Inside Dallas ISD

South Oak Cliff High School parents, teachers and community members are coming together this week with a team of architects and designers to help reimagine the physical space of the campus. Dallas ISD has committed up to $40 million* of 2015 bond revenue for facility improvements at South Oak Cliff High School (SOC). Ashley Bryan, Dallas ISD Director of Planning and Special Projects, said this week’s design charrette is an important first step in generating ideas for the look and feel of learning spaces that align to SOC’s academic vision. “When it comes to reimagining a school facility, a design…

More than 50 students from Dallas ISD’s Justin F. Kimball and H. Grady Spruce high schools were recently pampered with mentoring, shopping, jewelry, makeup and hairstyling thanks to TLC’s Say Yes to the Prom event. The day culminated in a high-fashion runway show, where the girls and boys strutted their stuff with their new looks. “TLC the brand believes that self-confidence, feeling as if someone is there for you, can mentor you, work with you is very important,” Adria Alpert-Romm of Discovery Communications. “That’s really what it’s all about. It’s about confidence, it’s about pride, and it’s about feeling like…

An all-boy assembly at Kimball High School served as a “wake-up call” to encourage the students to reach their full potential. Distinguished guests such as Judge Ernest White, Councilman Casey Thomas, radio personality J Kruz, and spoken word artist Joe Wesley Patton III talked with students about issues such as morality and the chivalric code. “Don’t minimize yourself and don’t ever let anyone minimize you,” said Lawrence Stokes, a felony criminal court coordinator. “There is nothing in your life but opportunity.” The all-boy assembly followed an all-girls assembly held at Kimball High School in February. Both assemblies aimed to bridge…

Billy Earl Dade Middle School has seen huge gains this year, from a decreased failure rate and increased enrollment to a much improved campus climate. Dade Middle School Principal Tracie Washington said the ACE initiative, which brings together several components to boost student success and create a strong sense of community, has been the key factor in the school’s remarkable transformation. “Our turnaround has been phenomenal. It has allowed us to join in with our community partners, our staff, our parents and our students with one vision and one goal,” Washington said. Washington was named a Dallas ISD Principal of…