Staff News

Greatness at James Madison High School in South Dallas is defined by its steady presence over the last 110 years. When those who walked its halls as students talk about its history, they don’t begin with a date; they begin with a story.  

The historic building, which recently underwent substantial renovations, stands as a landmark of belonging and quality learning for the students and families it serves.  

For Class of 1991 graduate Marcus Gates, Madison is where he chose to build his legacy. Growing up within walking distance of the campus, he spent his early years attending games and training there, even before becoming a student.  

“I grew up in the community,” Gates said. “I’ve been around this campus for around 40 years, since I was 12.”  

After earning his college degree, Gates returned home to serve as a mentor, educator, and head coach at Madison. Since 1998, he has poured into future generations of students. The legacy of Madison is also living on in his own family since both of his sons graduated from the school. His eldest was the Class of 2015 valedictorian.  

Gates’ presence reflects the broader meaning of the school itself, a community sustained by generations.  

Founded in 1916 as Forest Avenue High School, the campus first served a thriving Jewish community. As South Dallas experienced significant demographic change, the student population began to reflect the growing African American presence.  

In 1956, the school was renamed James Madison High School, marking a new era in its history and introducing its green and gold colors and Trojan mascot. This kicked off a new chapter in its evolving history which is recorded by generations of families for whom the campus is home.  

Alumni from both eras are part of a close-knit community that continues to connect and support the school. Annual alumni events are a testament to the long-lasting bond shared by those who once walked through its historic halls.  

Notable graduates from the school’s early years as Forest Avenue include Stanley Marcus, owner of the Neiman Marcus department store, and Aaron Spelling, television producer.  

Madison alumni include Sylvia Stanfield, senior diplomat and the first black female U.S. ambassador to Brunei; Dave Stallworth, NBA first-round draft pick and New York Knicks champion; and recent graduate Danny Gray, who in 2024 won his Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

“There’s a sense of family for us in this community,” Gates said. “I think about the students that come through here and the former students who send their kids here. It creates legacy. It’s fostering our community. We all want to be here because we know greatness comes out of Madison.” 

At the root of Madison’s impact are great leaders who care deeply about their students’ success, maintaining excellence in both academics and athletics.  

Former principal Marian Willard led the school with intention and passion. 

“I became principal of James Madison in 2005,” Willard said. “When I arrived we were a struggling campus. I collaborated with my teachers together to find ways to meet students where they were, and we turned the school around in one year. As a principal, I stepped outside of the box, and we achieved a lot. By the time I retired in 2024, we were a B-rated campus.”  

Gates describes the former principal as a servant leader. 

“She taught me how to be a teacher,” he said. “She knew how to drive the school culture. Our current principal, Mr. Russell, does a great job of that as well. He knows how to move people and bring people together. They both have a gift for that.” 

Today, Principal Lonnie Russell III is leading James Madison into the next era of greatness. Following a four-year renovation project that preserved the campus’ historic Italian architectural character, the school looks ahead with modern facilities that honor history. 

At Madison, greatness is found not just in the classroom but also in its championship winning basketball and track teams. It lives in the students who persevere each day to master new skills. It continues with families who return generation after generation. 

Most importantly, Madison is  home for all, no matter where students and educators are from, alumni and leaders say.  

 Corey Green, a Madison alumnus and current parent specialist at Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School, understands firsthand the impact of this community.  

 “I’m not originally from South Dallas, but when I came to Madison, it became my family,” Green said. “Back then, the school was open all year around for us. Madison was our safe haven.”

This month, Dallas ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to put a $6.2 billion bond up for an election this May. Community volunteers and experts appointed by the trustees to the Citizens Bond Steering Committee met for more than a year to create this bond proposal. Here is what it would do:

• Build 26 brand-new replacement schools at these campuses
• Renovate and modernize all campuses (see proposed scope by campus)
• Remove the district’s 700 remaining school portables (used by nearly 10,000 students)
• Upgrade safety and security at all campuses
• Update school furniture
• Upgrade student technology and purchase new school buses
• Upgrade physical education facilities
• Repair the district’s swimming pools

Dallas ISD has upgraded many district campuses through funding from the 2020 bond program that is still being completed. The 2020 bond program has created more than 64,000 jobs and funded 15 replacement schools, six new facilities, and four career institutes while also funding safety, accessibility, and energy-efficiency upgrades across more than 200 campuses.

