News Briefs

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) starts Monday, March 30, and there’s still time to help students prepare for success on the exams. Prep University All Star Workshops continue across the district, providing opportunities to help parents better understand the test requirements and gather helpful tips to prepare their children for the test. Parents will view sample test questions and learn how STAAR impacts graduation. The remaining free workshops, offered in English with Spanish interpretation, are scheduled for Thursday, March 26, at 9 a.m. at Billy Earl Dade Middle School, 2727 Grand Ave., 75215 J.N. Ervin Elementary School, 3722…

A news report from WFAA looks into the district’s draft Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) plan that aims to incentivize effective teachers to voluntarily transfer and work at struggling district schools. Click here for the full story. Photo courtesy WFAA 8.

KERA recently featured the district’s newest drop-in center, which helps students in need, including those that are homeless. The latest drop-in center, which is in Madison High near Fair Park, “is an attempt to lighten things up for those kids stressed by challenges like homelessness,” KERA reports. Read the full story here. Photo courtesy KERA.

Part of being an MVP in Dallas ISD is promoting a safe and civil climate. National Youth Violence Prevention Week is March 23-27. With violence-related behaviors on the increase, good conversation topics to have with kids this week include weapons safety, communication, and respect towards others for elementary age students to relationship violence, bullying and harassment, and teen driving safety for high school age students.  For more ideas, check out Students Against Violence Everywhere.