Inside Dallas ISD

Dallas ISD leaders organized an event to honor the work of every principal of all 230 district schools to recognize their work during the 2021-22 school year. The event, Celebrating the Road We’ve Traveled, took place at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens on June 23rd. Former Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa and Chief of School Leadership Tiffany Huitt celebrated the fundamental role of our principals in our school communities. Four Dallas ISD Principals who are retiring – Tammie Brooks from Moreno STEAM Academy, Lora Morris from Larry G. Smith Elementary, Terry-Ann Rodriguez from Molina High School and Michael…

Approximately 250 Dallas ISD staff members across the district have earned a Mindfulness Coach Certification from the district’s Social and Emotional Learning department. This training has equipped these leaders to conduct campuswide training and small group support for staff and students.  “Mindfulness practices help students and adults practice self-awareness and self-management, two social and emotional learning competencies,” shared Juany Valdespino-Gaytan, executive director of Advanced Academic Services and Social & Emotional Learning. “By providing staff across the district with an opportunity to get mindfulness-trained and certified, we are broadening the reach of this practice to students and staff who interact with…

All three Dallas ISD Career Institutes (CI) are hosting summer camps that introduce middle school students to the career and technical education pathways offered at their campuses. The sixth- and seventh-grade scholars who are part of Summer Breeze 2022 are training for various careers using industry-standard equipment in state-of-the-art facilities while learning about the free programs available to them. Throughout high school, students who join a Career Institute train for high-demand, high-wage jobs in facilities supported by industry partners where they can obtain official certifications and dual credit prior to graduation. All Dallas ISD traditional high schools offer access and…

A severe vision impairment hasn’t stopped Abelino Leija, a sophomore at Madison High School, from playing soccer along with his teammates. After a group effort by his case manager, his soccer coach, and The Vision Team staff at Madison, Abelino obtained specialized protective goggles that allow him to meet the medical requirements that kept him from joining his high school’s soccer team during his freshman year. While Abelino struggles with stargardt macular dystrophy, an eye disease that affects his central vision by making it hard to see what’s in front of him, he doesn’t let the condition hold him back…