Inside Dallas ISD

In William Cabell Elementary, philanthropist Serena Simmons Connelly saw an opportunity to impact the families in her community. Inspired to visit the school after hearing about the Personalized Learning Initiative, Connelly spoke with Principal Dr. Jo Anne Hughes about how engaging neighborhood residents can make a difference in their local school. “The school has a good amount of land but they never had much playground equipment,” Connelly said, adding that this was a project the neighborhood could get behind. “Kids need a place to play. They need some brightness and beauty in their surroundings.” Hughes knows how important such a…

Dallas ISD teachers Katey Batey and Thom Browne will soon join remarkable speakers from across the country, including former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, at the Extra Yard for Teachers Summit sponsored by the College Football Playoff Foundation. In January 2015, Dallas will host the first-ever College Football National Championship, and as a way to exhibit their commitment to education, the Foundation worked with the local Commit! Partnership to coordinate the free summit. Through the “I Teach” project, teachers across the country were invited to submit 90-second videos discussing their teaching experience for a chance to speak at…

Students who face the challenges of blindness, deafness, physical or intellectual disabilities have a team of advocates working to ensure they have the same opportunities to progress academically and socially as their fully abled peers. The Special Education department provides a variety of services to level the playing field for students challenged with disabilities. The department offers a full array of services to help disabled students. These range from occupational/physical therapy, which provides equipment such as walkers for students with cerebral palsy, to Dyslexia Services, which assists dyslexic students to develop literacy skills. Students with auditory or speech impairments can…

It’s science fair season in Dallas ISD, and SMU Physics Professor Dr. David Dalley wishes more students would translate their curiosity about the world into science fair projects. President of the area’s Regional Science Fair, Dalley thinks more kids would participate in science fair if adults simply encouraged students’ natural curiosity. “It’s all about asking questions, but it has to be a question a student is interested in,” Dalley said. “There are so many simple questions they can ask, like why is the sky blue, or how do birds know where to go when they migrate.” Once students choose an…