Texas election laws prohibit Dallas ISD staff from using public resources for electioneering or political advertising. Advocating for or against the bond on district time, property or using district resources, such as email, is strictly prohibited. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this guidance regarding the 2026 bond election.

For more information on the 2026 bond, visit: bond.dallasisd.org/bond2026

Dallas ISD has made great strides in student achievement, and during its regular meeting in January, the Board of Trustees gave the district another tool to make sure that students are getting all the support they need to succeed when it approved the Additional Days School Year (ADSY) starting in the 2026-2027 school year. 

Early Start ADSY adds extra learning days for 13 elementary schools and for sixth graders in seven middle schools before the start of the regular school year and on select Saturdays to support academic growth, build confidence, and ensure students begin the school year prepared for success. The additional days will also help students regain any skills they may have forgotten during the summer and get the support they need to be their best selves. 

Team members

Team members at John Q Adams, Lee McShan Jr., *Lida Hooe, John Neely Bryan, J.N. Ervin, José “Joe” May, Julian T. Saldivar, Harrell Budd, Birdie Alexander, Frank Guzick, and Ronald E. McNair elementary schools; H.S. Thompson STEAM Academy; and Marcus Leadership Academy will report to work on July 20.

Sixth-grade teachers as well as CILT and elective teachers at T.W. Browne, Hector P. Garcia, Sam Tasby, Harold Wendell Lang Sr., and Boude Storey middle schools; Royce West Leadership Academy; and Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Fred F. Florence will also start the school year on July 20. 

Staffing is structured to ensure strong instructional coverage at each level and allow campuses to start the year with collaboration, consistency, and a shared focus on meeting student needs early. Although participation is not contractual, teachers are strongly encouraged to attend. All support staff at the elementary schools will be at the campus to ensure the school year starts as planned. 

*Lida Hooe is Saturday School only

Saturday school

Saturday programming allows campuses to extend learning time, strengthen relationships with students, and start the year with strong academic momentum. Saturday School hours are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Saturday sessions are an important part of Early Start ADSY and provide an additional opportunity to support student learning. At elementary Early Start ADSY campuses, all teachers are expected to participate in Saturday sessions while middle school sixth-grade, CILT, and specials teachers are expected to participate in Saturday sessions to ensure students receive consistent instructional support. 

Saturday programming allows campuses to extend learning time, strengthen relationships with students, and continue the year with strong academic momentum. Teachers are encouraged to engage and support enrollment of at least six students for each Saturday session to qualify for compensation. 

Compensation

Principals at ADSY schools will receive a $3,000 stipend while assistant principals, instructional specialists and campus coordinators will receive a $2,000 stipend for working the additional days.Support staff who are off-contract (ex. school clerk, teacher assistant, food service staff) will receive an hourly rate of pay for all hours worked off contract. Support staff on-contract (ex. office manager, data controller, custodian) will receive no additional pay, but may receive overtime for additional hours worked due to ADSY. 

Teachers and other campus professional staff will receive $350 per day for days worked off contract. 

Stipends and pay for additional days worked before the school year are expected to appear in the September paychecks while pay for Saturdays worked will appear on checks the month following the date worked. For more information and frequently asked questions, please see the FAQ document.

Reading is important at the School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove, and students celebrated Read Across America Day ahead of March 2 with a visit from Morr Meroz, author of the graphic novel Snowlands. 

As the fourth and fifth graders streamed into the cafeteria and Principal Reymundo Cervantes Guajardo introduced Meroz, the students let out what is known as an Owl greeting—a whooping cheer and a thunderous round of applause.

Meroz began the meet-and-greet with a fun game consisting of a series of slideshows displaying scalloped silhouettes of characters in the novel. Questions appeared above the row of silhouettes: Best leader? Most clever? Funniest? With hands up in the air, students shouted out their answers. Prompted by Meroz, some even defended their choices.

Author school visits are a common way to encourage students to read and write more; it is a way to show students that they too can become storytellers, Cervantes Guajardo said. When authors visit, reading suddenly takes on a more tangible reality.

“I think when students meet authors, reading stops feeling abstract,” Cervantes Guajardo said. “It gives them an aspirational sense to become storytellers, because that’s what they are.” 

By meeting authors, he said, students learn to demystify the person whose name is on a book cover. They realize that authors are people with struggles, hopes, families who take time to create stories that bring others joy. 

