Sharing school district news, accomplishments, and programs with the Dallas community.

DallasISDNewslineJune 2009

James B. Bonham Elementary School receives national award (Page 7).

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDDALLAS, TEXAS

PERMIT NO. 2309

ThE 2008–2009 SchOOL yEAR presented many challenges for our school dis-trict. Nevertheless, as I visited schools during the year, I was very encouraged by how our teachers, principals, and staff continued to maintain their focus

on students. I also have been impressed by the enthusiasm with which students have embraced learning and by the support of parents and the community.

Indeed, there is much good news from the Dallas ISD that I want to share. A study released recently by the Brookings Institution, one of the nation’s most respect-

ed research organizations, noted that from 2000 to 2007, Dallas was second nationally and first in Texas among urban school districts in academic gains. There is, without question, a lot of work to be done, but this is a positive indicator that we are moving in

the right direction.This coincides with the good news the district received in 2008 that 103

schools—the most ever—earned the designation of exemplary or recognized from the Texas Education Agency. This is the result of Dallas students scoring gains in every subject, every ethnicity and every grade except for seventh-grade writing on the 2008 TAKS test. While we are setting our sights on goals far higher than TAKS mastery, the progress is apparent.

In late 2008, the National center for Educational Achievement provided two reports to members of the Board of Trustees that showed that Dallas ISD is on the right track academically. A representative of NcEA said that Dallas “has a system in place that is consistent with high-performing systems.”

In January, we were thrilled to receive a $3.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue our strong work to provide a college-readiness warning system that will help principals monitor each student’s progress. combined with a $5 million grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation received last year, the district is putting in place effective tools and strategies that will ultimately help students and parents.

To be sure, Dallas ISD still has its share of challenges. We are working dili-gently to improve student achievement in all schools and all grades. We have made strides in having more students graduate from high school, though the numbers are still not where we want to see them. Progress, however, is often measured in a series of small steps. Thanks to the tireless work of teachers and school staff, the support of the Board of Trustees, and the support of the commu-nity, we are moving forward one day at a time.

Michael hinojosa, Ed.D.Superintendent of Schools

Message

Dallas ISD Newsline is published by Dallas ISD Communication Services, News and Information Services • 3700 Ross Avenue, Box 40, Dallas, TX 75204-5491 • (972) 925-3700 • www.dallasisd.org • board of trustees: Adam Medrano, President, District 8; Lew Blackburn, Ph.D., First Vice President, District 5; Carla Ranger, Second Vice President, District 6; Leigh Ann Ellis, Secretary, District 3; Edwin Flores, Ph.D., J.D., District 1; Jack Lowe, District 2; Nancy Bingham, District 4; Jerome Garza, District 7; Ron Price, District 9; Michael Hinojosa, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools • The Dallas Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or age.

2 • JUNE 2009

Child FindIf you know of a child who lives in a Dallas ISD attendance zone and may need special edu-cation services, please call one of the district’s 24-hour Child Find referral phone numbers. Free services are available to all eligible individuals from birth through 21 years of age regardless of the severity of their disability. The Child Find referral phone numbers are

(972) 581-4765 for English and (972) 581-4764 for Spanish.

District Roundup

Work on Phase i oF 2008 bond Program begins

yOU MAy NOT yET SEE dirt flying on the 2008 bond program facilities, but progress is being made nonethe-

less on the first phase of the $1.35 billion construction program, which will reshape parts of the Dallas landscape.

The first parcel of land required to make way for new school construction has been purchased, moving the first project in the program—the new Lagow-Moseley relief school—closer to reality. construction Services has selected program manage-ment firms and Phase I architects, and the Bond Advisory committee, comprised of citizens selected by trustees to oversee the rollout of the construction projects, has begun meeting.

January 2010 will usher in the begin-ning of the actual construction, and in the next five years, communities across the city will see their neighborhoods transformed with the construction of 15 attractive new schools and numerous renovations and facelifts to existing schools.

In passing the bond package, Dallas voters affirmed the district’s belief that learning occurs best in up-to-date, well-equipped facilities. The Dallas ISD is now moving forward to improve the learning environment for students to better pre-pare them for college and the workforce.

Community learns about dallas isd eduCation Plan

ALMOST 2,700 PEOPLE who at-tended a series of 22 community conversations learned more about

the changes the Dallas Independent School District has made through Dallas Achieves! to improve the academic achievement of students in all grades.

The meetings were held in various schools throughout the district and were designed to share information about all the schools that feed into each of the dis-trict’s high schools.

Parents and members of the community who attended the meetings learned about the 2008 bond program plans for their neighborhoods, high school redesign, the curriculum, the budget, improvements to their particular schools, and other useful information. They also had the opportu-nity to ask questions and share concerns about the district in general and about the schools in their respective neighborhoods.

