Central Staff News

Dallas ISD is among the 40 winners of the 2021 District of Distinction Award announced recently by the Texas Art Education Association. The districts received the honor for providing a well-rounded education that advocates and integrates a visual arts curriculum to inspire creativity and build social emotional learning that connect learners to their community and beyond.

TAEA is the leading advocate for the visual arts in the state. The organization has previously honored outstanding TAEA members for work in their classrooms and districts. This is the third year that TAEA is honoring districts that meet rigorous criteria as evidenced from data.

“This is a tremendous recognition of the talented student and teacher artists throughout Dallas ISD,” said Tim Linley, executive director of Academic Enrichment.  “Designation as a TAEA District of Distinction places Dallas ISD’s Visual Arts program in the top four percent of school districts in the state. Dallas ISD is the largest school district by far to have earned this recognition. Here in Dallas, we’ve always known that our student and teacher artists are simply the best. Now the rest of the state knows it too!”

For the 2021 award, over 1,100 districts were eligible to apply. Each district submitted documentation they met from the 14-point rubric over the 2020-2021 school year. Only 40 districts met the high standard and will receive the outstanding honor indicating they are in the top 4 percent in art education of districts in the state.

“Dallas ISD has set a high standard for visual arts advocacy, integrated visual arts curriculum, encouraged creativity, community participation and student growth,” said Stacia Gower, Chair of the Administration and Supervision Division of TAEA. “The past school year, educators faced a great many challenges associated with constantly changing guidelines and instruction procedures as well as participation in contest and visual art events. It is a true testament to our visual art educators’ skill, dedication, and flexibility that the quality of their programs continued strong and comprehensive.”

The winning districts will be honored at the TAEA Administration & Supervision Division meeting and during the TAEA Fall Conference General Assembly on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.

Before they became two of the top educators in Dallas ISD who inspire students to reach their full potential, Elisa and Peter Morrissey were just two undergrads falling in love in San Marcos at Texas State University.

A chance meeting in the school’s cafeteria led to some dates, a wedding, and two kids who now attend Dallas ISD schools. The Morrisseys are also possibly the first Dallas ISD married couple where each spouse has been named a top educator in the district: Elisa was named the 2018 Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year, and Peter was a finalist for 2021 Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year, both at Alex Sanger Preparatory.

“Working with students and serving in education is something we are both passionate about,” said Elisa, who now works as an assistant principal at George W. Truett Elementary School. “Dallas ISD really is home for us.”

Elisa graduated Texas State with a degree in Sports Medicine. She worked community health fairs and went into schools to help connect parents without insurance with healthcare. Through these health outreach efforts, Elisa felt called to become a teacher through the district’s alternative certification program.  Later, she received a Masters degree in Bilingual Education at Southern Methodist University.

“I realized I could make a greater impact by working in a school and helping students break the cycle of poverty,” Elisa said. “I see myself in these students and come from a similar background as many of them. This is more than a job: it’s a passion.”

After he graduated college, Peter went to work in the mortgage industry. A highlight of his job was volunteering at J.W. Ray Learning Center, where he used his design skills to illustrate stories written by students at the school.

Peter soon found himself spending almost every lunch break at J.W. Ray. He felt a passion he missed in his day job. Peter quit his mortgage job, became a substitute for a year, and then a full time Dallas ISD teacher

“Being able to connect with students and make a difference, there really is no other feeling like that,” Peter said.

Peter and Elisa help each other in their jobs and are able to offer advice and support. But when their kids sit down at the table for dinner, they turn off their educator hat and become mom and dad again.

And while they are appreciative of the Teacher of the Year recognition, they both say that nothing beats getting to help students achieve beyond what they thought possible.

“Being educators and parents is who we are,” Elisa said. “And I’m so glad we ended up meeting each other back in the Texas State cafeteria so many years ago. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Dallas ISD recently shared information about a data security incident involving sensitive electronic records that may have affected district employees. The district is offering free credit monitoring services through Kroll, a leading identity protection technology company.

Dallas ISD takes the security of sensitive employee and student data seriously and has invested significant resources to protect it. Despite these efforts, the district is one of a growing number of public and private organizations that have experienced a cyberattack. Dallas ISD has addressed the vulnerability that led to this event and is investing additional resources to enhance cybersecurity protections.