“When our students study the author’s biography alongside their work, it changes everything,” Cervantes Guajardo said. “Seeing them connect those life experiences to the chapters they’ve just read—and then having them here with us today—creates a truly unique and powerful feeling.”

As the visit continued, Meroz led students through a storytelling workshop. He asked them to pick any animal they liked and to think of a setting and conflict for them—anywhere in the world.  Together, the students—about 120 in total—brainstormed a plot for Jeremy, the clownfish living in a hot spring in Arizona. Jeremy, the students decided, should embark on a quest to find his missing family. Meroz then walked the students through his brainstorming process and discussed what he calls “stacking problems,” a process for building up conflict in stories— smaller problems incrementally get bigger and bigger.

During the final minutes of his visit, Meroz discussed character building and the writing process as a whole, showing early drafts of illustrations and dialogue. For the Q&A session, students peppered Meroz with questions ranging from inspiration to characters to future installments in the series. Each student in attendance received a signed copy of Snowland.

“There’s so much competition now for students’ time,” said Michael Douthit, the librarian at TAG. “To be able to carve out some time every day–or 20 to 30 minutes–to read is critical for their education and their development.”

TAG, like other schools in the district, reinforces the importance of reading to students by establishing small rituals that turn into lifelong habits. The latest of these is “Drop Everything and Read” Fridays, a time during which students pause to focus solely on reading. In addition, the school encourages students to visit the library weekly and hosts book fairs—a common practice across Dallas ISD. Themed-celebrations, such as Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month, are seen as occasions to spotlight minority authors and to make reading feel special, engaging, and relevant.

“The feeling of reading a book is what we want to keep alive, and I see that engagement leading to an increase in scores,” said Cervantes Guajardo. “Because our students are reading, they are becoming very fluent—and it shows in their vocabulary when they talk.”

On Feb. 10, Dallas ISD Maintenance and Facilities Services spent the day connecting with students at a district middle school career fair, an event where students from 25 middle schools explored career pathways through interactive displays designed to spark their curiosity.  

 Among the 85 stations that filled the event were representatives from the district’s maintenance and facilities, who prepared two interactive exhibits introducing students to the profitable careers of plumbing and electrical work.  

Maintenance professionals play a vital role in the day-to-day function of our schools and communities. They work behind the scenes to ensure buildings remain safe, functional, and conducive to learning. Their dedication is recognized annually on March 4 during Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day. 

Joshua Fisher represented the plumbing department with a hands-on demonstration replicating a sewer system. He built an artificial ground display using wood and turf, placing plumbing beneath the surface and creating a blockage with a familiar character for students—Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants.  

He began by asking students, “Who used plumbing today?” prompting them to consider how often they rely on plumbing in their daily lives. 

Using his sewer inspection equipment, Fisher guided students through identifying and locating the makeshift blockage. With a camera inserted into the pipe, students located the issue and learned the steps needed to repair it.  

“It was a rewarding experience to share with young men and women the importance of plumbing in their everyday lives and how it can be a solid option moving forward when searching for a career,” Fisher said.  

Jaylon Lakes, representing electricians, also had an interactive demonstration highlighting the work of his trade.  

“I was able to touch on many topics about the trade I enjoy doing daily,” Lakes said. “I see the brightness of the future for students when they are exposed to these trades, and when they begin to learn the background of what we do here for the schools.” 

Using a display board equipped with wires, outlets, switches, speakers and lighting, Lakes gave students a hands-on look at the tools and materials electricians use daily. He also shared insights on the knowledge and training required to enter the profession, sparking interest with facts about historical pioneers in electricity. 

Operations Manager Blanca Sanchez helped coordinate the team’s exhibits, ensuring they had ample space and support to engage students throughout the event. 

The mission of Dallas ISD Maintenance and Facilities Services is to support learning by maintaining safe and efficient physical environments that promote student achievement. The department delivers industry-quality craftsmanship in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and multi-skilled trades. 

“We have a great team,” said Miriam Gaytan, director of Operations. “Jaylon and Josh are standouts in their fields and their day-to-day jobs. They also have a natural gift of engaging young learners, so this event was a great opportunity for us to reach out to middle school students and expose them to fields that are always in demand.”

For thousands of Dallas ISD students, one day each spring stands out as something close to magical. It’s a day filled with music, special guests, free books, swag, and an overwhelming message that reading can take them anywhere—the district’s African American Read-In on Feb. 27. 