The presentation and the most frequent-ly asked questions and the answers from the community conversations are available by visiting www.dallasisd.org/about/dallasachieves/dameetings.htm.

distriCt Provides sChool PerFormanCe rePorts

ThE DALLAS ISD has developed school scorecards for 218 of its schools available in English and

Spanish and on the district’s Web site. The scorecards are annual reports that provide information about a school’s performance and progress toward the district’s goals for student achievement. They clearly commu-nicate how well a school is doing toward fulfilling the district’s mission and defini-tion of excellence and help school leaders set priorities based on performance.

The performance measures used to cre-ate the scorecards go beyond test scores to include outcomes such as graduation rates, college readiness, attendance, and other key measures of success. The scorecards are designed to provide the community with an honest, up-to-date look at school performance so parents can make sound decisions as to which school to send their child and potential school partners can de-termine the needs of a school and decide how they can best support the school.

To view a school’s scorecard, visit the school’s Web site at www.dallasisd.org/schools.

DALLAS ISD NEWSLINE • 3

Better education for all children is our community’s goal

I’vE ALWAyS BELIEvED in public schools and that progress can be achieved when the community joins forc-es to improve education for all children. The hard work of teachers, parents, and students is paying off, and we are seeing schools that make our community proud!

We are not talking about random pockets of excellence. Progress can be seen in all of our District 3 schools, from an ever-expanding list of TEA Exemplary and Recognized campuses, to hexter Elementary, one of four district schools nominated for the prestigious 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Award, and to schools where improvement is felt daily as students focus on reaching goals. Upcoming graduations at Bryan Adams and, for the first time, at Emmett J. conrad high schools are signs of growth and progress in our community.

One of the most rewarding experiences of serving on the board has been seeing students benefit from improved learning environments and leadership. It also has provided the perfect platform to witness the challenges faced by teachers and principals. When you understand the problems, you can promote change that will lead to educational excellence. This growing student achievement also indicates a need to establish stron-ger ties between the elementary schools that feed into our middle schools and the middle schools that feed into our high schools, known as vertical alignment, to ensure consistency in learning.

And just as serving on the board has offered an opportunity to advocate for the community, it also has proven challenging to keep the focus on children and education, rather than on off-track agendas and demanding personalities. Trustees should strive to make decisions in col-

laboration and to encourage the best possible outcome, from campus level to quality of life for our citizens. Trust, commitment, transpar-ency, accountability, and thinking outside the box are elements needed to reach that goal.

Great strides have been made, but it is important for parents to continue to ask questions about their schools’ progress, to serve on

committees, and to volunteer in the classrooms. Encourage surrounding neighborhoods to be partners with our schools’ successes. Despite some

rough challenges we’ve encountered, I know the best is yet to come. Thank you for allowing me to represent District 3. As it says on

the Robert T. hill Middle School marquee “Better Together.”

Leigh Ann EllisDistrict 3 Trustee

District3Digest

ContaCt inFormation

Leigh Ann Ellis, Board SecretaryDistrict 3: Northeast Dallas

laellis@dallasisd.org

Dallas ISD Constituent Services:(972) 925-5555

distriCt 3 sChools

HIGH SCHooLS• Bryan Adams • Emmett J. Conrad

MIDDLE SCHooLS• W.H. Gaston • Robert T. Hill • Sam Tasby

ELEMENtARy SCHooLS• Bayles • Casa View (R)• S.S. Conner • Charles A. Gill • Victor H. Hexter (E)• Highland Meadows (R)• L.L. Hotchkiss • Edwin J. Kiest (R)• Jack Lowe Sr. • Lee A. McShan Jr. • Martha T. Reilly (R)• Reinhardt (R)• Dan D. Rogers • Alex Sanger (E)• Larry G. Smith • Jill Stone at Vickery Meadow (R)

E: Exemplary • R: Recognized2008–2009 school year

What’s happening in your district?

n Victor H. Hexter Elementary School is one of four district schools nomi-nated by the Texas Education Agency for the national 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Award. The award recognizes schools that are aca-demically high performing or that have dramatically improved the performance of all students to high levels over at least the past three years.

n Roberta Shipley, a teacher at Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School, is one of only 46 teachers selected nationwide for the Lift-Off Summer Institute at NASA’s Johnson Space center in houston this summer. The weeklong institute features a series of workshops, hands-on activities, and presentations by NASA scientists working on various missions.

n We appreciate the volunteers who made possible Hands-On Learning at Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary School. With help from the Fort Worth Museum of Science and history planetarium personnel, students built 10 telescopes that can be used to see the craters on the moon. The project was funded by a Junior League of Dallas grant and book fair money.

