Dallas ISD is on the rise!

Dallas ISD is on the rise! The district continues to show strong gains in academic achievement under the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) A to F accountability system. With a five-point gain, the district has earned a “B” for the second year in a row, increasing from an 81 to 86. Fifty-seven percent of schools earned an A or B in the district’s more rigorous local accountability system, 28 of which earned an A.

Without doubt, this growth is a result of the hard work and dedication of students, district educators and leaders, with support from parents and partners. Our work as a community is reflected in these academic gains, and I am grateful to everyone for their commitment to Dallas’ children.

Congratulations to Solar Preparatory for Girls at James B. Bonham, which is among the 28 district schools to earn an A as a state rating. I am also happy to share that 13 schools from District 8 earned a B. I’d like to thank the staff, parents and community from District 8 for helping us to continue rising.

Despite the recent academic growth, we recognize there is still much work to be done. The district will be providing intervention plans and additional support to campuses which are in need of an academic boost. Dallas ISD educators remain committed to their mission of providing a quality education to all students.   

One of the newest and exciting initiatives to continue growing is the creation of the Leader Excellence, Academic and Development (LEAD) Department, which launched last school year. Through this program, the district plans to grow its own principal pipeline to ensure best-fit leaders at every school. I encourage parents to reach out to your campus principal and get to know him/her by attending Coffee with the Principal events and other school activities.

Kudos to the students from Ignite Middle who have produced a documentary to build bridges between youth and elders at Roseland Homes, where a young girl and two teenage boys lost their lives over the summer. In the wake of these tragedies, this documentary shares Roseland’s story of community, pride and the potential of young people. These students have been recognized for this great work and are among a group of teams selected to represent the United States at the 'I Can Global Conference' in Rome, Italy in November.

Special thanks to Todd Tracy and the Tracy Law Firm who generously donated $50,000 to build a food pantry at Esperanza “Hope” Medrano Elementary. Tracy wanted to do something for young residents of his neighborhood and reached out to Principal Mondragón who suggested a food pantry as a way to serve families. I am so thankful for generous community members like Tracy who are lending a helping hand to Dallas students and shaping their future.