News Briefs

Beef jerky, magazines, and clothing are heavily sought after items in a military care package, but it’s really all about the letters. Letters have an incomprehensible value to the morale of a soldier, and are the most highly requested item from deployed soldiers. This is why the fifth-grade class at Maple Lawn Elementary School partnered together with Southwest Airlines and A Million Thanks to send their appreciation to the Armed Forces through a letter writing campaign in honor of Veteran’s Day. On Nov. 2, the fifth-grade classrooms received a visit from Southwest Pilot Dan McElroy, retired Commander from the United States Naval Reserve,…

The Bilingual ESL department awarded Title III professional development scholarships to a group of 20 teachers and administrators from Dallas ISD to attend the Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) conference in El Paso, TX earlier this month. Participants listened to speakers such as Dr. Kathy Escamilla, María Arreguin-Anderson and artists like José Orozco, who presented best instructional practices and research-based strategies for English language learners. Attendees also benefited from visiting schools that currently implement dual language programs both one-way and two-way. The conference whose theme was “Biliteracy, ¡ya es hora!”, is the biggest in the state of Texas for…

In this episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo, listeners can learn more about the leadership development opportunities in Dallas ISD. Dr. Bravo, Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership, talks with Joe Miniscalco, Executive Director of the Dallas ISD Leadership Academies, about the district’s efforts to develop the leadership skills of administrators and interested teachers. The discussion also goes into a new speaker series that brings policy makers and national education leaders to talk with Dallas ISD staff. Click here to listen to the podcast.

When Brooke Varner, a biology teacher at Dallas ISD’s Woodrow Wilson High School, noticed some of her students didn’t have enough to eat, she wanted to act. She started buying extra food and giving it to students who needed it. Last year, a parent approached her about starting a food bank for students. The “Woodrow Peace Pantry” fills a need – and students’ stomachs – at the school. See a report from NBC 5 here.