Inside Dallas ISD

Superintendent Mike Miles had high praise yesterday for staff members who kept students safe, communicated with parents and worked alongside government agencies and the medical community during last fall’s Ebola scare. About 75 employees from Maintenance, Counseling, Health, and Psychological and Social Services and their family members attended a district reception held in their honor Monday at the Crow Collection of Asian Art. Developer Trammel Crow donated the use of the facility for the occasion. The venue’s collection of rare Asian art served as the backdrop to the superintendent’s words of appreciation to the staff for their courageous and timely…

When Dallas ISD found itself at the epicenter of the U.S. Ebola health scare last fall, a core group of dedicated staff members throughout the district rose to the challenge and addressed the situation — calmly and compassionately, with student safety as their top priority. In the wake of the news that five of our students had been exposed to the Ebola virus, the district faced questions from concerned parents and  community members, the national and local news media, the medical community and government officials. With no modern precedence in the U.S. to look to for guidance, district leaders, school…

One’s career path is rarely straight. People often find their calling through bypasses and detours. Five years ago, Delauren Kruzel wasn’t counselor at Stephen C. Foster Elementary School, but she was in the business of guiding others’ paths. “I’ve always had a passion for working with children,” said Kruzel whose previous work involved rehabilitating and preparing prison inmates to renter society. “Listening to their stories, I learned many of their hardships began when they were young children.” This realization led her to school counseling, a career path that would allow her to have optimum impact at the most impressionable time…

Some teachers feel called from an early age to enter the profession, but for others that realization comes later in life. For degreed professionals looking to transition into teaching from another career, the Compass Alternative Certification Teacher Academy of Dallas ISD offers a clear path to certification. “Compass, our newly redesigned Alternative Certification Teacher Academy, will provide an intensive practice-based training to ensure new teachers master the most essential skills necessary to be successful on the first day of school,” explained Meredyth Hudson, executive director for Alternative Certification and Special Systems. Those completing the application process and accepted into the…