Supporting new teachers through professional development

Dallas ISD is committed to supporting new teachers by providing professional development that will help them in their day-to-day work. As part of the district’s yearlong new teacher induction program, these educators came together recently to learn best practices in literacy, gain pedagogical support in their assigned content areas and receive support in fostering a positive relationship with students and the community. 

More than 1,500 new teachers have been hired this year to serve students across the district, and teachers like Cinthya Longoria are looking forward to applying these innovative approaches in their classrooms. 

“Creating relationships with students and their families is one of the big reasons why I came back to Dallas ISD,” said Longoria, who graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School and now works at José “Joe” May Elementary School as a bilingual kindergarten teacher. “I’m in the same feeder pattern I went through, and I want to create a space where students feel like they are heard and can relate to the content.” 

E.B. Comstock Middle School assistant band director Wendell Harris has been a teacher for four years and is starting his first year at Dallas ISD, and he is just as passionate about student engagement. 

“I’ve seen some really positive impacts from these professional development sessions, and I am grateful for the opportunity to bring new perspectives to my class and enhance my students’ learning,” he said. “COVID-19 has been challenging, so I am excited to get them caught up and then see where they go.” 

The Professional & Digital Learning team designed this session for the fall and another session for the spring to give teachers who are new to the district additional time to learn and grow while they are on their campuses. 

“Whether these teachers are in their first or third year, we want to ensure they get what they need to succeed,” said Stephanie Ford, a project manager with the department. “These sessions focus on literacy and equity across all grade levels, and we are proud of the applications we are already seeing in the classroom.”  

Visit the Professional & Digital Learning page at dallasisd.org/pdl to learn more about future professional development opportunities.