The read-in has been around since 1990 through the National Council of Teachers of English, and was brought to Dallas ISD by former District 6 Trustee Carla Ranger to spotlight African-American authors, stories, and student readers. Over time, it’s grown from a small Saturday gathering into a full‑scale district celebration with live music, big‑name guests, and nearly 10,000 free books.

One of the key organizers is Candyce Grant, director of the Office of School Improvement, whose own journey into education began far from Dallas.

Grant grew up in Lake Providence, La., a tiny rural town in the northeastern corner of the state along the Mississippi River. She described it as the kind of place “you blink, and you go right through,” but also as a deeply “homey” community where hard work was a way of life. As a child, she even spent time in the cotton fields with her mother.

“Hard work has always been a part of my life,” she said. “My mom was a teacher and a supervisor in education for over 40 years, and I really attribute who I am today to her. Whatever I do, I think, ‘My mom would be super proud of me because I’m walking in her legacy.’”

When Grant moved to Texas in 2004, she joined Dallas ISD as an elementary teacher at the now-closed George Washington Carver Creative Arts Learning Center. From there, she served at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School (now Dr. Frederick Douglass Todd Sr. Middle School), then moved into roles as a campus instructional coach, assistant principal, coordinator, and now director of School Improvement. Throughout that climb, her passion for literacy has stayed constant.

“Even if kids are more hands‑on, they still have to learn how to read,” she said. “Our goal is to instill reading in all of our students so they can grow, learn, and be very productive in their lives and as citizens.”

This year’s Read-In theme, “Read, Dream, Soar,” captures exactly what Grant is aiming for: not just higher reading levels, but bigger dreams.

“It’s about showing students they can be whoever they want to be, that they can dream big, and that reading is the foundation for their learning,” Grant said.

Over 40 campuses will send students to the central event at Concord Church, and at the same time, all 154 elementary campuses will receive curated book bundles, bookmarks, and a ready‑to‑use agenda so they can host their own campus read‑ins. In partnership with Library Media Services, the district selected 13 vetted titles and ordered enough copies for each participating student to leave with five to six books. Students will also receive a backpack, a book light, and a blanket.

“We want them to feel that reading is theirs,” Grant said. “That it’s special, that it belongs to them.”

On the stage, students will enjoy appearances by Dallas Cowboy Tyler Smith, the male-performance squad Mavs ManiAACs, and the Skyline High School band. Students will have the opportunity to meet author of Cookies & Milk Shawn Amos, who is also the son of famed entrepreneur Famous Amos, and listen as district leaders, including Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde, read aloud to them, demonstrating that books matter from the classroom all the way up to the superintendent’s office.

Throughout the venue, community and cultural partners will add to the atmosphere with storytelling, drumming, photo booths, and hands-on literacy stations. The goal isn’t just to tell students that reading is important—it’s to make them feel it, Grant said.

“That’s what we want,” she said. “We want them to be excited, to go back and tell their friends about it, and to want to read more.”

While School Improvement oversees more than 40 student‑centered projects, from mentoring and campus connectors to literacy and math acceleration specialists serving students who are most behind, the African American Read-In is a chance to show what all that work is really about: joy, opportunity, and the belief that a book can change the way children see the world and themselves.

“School improvement is here to support,” Grant said. “We’re goal‑driven and data‑driven, but we lead with love, tenacity, intentionality, and humility. At the end of the day, everything comes back to our students, their voices, their sense of belonging, and their future.”

March 23 marks the start of the open transfer period for all district campuses and teachers, counselors, and media specialists/literacy media specialists can seek and apply for positions. 

The open transfer period for the District Support Initiative campuses continues and teachers, counselors, and media specialists/literacy media specialists interested in working at those schools can seek and accept a position.

In addition, Dallas ISD is holding a job fair for DSI schools starting at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation. Those interested will find exclusive career opportunities, competitive stipends, and on-the-spot interviews and hiring recommendations from DSI school principals. For more information about stipends and the job fair, download this flyer.

To take advantage of the open transfer opportunity, eligible employees must apply online using their EAD login at www.dallasisd.org/careers using the internal openings link. Employees must apply to be eligible to participate. The current principal’s approval is not required during the open transfer period; however, the best practice is to inform the current principal of the desire to transfer.

