News Briefs

The stress of working from home, juggling family responsibilities, and managing the instruction of students and your own children is enough to challenge anyone’s well-being says Dr. Lenora Ivy, a school psychologist with Dallas ISD Psychological and Social Services.  “Everyone is affected by COVID-19 in some way—mentally, emotionally, financially, or physically,” she says. To manage the stress, Ivy, who has authored an easy-to-read book with coping strategies, offers the following advice: Be gracious with yourself, your students, and others, because we are all under a lot of stress. Keep in mind that everyone copes differently, and it’s okay if you…

For 13,000 students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, a date with destiny is fast approaching. This year’s Advanced Placement exams will be held online May 11-22. Dallas ISD’s Advanced Academic Services team urges students enrolled in AP classes to take a few final steps to prepare for the May exams. Students enrolled in AP classes who have questions about this year’s AP exams should contact their campus AP coordinator. Due to COVID-19, the College Board, which oversees the administration of the exams, is making several new resources available to students online. These include the AP testing guide, exam day checklist,…

Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) master principal Marion Jackson has been named to lead the West Dallas STEM School – an educational collaboration of the district, Toyota USA Foundation,Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the West Dallas community. Known for her innovative and transformative leadership, Jackson brings a depth of knowledge in STEM instruction to the post. Most notably, she has a track record of closing student performance gaps and increasing academic achievement in reading, math and science as measured by Texas Education Agency standards. Evidence of her forward-thinking approach includes her co-development of a best practice model in mathematics…

As schools across Dallas and the country closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, millions of parents suddenly began working from home while teaching and parenting. Juggling multiple roles at once can be challenging, but also full of opportunity. B.H. Macon Elementary has always made it a goal to connect with parents and the community to ensure student success.  Parents are valued partners, and now with their new role as teachers they are encouraged to help with at-home learning during the COVID-19 crisis. Maritza Lopez, a pre-K mom at Macon, says her experience teaching during this time has given her more time…