Inside Dallas ISD

What job candidate wouldn’t want the chance to work alongside a mentor, getting hands-on practice while observing an experienced person in the role? That is the opportunity given Sunset High School Principal Resident Jacob Nunez and six of his colleagues, who are the first to participate in Dallas ISD’s one-year principal residency program. “The residency is an opportunity for in-the-moment professional development, to grow and learn,” says Nunez. He joined Dallas ISD as a world history teacher in 2005 and has been an assistant principal at Greiner Middle School, where he helped in achieving an Exemplary rating; Lassiter Early College,…

It’s all in the name for Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, which Principal M. Scott Tatum describes as “an accelerated academic program for sixth- through eighth-grade students who are trying to figure out what they want to do in their next career – as a high school student.” “We’re providing them an opportunity to try several things before they go off to a magnet school or high school with a more dedicated focus,” he said. “Most of our kids go off to one of the magnet high schools, so we get them ready to go.” The magnet middle school…

Did you know that K.B. Polk Center for Academically Talented and Gifted is a school within a school? This traditional neighborhood school serves Pre-K through seventh-grade students while also offering an application-based fine arts magnet program for students in fourth through seventh grade. K.B. Polk’s TAG Fine Arts Magnet program, also known as a vanguard, is an excellent choice for Northwest Dallas families even if K.B. Polk is not their zoned neighborhood school. This program maintains a rigorous curriculum for its vanguard scholars and allows students to explore their creative nature through specialized instruction in music, visual arts, theater, dance,…

Velina Willis-Smith, Minority/Women Business Enterprise Coordinator, has been appointed Regional Coordinator for the American Contract Compliance Association (ACCA).  The ACCA was established in 1986 as a nonprofit national organization dedicated to ensuring equitable employment and contracting practices within the public and private sectors.  The organization provides professional certification credentials, training, standardization of practice, networking, and support to M/WBE, supplier diversity, affirmative action, contract compliance, equal employment, and human rights professionals across the country.  It is the only nationally recognized certifying body for professionals in the respective fields. Willis-Smith will represent Dallas ISD and the M/WBE Department on a national level…