Recognizing the Core 4 team members

As the 2025-2026 school year enters its last weeks, it’s time to recognize team members who have embodied the district’s tenets by which all Dallas ISD employees strive to meet the needs of students, their families, and one another—the Core 4.

Each tenet is at the “core” of everything we do and anchored in our district focus of educational excellence, comprehensive accountability, responsible use of resources, and collaboration.

If you know of a team member who has embodied one or more of these tenets during the year, let us know using this form, so they can be recognized. Make sure you provide concrete examples that match the category for which you are nominating them. 

Need to review what the Core 4 tenets are all about? Check them out below.

Focused—We transform student lives

• Decision making is consistently and effectively made in the best interest of students and results in improved outcomes
• Systemically monitors supports and evaluates multiple data sources to maximize student achievement through differentiated supports
• Without exception, tightly aligns differentiated resources to district priorities to ensure outcomes for all students
• Consistently and effectively implements supports to ensure the social, emotional, and academic needs of students, families, and employees

Fast—Urgency for all

• Without exception, emails and phone responses are timely, and requests or incorporates feedback to improve culture
• Proactively and effectively leverages all available data, policy, and information sources to provide accurate responses to all requesters
• Models effective time management by anticipating needs and differentiating task importance in providing timely and accurate responses to requests between students, families and employees
• Consistently and effectively solves problems before they arise and adjusts for unforeseen circumstances to ensure excellent outcomes

Flexible—We strive for the yes

• Embraces and responds appropriately to social variances, creating synergy and inclusivity. Proactively solicits different perspectives to strengthen the decision making process and support positive outcomes. 
• Creates intentional opportunities for inclusive collaboration that promote flexibility, innovation, and productivity
• Communicates rationale for change in a clear, concise, timely manner that garners support from all families, employees students
• Adapts to change with versatility and optimism providing stability and eliciting trust among stakeholder groups

Friendly—Make memorable moments

• Proactively and intentionally builds, maintains, and leverages professional relationships and positively influences others to advance goals and close achievement gaps
• Creates intentionally a welcoming, inclusive and respectful working environment by adapting to the needs of others and tailoring interactions to meet their specific needs
• Models friendliness and professionalism in communications and influences others to improve their communications skills