News Briefs

On Saturday, Nov. 7,  Univision will host a Parent Academy at UTA’s Maverick Activities Center in collaboration with ACT. The Parent Academy will provide an overview to parents on how to prepare their child for college, how to pay for college, and find resources.  Parents will undergo different presentations focusing on expectations, teacher-parent communication, test anxiety, college admissions and financial aid, as well as motivation. Participating parents will receive a guide book, signed certificate from Jorge Ramos (he is the spokesperson for Clave Al Exito), and enter the opportunity to win a computer and gift cards (2 computers will be…

Central Elementary teachers and students are seeing things a lot clearer now, thanks to Community Trust Bank’s donation of $4,500, which was used to purchase state-of-the-art document cameras and projectors for the classroom. Community Trust Bank’s Regional Executive Vice President Riley Couch and Vice President of Business Development Holly Reed stopped by the school to see the new equipment in action and get a firsthand look at how it enhances the classroom experience for students and teachers. “We are excited to be able to do this,” Couch said. “This is very much part of our core values at Community Trust.…

Dallas Morning News reported over the weekend that when school started this year, officials saw “a 10-point gain that meant now 51 percent of all kindergartners are on grade level.” Alan Cohen, who oversees early childhood education for the district, said while Dallas ISD still has work to do, the “meteoric lift” is evidence that pre-K is working, according to the article. The article also reports that more than 10,000 children are now enrolled in pre-K with the district. Click here to read the full DMN story.

A new educational tool developed in partnership with nonprofit Big Thought is taking the midway, livestock, food and Big Tex to classrooms this fall. The curriculum uses aspects of the State Fair of Texas to teach students in grades 4-8 lessons in math, science, language arts, art and social studies. Shelia Lyons, a sixth-grade math teacher at Dallas ISD’s John B. Hood Middle school, is among teachers using the curriculum in her classes. Check out the story from CBS DFW here.