Inside Dallas ISD

Reading is the gateway to most other forms of knowledge. For many students, however, learning to read and enjoy books does not come easily. Learning differences, inadequate exposure to books and reading instruction, language barriers and lack of confidence in their ability can all be reasons why some children struggle with reading mastery. The level of family literacy and the amount of attention paid to books and reading in the home can also impact when and how well students learn to read. The annual African American Read-In, set for 11 a.m., Sat., Feb. 20, is one effort focused on countering…

Dallas ISD’s finest band musicians will take center stage this Saturday for the all-city band concert at Moises Molina High School. Many of the 200 student musicians have proven their skill by performing difficult musical selections in multiple rounds of district and regional contests. On Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29 and 30, these middle and high school band stars will practice and perform during a special clinic sponsored by the district’s Visual and Performing Arts department. Each year, the department brings in noted music educators to work with the district’s talented young musicians in preparation for the all-city band concert.…

Nakia Douglas, a Dallas ISD Principal of the Year, said that leading students at the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy is similar to a parent raising their child. He has watched his students grow and see their own dreams come true. He has been proud as his students have become stronger and more prepared to succeed after school. “We are teaching our young men that every opportunity you have to learn and grow to become better, take full advantage of it,” Douglas said. “Embrace your challenges, embrace your struggles, because it’s preparing you for a future you can’t even imagine.”…

“I graduated high school June 1943 and got drafted in the army two weeks later,” says 93-year old Gaylord Robert Atkinson, a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient. “I was only 18-years old,” adds Atkinson, pointing out to a classroom full of Leadership Cadet Corp students at Thomas C. Marsh Preparatory Academy. “And not much older than you guys are now.” Atkinson addressed some of the approximately 300-plus members of Marsh’s Leadership Cadet Corp after talking with Corporal Miriam Gaytan, who leads the corps, at one of the school’s popular Military Museum open houses. Gaytan thought that Atkinson’s time serving in the…