To be eligible for an open transfer, employees must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a valid Texas Teacher Certificate or hold a valid District of Innovation Certification Exemption in the requested subject-area vacancy and meet TEA/SBEC Certification Standards for the position
• Must not be entering their fourth year of an Alternative Certification Program
• Must not be identified for non-renewal at the end of the current school year due to performance and/or misconduct
• Must not have an Unsatisfactory rating on the most current TEI Evaluation

To see the list of campuses in the Pathway to Excellence, Strategic Support Schools, and Strategically Staffed High Schools programs and learn more about the supports and stipends provided, visit www.dallasisd.org/dsi. The deadline for principals to submit a recommendation for the open transfer period for PTE/SSS/SSHS campuses is June 4, 2026.

The open transfer period for all other campuses ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 24, 2026.

Human Capital Management will accept principal recommendations via TMS for schools, including those in the Pathway to Excellence, Strategic Support Schools, and Strategically Staffed High Schools programs.

Human Capital Management will email notifications of approval/denial throughout the open transfer period. These notifications will be sent to the employee and the current and receiving principals. Transfers are only final once the Letter of Assignment email notification has been sent from Human Capital Management. All notifications will be completed by May 1, 2026, and June 9, 2026, for PTE/SSS/SSHS campuses. After the open transfer window closes, all transfers must follow the administrative transfer guidelines.

At Dallas ISD, the Employee Giving Campaign is more than a fundraiser—it’s a way for team members to directly invest in students and classrooms across the district. For Yizzel Pompa, special education teacher at Leila P. Cowart Elementary School, proceeds from previous campaigns have already proven how powerful that investment can be.

Now an Employee Giving Campaign campus champion, Pompa has seen firsthand how employee donations turn into meaningful, tangible change for students. Through a Dallas Education Foundation grant, she was able to completely reimagine the environment in her self-contained special education classroom.

Her grant focused on sensory regulation for early childhood special education and students with significant needs. With those funds, she purchased items like a light table, sensory floor tiles, texture pads, weighted items, light fixture covers, and materials to build a Peace Center for students who need a break to regulate.

“When you get classrooms, you get a lot of things that are just handed down or constantly used,” she said. For her students—many of whom are autistic or experience sensory overload—this wasn’t enough. “Grants are the one thing that transforms a classroom.”

The impact of the grant has extended beyond her own students. Working with principal Christina Rodrigue Dimanh, Pompa helped create a campuswide cool-down room using some of the sensory items and a crash pad funded by the grant. Any student who feels overwhelmed, emotional, or in need of a mental break can use the space.

“It’s a welcoming, peaceful space for friends when they need it, and that’s used across the entire campus,” she said. “It’s been really helpful to the whole campus, which is why it’s great to get buy-in from staff. Their participation is what helped us get what we need.”

One of the most striking examples of the grant’s impact came from a single tool Pompa initially saw as optional—the light table. She bought it for sensory play, but during a difficult moment with a student who struggled with transitions and engagement, she tried something new.

“Randomly, I just put the worksheet on top of the light table and turned it on dim, and that completely changed his willingness to work,” she said. “It’s become something that allows me to reach him instructionally.”

Stories like this are at the heart of the Employee Giving Campaign. Pompa emphasized that donations from team members are what make these kinds of grants possible—not just at her school, but across the district.

“I think it’s just a resource within our community that gives back to our community,” she said. “This is something that comes from our staff, and it goes right back to our schools.”

As a campus champion, Pompa now works just as hard to keep her colleagues engaged and motivated to give. She’s turned fundraising into something fun, creative, and rewarding for all.

“Cowart is in the lead because I negotiated with my administrator to be able to give our staff small prizes,” she said. Those who donate can earn jeans days; enter in weekly raffles with prizes like baked goods, themed baskets, gift cards; and even get extended lunch breaks.

“We get a little creative,” she said. “Teacher wins that we don’t think of are super valuable. I would love an hour lunch break, so we’re raffling off that. I’ll cover your recess if your entire team gives to the giving campaign.”

Those efforts are paying off. 

“We’re one of the schools at the top,” Pompa said.

For this year’s Employee Giving Campaign, Pompa’s message is clear: “It’s important to keep it going, and in order to do that, we have to engage, and we have to participate, and we have to give,” she said. “We just have to remember the purpose of it is to give back to ourselves and our communities and our district.”

To donate to the Employee Giving Campaign, click here. To find your school or department champion, click on this document.

Since the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, Dallas ISD has been using a new system powered by Apptegy for its mass communications to team members, parents and guardians. And in the next few weeks, the last phase of this system, Rooms, will launch so that teachers, coaches, club sponsors and other school personnel can have two-way communications with students and parents.