n At Martha turner Reilly Elementary School, the Destination Imagination team placed fourth out of 19 teams in the state competition in houston. This competition requires students to use math, engineering, writing, and re-search skills to solve complex problems.

n Elizabeth Dry, a teacher at Larry G. Smith Elementary School, is a finalist for the 2009 H-E-B Excellence in Educa-tion Award in the Lifetime Achieve-ment–elementary category. h-E-B launched the Excellence in Education Awards program in cooperation with Texas Association of School Admin-istrators to support, highlight, and celebrate the work of Texas educators.

n caleb veazey, a senior at Bryan Adams High School, is the first district swim-mer in more than 30 years to win two gold medals in individual events at the UIL State Swimming and Diving cham-pionships. veazey, who attends Booker T. Washington high School for the Performing and visual Arts but swims for his home school Bryan Adams, won in both the boys Individual 200-yard Freestyle and the boys Individual 500-yard Freestyle.

DALLAS ISD NEWSLINE • 5

volunteering is easy

1. If your child attends a school or you have a particular school in mind where you would like to volunteer, go to that school and ask for the volunteer coordinator. Remember that the beginning and the end of the day are busy times at the school. If you don’t know where you would like to volunteer, visit www

.dallasisd.org/partners and click on School Needs on your left to see what volunteer needs each school has.

2. Fill out an electronic application at home or at the school with the help of the volunteer coordinator. The application is available at www

.dallasisd.org/partners in English and Spanish and takes just a few min-utes to complete.

3. Once you fill out the application, you will receive a confirmation that can be printed out. If you complete the application at home, bring the con-firmation page back to the school.

4. If the screen on your computer shows a phone number after you have filled out the application, call the number and be ready to pro-vide your name and date of birth. Someone will determine why your application was not approved and work with you if there is a solution to the problem.

5. Find out when the next volunteer orientation takes place. All volun-teers need to be trained so they are aware of the rules that must be followed while working with the children in the schools and at school-related activities.

Volunteers make Dallas ISD schools better

WhEThER READING WITh chILDREN to help them improve their skills or talking to teenagers about their dreams and aspirations in life, volunteers can make a

significant difference in the education of Dallas ISD students.“volunteers have a big impact on the learning climate and the

academic success of students,” said Jane Didear, coordinator with community Relations, the department in charge of coordinating volunteer and mentor efforts throughout the district. “We hear frequently from staff that thanks to the added efforts of volunteers, students have scored at a higher rate than before.”

There are many and varied opportunities for people to donate their time and make a difference in the schools.

volunteers often gather on the weekend to help beautify a campus. They spend time during the school day helping teachers in the classroom or tutoring students. They serve as chaperons on field trips. They bring a diversity of life and cultural experiences that enrich students’ learning.

“When people get to receive that kind of enrichment, get to meet people, learn new ways of doing things and new perspec-tives, their education goes beyond the usual circle they have at home and at school,” Didear said.

volunteers must go through an application process and receive training before they can begin working with students.

The volunteer and mentor needs of each school can be found by visiting www.dallasisd.org/partners/needs_search.cfm or calling (972) 925-3920.

distriCtWide

students

Awards & Achievements

Jennifer Criss and olivia harris, students at Booker T. Washington high School for the Performing and visual Arts, have been named semifinalists for 2009 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. The candidates were selected from nearly 2.8 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools this year.

Seven seniors each received $20,000 scholarships from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The students are: Frelisa

Jones, David W. carter high School; ma-ria acevedo and sasha Price, W.W. Samu-ell high School; nancy bustos, Jeannette hernandez, and Candace turner, Seagov-ille high School; and Cristhian escobar, Skyline high School. The Dell Scholars program recognizes academic potential and determination in students that have a definite need for financial assistance and provides technology, resources, and men-toring to ensure students have the support they need to obtain a college degree.

Two debate teams from W.T. White high School qualified for the chase Urban De-bate National championships in chicago. The teams of barron branch and anthony salazar and valencia harvey and ricky barbosa were the top two teams based on scores earned while participating in local tournaments. The students joined the top debaters from each of the 19 Urban Debate Leagues across the country for a weekend of debate competition and community and cultural experiences.

brookings institution: dallas isd most improved in texas, second in nationDallas ISD has improved more than any other urban district in Texas and more than all but one urban district in the coun-try in narrowing the achievement gap, ac-cording to a study by The Brown center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institu-tion in Washington, D.c. The study ex-amined state test scores and demographic information—including race/ethnicity and percentage of disadvantaged students—of 37 urban districts to determine how big-city school districts fared compared to suburban and rural districts.

dallas isd schools make Just for The Kids highest Performing schools listFive Dallas ISD schools have been named to the National center for Educational Achievement’s Just for the Kids list of highest performing schools in all subject areas. The schools are: James B. Bonham Elementary School, charles Rice Learn-ing center, School for the Talented and Gifted at yvonne A. Ewell Townview center, School of Science and Engineer-ing at yvonne A. Ewell Townview center, and William B. Travis Academy/vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted (named in both elementary and middle school categories). The schools were

named based on student academic growth and improvement and the percentage of students reaching the NcEA’s college and career readiness benchmarks for each sub-ject. Forty-two other schools received the highest performing rating in at least one subject area.

