Inside Dallas ISD

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…

For Pedro Trujillo, being an urban specialist is all about going the extra mile for the students, focusing on those who are having challenges behavior to truancy, behavior or academics. “You want to walk away from the workday knowing that you did a little bit more, and that’s what counts in the long run,” said Pedro Trujillo, urban specialist at L.G. Pinkston High School. “I talk to them after they are referred to me, and I find out what is going on in their lives. Some students don’t have meals or clothes, and that can cause them distress. I also…

Some Dallas ISD kids are painting the town pink. For the second year in a row, students at Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Middle School are creating artwork on a different kind of canvas. In minutes, this once orange vegetable transforms into an inspirational piece. It’s just one way these students plan to inspire breast cancer patients while also encouraging survivors and their families. Eighth-grader Alejandro hopes one day doctors will find a cure. “It shows that there’s millions of people that have breast cancer and maybe if we write, we could probably find the cure,” Alejandro said. The canvas serves…