Inside Dallas ISD

Did you know October is National Principals Recognition Month? All across the country, citizens are finding creative ways to show their appreciation to their school instructional leaders. There’s even a video contest  for schools that want to show and tell the world how great their principal is. Governor Rick Perry has issued a proclamation declaring October Principals Recognition Month in Texas. It thanks principals for serving as “educational leaders, disciplinarians, community builders, spokesmen, budget analysts, and guardians of policy mandates and initiatives.” Many students, parents and citizens would agree that we have 227 of the country’s greatest school leaders right…

Students at the School of Science and Engineering Magnet at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center outperformed every participating country in mathematics and reading and scored only second to Shang Hai in Science on the 2014 PISA, or Programme for International Student Assessment, scores. The exam measures student literacy among 15-year-olds in math, science and reading. Principal Tiffany Huitt noted her students’ performance among a demographic that is 83 percent black and Hispanic and 65 percent SES, which piqued the international learning community’s interest regarding the SEM’s instructional practices in breeding academically competitive scholars. RELATED STORIES: PISA results demonstrate district’s ability…

This summer, Frigo Cheese asked their fans (called Frigo Cheese Heads) to submit essays touting how $4,000 could make a difference at their school. Central Elementary School Assistant Principal Kasie Jackson heard about the competition and decided to apply for a chance at the Frigo Cheese Heads Build a Bright Future promotion. The school was recently selected as a Top 10 finalist in the competition, earning them a guaranteed award of $1,000. Based on online voting, five schools will win an additional $3,000 to use for their project. In Central’s case, that would mean more technology in the classrooms for…

The College Board has announced major changes to the Scholastic Aptitude Test, one of the nation’s leading college entrance exams. The changes that will go into effect in 2016 aim to make the test more closely reflect what high school students are learning. Some of the key pieces of the SAT that are going away are penalties for wrong guesses and replacement of obscure or abstract vocabulary words with terms that are more applicable to current college curriculums. Additionally, the previously required essay will be optional, and math problems will test students’ understanding of and ability to apply concepts required…