Proposal Review and Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated on the quality of the proposed instructional program and programmatic elements, and the capacities required to successfully operate the school. Once applications are received, School Choice Committees (SCC) will convene to vet the written applications during the Written Review Round.

Proposals that advance beyond the Written Review Round will enter into the Interview Round. During this time, a SCC will conduct interviews with Applicant Teams in order to provide thoughtful and well-informed recommendations to the Superintendent's Panel for final review and selection.

This a rigorous and competitive process. Applicant Teams that are not successful in their first try are encouraged to apply again in the future.

School Choice Committee Composition:

The exact makeup of an SCC could look different depending on the types of content, themes, and instructional approaches being proposed. This ensures that relevant subject matter experts are included on the committees. 

Note on Community Engagement:

Community buy-in is a critical component in the proposal review process. An important tenet shared by all Choice Schools is be that decision making should start at the school level with all school stakeholders (staff, students, parents, community) providing input. As such, Applicant Teams are expected to engage families, parents, school faculty and staff, students, and community members in the development and writing of the proposal.

Dallas ISD will consider the depth and level of engagement with the school stakeholders as part of the overall review process. One of the most central features of the process is that Applicant Teams will be held to an extremely high standard in demonstrating that the community is on-board with their efforts. Applicant Teams proposing to launch a Transformation School are expected to provide compelling evidence for the need and demand for their Choice School in Dallas ISD.

Design an OTI School - Public School Choice

Timeline and Proposal Templates

Resources - Public School Choice 9.0