Kroll’s services include 12 months of credit monitoring and fully managed ID theft recovery services for those with compromised data. The process to enroll is quick and easy. To sign up for monitoring services, please register at dallasisd.kroll.com. Once you access the website, click “Adult Activate Now” at the top of the page to begin setup. If you do not have access to a computer or would prefer to receive monitoring alerts by mail, you may choose to activate monitoring services by calling the Kroll hotline at (855) 651-2605.

If you have any problems signing up, call Kroll to get help with the process.

Following new guidance on notification of positive COVID-19 cases from the Texas Education Agency, schools are having to notify the entire classroom of a test-confirmed positive case. The SchoolMessenger callout system is the most efficient means of providing this communication to parents/guardians by creating and saving classroom lists.

Because the data that is shared with SchoolMessenger does not include classroom assignments, SchoolMessenger coordinators at each campus can create their own lists and saved them in the system to make communicating with parents and guardians easier. To set up a list:

1. Access the classroom roster in PowerSchool and download a list of student IDs in the classroom.
2. Make sure the student IDs are in the first column of the Excel document that you have downloaded (or copy them into the first column of an Excel worksheet).
3. Save the document as a .csv or comma separated values list.
4. Within SchoolMessenger, go to the Broadcasts tab. It will open on Lists. If it does not, click on Lists.
5. Click Create New List.
6. Choose Upload List from the Additional List Tools menu and follow the steps.
   1. Make sure that you name the List for the classroom for which you have the student information.
   2. Make sure that you choose ID# Lookup before you upload the list
7. Follow the instructions and save the list.
8. You will have to follow this process for each classroom.

Once you have the lists, you can choose the one you want to use from the Saved Recipients List menu when setting up a New Broadcast. The same process can be used in creating lists for extra-curricular and after-school programs.

For additional information about creating lists, download this guide. If you have additional questions, email schoolmessenger@dallasisd.org.

Due to the ongoing and severe disruptions in the food and non-food supply chains, Dallas ISD is implementing a program to reduce the use of flatware and related items in schools.

Effective Monday, Sept. 13:

• Breakfasts served on Tuesdays and Thursdays at all school levels–except the “hot” breakfast at select high schools–will all be finger foods. No flatware will be offered to students, except for students with certain conditions and/or whose IEP/504 requires foods that require flatware to be consumed. As an example, schools will not serve cereal (which requires a spoon) on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
• Lunches served on Tuesdays will all be finger foods, so not flatware will be available. For example, chicken tenders and baked fries do not require flatware to be eaten.
• At all other times, students will be limited to a single set of flatware per meal.

If required due to supply chain issues, breakfasts may be served in “to go” bags in place of trays or plates. Lunches may be served on non-traditional plates or trays, as the supply situation dictates.

Dallas ISD is tirelessly working to explore every possible option to find and purchase paper goods and associated items. School districts across the nations are facing similar issues due to the supply chain issues.

With the safety and well-being of staff and students in mind, Dallas ISD is offering a one-time $50 vaccination incentive to students ages 12 and older who have received the required doses of the vaccine against COVID-19. The incentive will be distributed in the form of a card that can be used as cash. To get the card, parents/guardians or students who are at least 18 should fill out the proof of vaccination form and submit a copy of the student’s COVID vaccination card, IMMTrac2 print out or written confirmation from a medical provider by Nov. 15.

The announcement of the student vaccination incentive comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dallas County Health officials have raised the COVID-19 alert to level red and reported that hospitalizations are rising at the fastest rate since the pandemic began, among all age groups, including children.

Participation in the student vaccination incentive is entirely voluntary and based on the personal preferences of students and their families. The information provided will help the district determine how many students who are eligible have been fully vaccinated and facilitate the contact tracing and quarantine processes, which are different depending on vaccination status.

For more information about the student vaccination incentive, visit https://www.dallasisd.org/studentvaxincentive.

Dallas ISD and the LEAD department are announcing the launch of the Future Principals Institute, a one-year professional development program designed to prepare high-performing leaders to be principal-ready in the next two years. FPI’s curriculum is grounded in the essential work of a school leader: leading instruction, leading people, and leading systems.

