Inside Dallas ISD

Corporations and civic organizations collaborated to provide on-the-job learning last summer to more than 300 Dallas students as part of the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program. Thanks to a $175,000 donation from JPMorgan Chase & Co., at least 50 additional opportunities will be available this summer. A host of dignitaries, along with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa, participated in a special kick-off event on Nov. 30 at North Dallas High School. The goal of the event was to encourage qualified students to register for the 2016 edition of the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program. Hinojosa, in a…

As students filed into the Adelle Turner Elementary School cafeteria, they ran over to the empty tables topped with college pennants from schools across the country. Excited third-, fourth- and fifth-graders rapidly discussed where they planned to go college—Texas A&M, University of Texas, and the University of Chicago were among the top choices. “Oh, I want to be a Longhorn,” said one fourth-grade boy. “Well, I’m going to Prairie View A&M University,” another student emphatically replied. The students then sat down to draw and color their own pennants provided by the African American Success Initiative (AASI), a program aimed at closing…

Claudia Castro has made self-improvement a life habit. “I have always valued life-long learning, pursued personal growth and have had a deep desire to become better each day, not just professionally, but as a person,” said Castro, a self-contained kindergarten teacher at Larry G. Smith Elementary School. “As a teacher who is passionate about teaching young children, I feel a strong commitment to reach excellence so that I can make a positive impact in my students’ lives and in my community.” Castro was one of more than 245 Dallas Independent School District teachers who applied for the opportunity to attend…

This year, Dallas ISD is piloting a new program called Restorative Discipline in select elementary and middle schools. The program is designed to proactively address disciplinary and behavioral issues before they escalate. “Restorative Discipline is a chance for the students to build a relationship with the teachers,” said Jay Sheets, the district’s Restorative Discipline coordinator. “And what we’re hoping is, if a student has a relationship with the teacher, a lot of the issues that come across as classroom management and classroom discipline can be solved with the teacher and student.” The process includes students gathering in circles in their…