Inside Dallas ISD

For 18 years, Mark Pierce has networked with community organizations, solicited donations, and counseled with homeless students to encourage them to stay in school. His mission is to get these students the help they need to complete high school. Pierce manages the Homeless Education Program that equips homeless students with uniforms, school supplies, food, bus passes, and other resources that can make the difference between graduating and dropping out. “It’s never the kids’ fault,” said Pierce. “They never wanted this or chose this for themselves, and we should always try to give students the best that we can. If they…

  Katey Batey and Thom Browne recently earned the chance to share their stories with thousands of area teachers and community members at the Extra Yard for Teachers Summit, sponsored by the College Football Playoff Foundation. The Summit, held Saturday, Jan. 10, in conjunction with the College Football National Championship, featured inspiring speakers from across the country, including former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice. The pair was chosen to present based on video entries they submitted to a speaker contest held by the Foundation that invited teachers to tell stories about why they teach. Batey, a fourth-grade writing…

Raising the quality of instruction in each classroom requires having effective teachers. Destination 2020, Dallas ISD’s strategic plan for college and career readiness, places a strong emphasis on identifying, supporting and rewarding effective teaching.” Tonight, teachers from around the district, known as TEI Experts, met at meetings like this one to discuss and provide feedback for the Teacher Excellence Initiative, the district’s new evaluation system that measures teacher effectiveness. They provide guidance and input on TEI. “The things that we do at these meetings help me to understand this evaluation system a little better because we see the PowerPoints every…

According to the NCAA, each year half a million boys across the U.S. participate in high school basketball. Of those, 3.3 percent will go on to compete to at the college level. Two student-athletes in the Dallas ISD have joined that elite group thanks to persistent academic efforts that have placed them at the top of their graduating class. South Oak Cliff High School senior basketball players Olando King Jr. and Frank Byers Jr. are like most teenage hoopsters—they dream of state championships (a real possibility for a highly successful program such as the one at SOC) and what collegiate…