Inside Dallas ISD

More than 245 Dallas ISD teachers applied for the opportunity to attend a district-funded training at the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education at Southern Methodist University. Dallas ISD paid $3,000 per teacher for teachers to attend this three week-long intensive training at SMU’s Simmons School of Education. The curriculum focused on increasing classroom effectiveness and improving classroom instructional practice. “The idea is that this is differentiated support for teachers that takes them from where they are, what they know, and what they do well, and builds on those strengths so they can see themselves growing,” Dr. David Chard, dean of the…

As Dallas ISD football programs welcome their student-athletes back onto the field, the district’s coaches and athletic training staff are working together to ensure student-athlete safety is a priority during the soaring summer temperatures. Heat illness is the leading cause of preventable illness in high school athletics. And high-intensity outdoor sports during the summer months poses the greatest risk for these heat-related issues. Dallas ISD’s top athletics trainer, Phil Francis, advises coaches, parents and student-athletes to be proactive when returning to sports activities and training. Last year, the Dallas ISD Athletics department placed licensed athletic trainers (LAT) at each of…

Danielle Petters, who is going into her first year as principal at H. Grady Spruce School, is no stranger to providing stability at a Dallas ISD school with a historically high principal turnover rate. Petters spent the past seven years as principal at J.L. Long Middle School where, before her, there were 12 principals in 24 years. After meeting with teachers, staff and community members involved with Spruce, which is located in Pleasant Grove, Petters is optimistic about the upcoming school year. “There is a tremendous team in place here that is willing to go above and beyond to help…

Eighteen Dallas ISD football teams are hitting the gridiron this week for the start of practice, and each team has the same end goal: win the State championship. Though most football programs no longer participate in two-a-day practices, football teams go through strategic daily workout schedules that incorporate strength training, conditioning, and fundamental position. “Two-a-days practices are virtually a practice concept of the past and very few schools practice twice a day any longer,” said Phil Francis, Dallas ISD’s head athletic trainer. “It is now widely understood that the excessive duration with exposure to the ambient temperatures and humidity can cause heat-related illness.” The…