Recognize the Core 4
Through the Core 4—the district’s culture tenets—student success is at the core of everything we do. That’s why it’s important to model and recognize when team members exemplify the district’s four culture tenets by being:
- Focused on transforming student lives
- Fast by working with urgency for all
- Flexible when striving for the yes
- Friendly to make memorable moments
Department recognitions
Central departments are encouraged to hold monthly recognitions to highlight outstanding examples of those embracing the culture tenets. These employees will then be recognized districtwide every quarter. Campus recognitions will launch later in the 2023-2024 school year.
Departments can hold local recognitions as frequently as every month by asking team members, parents and the community (when appropriate) to share instances where someone has exemplified one of the tenets in an outstanding way. The example should be specific and mention the tenet and how the person being recognized exceeded expectations during their interaction. We recommend that examples be submitted in writing or by creating a Google form using these instructions. We recommend designating a Core 4 coordinator or ambassador for each department to gather these nominations, to coordinate who is chosen each month for recognition, and to share them with the department and, later, the districtwide recognition committee.
Once team members who embrace the Core 4 have been chosen by departments, we encourage you to share their names with the rest of the team by:
- Setting up a Core 4 Board in the employee lounge
- Announcing them in meetings
- Adding a Core 4 card to their door or workstation
Districtwide recognitions
In a few weeks, departments will receive a packet with items to recognize individuals in each of the four tenets throughout the year. Electronic copies of some of the materials will also be available.
For additional recognition, a central recognition will be held periodically based on names of individual department winners that are submitted by the department’s Core 4 coordinator or ambassador. Sharing can take place at the end of each department’s recognition however often they take place.
What should districtwide nominations look like?
Recognitions should be evidence-based, so the examples of team members who are chosen for embracing and practicing the Core 4 tenets in an outstanding way need to be specific. These submissions will be reviewed by a Core 4 Committee to choose four employees to be recognized at the district level—one for each of the tenets.
Once the Core 4 Committee chooses team members to recognize from all those whose names were submitted:
- A story with their names and photos will appear in an issue of The Beat
- An invitation to do Coffee with the Chief will be sent
- Their information will be added to the Core 4 and Team Dallas ISD pages
- Those housed in the Linus D. Wright Administration Building will be able to park (based on a predetermined schedule) in the special Core 4 parking spot
If you have outstanding team members who you think especially embody one or more of the Core 4 culture tenets and you have recognized them in your department already, use this form to submit their names for districtwide recognition: https://forms.gle/B9d22srykzu5nLb38. Be specific! We are looking for evidence-based examples using the behaviors suggested by the Core 4 rubric for each tenet as a guide.
Make sure to include a horizontal photo of each nominee.
