Inside Dallas ISD

American history is replete with narratives of immigrants who came to America in search of a better life. In spite of obstacles and challenges, for many the journey has proven worthwhile. North Dallas High School student and soccer athlete Ricardo Gonzalez has hope he will join the legion of success stories. He was born into a family of modest means who immigrated from León, Guanajuato, México, where much of the city’s economic stability rests upon the labor of factory workers who produce leather, shoes and cars. Through all the changes involved in making an 885-mile move from his home in…

The lack of books in the homes of some children can pose a major barrier to literacy, which explains why Dallas ISD corporate and community partners have recently stepped up to fill a critical need in the district’s literacy programs. Retailers Macy’s and Target, financial services firm KPMG and the Dallas Association of Retired Teachers are making a difference for students through book donations to school libraries and to children for their personal home libraries. This month, KPMG will deliver 250 books and a bookshelf to six Dallas ISD schools. “Strong reading skills are the basis for future success, and…

Dallas ISD’s commitment to having a quality teacher in every classroom means the district must look beyond the Metroplex, the state, and, in the case of bilingual teachers, even outside of the country. In addition to traveling to career fairs around Texas and the U.S., Dallas ISD recruiters go to Puerto Rico and Spain every year to ensure that talented bilingual educators are aware of the positions available here. The extra effort involved in these trips continues to pay off, resulting in the hiring of top-notch classroom leaders. It’s been so successful that the Board of Trustees recently renewed an…

In this video, writer and poet Joaquín Zihuatanejo shares his experience about being a poetry writer. He offers some advice to help students become good readers and extraordinary writers. Joaquín credits his grandfather as his main influence in writing. Joaquín lived in East Dallas during his childhood and graduated from Dallas ISD. Joaquín was the winner of the 2008 Individual World Poetry Slam Championship besting 77 poets representing cities all over North America, France, Japan, and Australia. Due in part to this victory, Joaquín received a book deal with Wordsmith Press. Because of that victory, Joaquín was the poet chosen to represent the…