This two-way communication will reach parents and guardians in their preferred language through the new Dallas ISD app and will replace a variety of apps that are now used by teachers to communicate with parents. Train-the-trainer sessions have been available for designated campus staff who are now training teachers on how to effectively use this new feature.

Although the Dallas ISD app, currently available in iOS and Android versions, is not strictly necessary for the two-way communication between parents and teachers, it is recommended that parents download it. Parents can use the app not only to access the two-way communications, but also to find their children’s daily cafeteria menus as well as news and notifications from the district and respective schools. Schools and the district can also upload important documents to the app for parents.

Schools have already been using the new system to send out calls, texts with additional characters, and emails in English and Spanish. Additional languages are expected to be added next year.

Principals who have yet to designate a trainer for their school can do so using this form. Additional virtual train-the-trainer sessions will be available at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, and at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25; click on the link of your preferred date to register for the training. Alerts and News trainings for new coordinators will be available in March. Further dates will be shared in the Weekly Administrative Information Packet. 

For questions about the system and trainings, email meroles@dallasisd.org.

From the classroom to campus administration, legacy school Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary School emphasizes leadership development at every level. The school earned an overall academic score of 88 from the Texas Education Agency by focusing on schoolwide collaboration.  

At Brashear, academic success begins the moment students walk through the school doors. Each morning, they are greeted by the principal, Sonja Barnes, and teacher assistants, reflecting the school’s commitment to forming strong relationships. Barnes welcomes students with a swarm of bubbles, creating a friendly environment that sets the tone for the day.  

“I believe that as teachers, we should approach our work with joy and intention, making school an exciting place for students to learn,” said LaShawn Griffin, third-grade math teacher. “Since attendance is such an important part of success, we make it a priority to ensure that our students feel welcome and know that they are learning from the moment they walk in until the moment they leave.” 

Griffin is one of many educators contributing to the campus’s STAAR success. Now in her 12th year at Brashear, she also mentors new teachers, helping them develop effective strategies for teaching key concepts in their classrooms. 

Her classroom is grounded in social-emotional learning, supporting students’ well-being so they can focus and approach each day with confidence. She also integrates reading strategies into math instruction, helping students strengthen vocabulary comprehension and close learning gaps.    

Through small-group instruction and hands-on activities, Griffin teaches students to annotate problems and solve them by carefully analyzing the meaning of each word.   

“I believe that when kids know that you care, they will care about what you’re trying to teach them, and care about learning,” she said.  

For two years, the school has participated in a leadership development program with The Holdsworth Center, designed to strengthen teachers as leaders. Barnes formed a team of educators to identify a long-term focus area that would drive campus improvement. For Brashear, that focus became strengthening vocabulary to improve student performance on STAAR.  

Barnes’ leadership was also recognized after being selected as 2025-2026 Region III Elementary Principal of the Year. She emphasized that while strong STAAR performance is important, authentic instruction that engages students in deep thinking ultimately prepares them for success on any assessment.  

“In the beginning of the program, I worked with my assistant principal to analyze the data and discuss strategies we could use,” Barnes said. “When we brought teachers into the conversation, they identified even more strategies to support our students. We landed on implementing the TIP chart—Text, Information, Picture—and adapted it across the campus.” 

A TIP chart helps students break down content by identifying key text, relevant information, and visual connections to deepen their comprehension. This approach, along with schoolwide instructional practices, such as an emphasis on problem-solving, critical thinking, and in-depth annotations, contributed to the school earning a B rating.  

Brashear’s success extends beyond classroom achievement in math and reading. The campus prioritizes developing confident student leaders who are prepared to take ownership of their learning and their community.  

Students can engage in service and leadership opportunities through the National Elementary Honor Society and student council. As school ambassadors, they lead campus tours and coordinate community service projects, building the confidence and skills needed to become future scholars. 

Barnes has served as principal of Brashear for 11 years. Her leadership shapes the culture of the entire campus and creates space for teachers and students to thrive. Just two points shy of an A rating, the school is building a sustained momentum toward even greater academic excellence. 

“Our vision is to make sure that we’re laying the foundation for college, career and beyond,” Barnes said. “When every staff member believes they have the ability to help a child reach college or change the trajectory of that child’s life, great things happen. At Brashear, I believe every staff member understands the role they play in each child’s journey.”