Inside Dallas ISD

Imagine students building the coolest ramp they can to make a toy car go as fast as possible, or studying what happens when two cars collide. These are some examples of the many lessons included in the new Hot Wheels Speedometry curriculum being used at Dallas ISD elementary schools. The curriculum, designed by researchers at the University of Southern California and with fourth-grade teachers, is provided by the Mattel Children’s Foundation, and is geared to make learning math, science and engineering a fun, hands-on experience through play. Oran M. Roberts Elementary is one of 18 elementary schools in the district using the kits.…

Sandra Urton, a teacher at SOLAR Preparatory School for Girls at James B. Bonham, was recently named a Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year. But before she was an all-star teacher, Urton was a lawyer who, admittedly, made a good amount of money. However, her heart was not in the job. She continually met people in trouble in the legal system who never had a positive influence in their lives. Urton decided to become that positive influence, quit her job as a lawyer, and became a teacher. Urton said she has no regrets about her career change. “I want my…

It’s said that the fear of public speaking tops the list of the world’s most common phobias. That may be true for many of us, but it was decidedly not true for the 24 fourth- and fifth-grade students who recited their original essays at the semifinals of the 25th annual Gardere MLK Oratory Competition held Tuesday, Dec. 6. An attentive and appreciative audience appeared to mostly include the students’ families, teachers, coaches and principals. During the two hours of speeches, the audience showed almost reverent attention to the orators who recited their original essays on the topic, “If Dr. King…

Dallas ISD teachers recently attended a powerful summit on disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline. Approximately 7.3 million children nationally have at least one parent in jail or prison. The emotional turmoil is difficult for everyone to handle when there is a parent that is incarcerated, so much so that statistics sadly reveals that 70 percent of these kids with an incarcerated parent are doomed to follow in the same footsteps. The “National Prison Summit on Mass Incarceratio, presents The School to Prison Pipeline: What Every Educator Should Know” provided an opportunity for Dallas ISD to become aware of and how to address the…