishments, but also for creating a positive culture that uplifts future leaders. Salinas believes in making sure the 1,200 coaches and over 150 events team members who work directly with students are the department’s focus. This year, that focus has led to South Oak Cliff High School’s football team and Justin F. Kimball High School’s basketball…

Dallas ISD continues to be a trailblazer in the field of international recruiting and recently visited Panama City, Panama, to find outstanding bilingual educators to lead district classrooms. “This was a way to expand the district’s international recruiting efforts, given the current teacher shortage, specifically in the areas of bilingual and special education,” said Rafael Fontalvo, director of the Staffing Department, whose efforts and connections were recently featured in a local story. To help get the word out that the district was in Panama to recruit teachers, Fontalvo, who is originally from Panama, appeared on TVN, a national television station…