Four dallas isd schools nominated for 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools AwardFour Dallas ISD schools have been nomi-nated by the Texas Education Agency for the national 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Award. The schools are George Bannerman Dealey Interna-tional Academy, victor h. hexter Elemen-tary School, George Peabody Elementary School, and the School of health Profes-sions at yvonne A. Ewell Townview center. The award recognizes schools that are academically high performing or that have dramatically improved the performance of all students to high levels over at least the past three years.

two dallas isd schools honored by the national Center for urban school transformationJames B. Bonham Elementary School is among only 12 schools nationwide to re-ceive the National center for Urban Trans-

formation’s National Excellence in Urban Education Award. William L. cabell Ele-mentary School is among 18 other schools named to the NcUST 2009 honor Roll.

learning Center recognized for creating healthy school environmentErasmo Seguin community Learning center was recognized by the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture as a “Gold” school through the HealthierUS School Chal-lenge. The challenge recognizes elemen-tary schools that create healthier school environments through their promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Only nine schools in Texas received this recog-nition. The school will be used as a model for all district schools.

tea recognizes 26 dallas isd schools as exemplary, 77 recognizedThe Texas Education Agency named 103 Dallas ISD schools exemplary or recog-nized for 2008—a sharp increase from the previous year’s total of 47 schools. Twenty-six schools earned the top rating of exemplary, an increase from 14 in 2007. The number of recognized schools jumped from 33 in 2007 to 77 in 2008. Moreover, Dallas students improved their scores in every grade and subject except seventh-grade writing.

DALLAS ISD NEWSLINE • 7

dallas sChools television launChes student-hosted neWs shoW

News Beat, a new two- to three-minute news show

hosted by students, airs every two weeks on cable channel 98 and is available on the district’s Web site. A student anchor reports the news, and a calendar of up-coming events and a section recognizing the accomplish-ments of students and employees are included in each newscast. News Beat airs at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday on cable channel 98. To watch online, go to www.dallasisd.org/dstv/newsbeat.

sChool Zone dallas

School Zone Dallas, the Dallas ISD tele-vision show hosted by stu-dents, is the first Tv show produced by

a Texas school district to win a Lone Star Emmy Award. School Zone Dallas has reached more than two million viewers and can be seen on WFAA-Tv channel 8, KUvN Univision channel 23, KERA Public Television, and Time Warner cable channels.

The show can be seen each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on Dallas Time Warner cable channel 98 digital and periodically on KERA Public Television.

Thanks to the generosity of the John Eagle Family of Dealerships, School Zone Dallas has aired three times this year on WFAA-Tv channel 8, the ABc affiliate in Dallas, immediately following the 6 p.m. news.

School Zone Dallas also is produced in Spanish. Zona Escolar de Dallas has its own cast of students and airs through a unique partnership with KUvN Univision channel 23.

students begin August 24elementary Fair day October 2secondary Fair day October 9Fall Parent Conferences October 12, 13, 15thanksgiving break November 25–27Winter break December 21–January 1end of First semester January 15spring break March 15–19spring Parent Conferences March 8, 9, 11inclement Weather days April 2 and May 21students’ last day June 3

Calendar highlights 2009–2010

take another look at the dallas isd

The Dallas ISD Web site at www.dallasisd.org has been un-dergoing some changes to improve the look and functional-ity of the site. Most noticeable is the home page, which in-cludes more stories, information about the great things our students are doing, and what is happening in our schools.

An addition to our Academics section includes the cur-riculum overviews, presented by grade and provided to par-ents as part of a comprehensive set of targets and initiatives known as Dallas Achieves! The guides make it easier for parents and the community to understand what is expected of students in every subject at every grade level.

We also are expanding our volunteering and partnership Web pages, making them more accessible to parents, guard-ians, and the community who want to volunteer at schools or make donations and contributions.

come visit the Dallas ISD at www.dallasisd.org.have a ConCern about the dallas isd?

To register concerns about the Dallas ISD, call constitu-ent Services at (972) 925-5555 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

weekdays or send an e-mail to constitu-entservices@dallasisd.org. constitu-

ent Services uses an automated call/concern tracking system to provide prompt and efficient so-lutions to concerns raised by par-ents or guardians and members of the community.

To offer opinions or comments to district leadership, e-mail

comments@dallasisd.org.

District Update

8 • JUNE 2009