Join us for an information session on Monday, Sept. 20, to ask any questions, or visit our program page for more information and resources. If you want to see and hear how leaders across Dallas ISD are reacting to this incredible opportunity, watch a special video about the institute: https://youtu.be/DTutNbwJYB8.

The ideal candidate for this program is someone who:

• Is committed to personal and professional growth
• Is eager to collaborate and share feedback with peers
• Has a passion for the people and future of our district
• Is interested in enhancing their leadership capabilities necessary for leadership
• Is ready and committed to pursue a principal position in the next two years

Applications opened Sept. 7 and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sept.  26. The application may be accessed by visiting the program page at bit.ly/futureprincipalsinstitute.

To inquire about this program, please contact LEAD at LEAD@dallasisd.org or (972) 794-2518.

Photo: Principal Reymundo Cervantes-Guajardo, Henry B. Gonzalez Personalized Learning Academy

The Post-Secondary Partnerships and Programs Department maintains and manages a list of high school teachers who are credentialed by Dallas College to teach dual credit courses. A high school dual credit credentialed teacher is someone who has completed the Dallas College application/credentialing process and has received official approval and notification from Dallas College.

If you are a high school teacher who is credentialed by Dallas College to teach dual credit courses, please fill out this short survey letting us know your credentialing status. The deadline to submit the survey is end of day Oct. 1.

Ifyou have questions or need assistance, please contact Elizabeth Woodall, Quality Assurance Coordinator at (972) 925-5476.

The Junior League of Dallas and presenting sponsor Texas Instruments awarded 41 Dallas ISD teachers grants totaling more than $86,000 through the annual Grants for Innovative Teaching program. In its history, this JLD Signature Project has had an impact on nearly 7,000 students and awarded more than $2 million in grants to Dallas ISD educators.

The grants program is designed to encourage excellence in education by funding special projects that address reading and literacy enrichment; diversity; special education; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); or arts and culture enrichment across one or more grade levels.

This year, Dallas ISD grant recipients received up to $2,500 each to fund their projects during a hybrid ceremony held Sept. 1 at Junior League of Dallas headquarters and streamed online.

Some of the projects selected include: Voices of Vickery, Building a Better Future, Conversations from the Library Podcast and Building Global Competencies. The projects awarded GFIT grants will provide students with diverse experiences and highlight the innovation of the Dallas ISD educators.

Download the list to see the projects and teachers who received this year’s grants.

Hundreds of educators have left their mark on Dallas ISD and its students during the district’s 137 years of existence, but few are woven so tightly into the tapestry of Dallas education as the Crowder family. With a combined 94 years of experience as educators, Willie Crowder, Keisha Crowder-Davis, and Jonica Crowder-Lockwood are proud to call Dallas ISD home and work tirelessly so students can also call the district home.

Willie Crowder, who retired as associate superintendent in the district’s human capital division, began her tenure in Dallas ISD in 1970—a year fraught with racial tension and social change, including the desegregation of Dallas schools. She began as a history teacher at what is now Boude Storey Middle School. As her career progressed, a passion for education and an ability to connect with students and parents paved the way for her to serve in numerous roles, including assistant principal, principal, minority recruiter, policy administrator, and associate superintendent.

“You can’t be a clock watcher,” said Crowder, who attributes her success to hard work and late nights. “You work until the work is done”.

Both of her daughters—Keisha and Jonica—can attest to their mother’s commitment to her profession. They recall countless nights at their kitchen table, watching their mother prepare lesson plans, manage master schedules, and review large policy binders, even while preparing dinner.

“We were raised like teachers,” Jonica said. “We were students in the Willie Crowder Training School! Learning and teaching were so much a part of who we were that we played school. My dad installed a chalkboard, and the neighborhood kids became students. That’s how we learned leadership.”

“All of our role models were educators. That’s all we saw,” Keisha added. “MBH was the standard of our family: Make the Best Happen.”

Crowder’s example rubbed off on her daughters beyond childhood play. They are now both distinguished educators in their own right. Graduates of Justin F. Kimball High School, Keisha and Jonica are Dallas ISD through and through. Keisha currently serves as executive director of Centralized Enrollment and Magnet Programs while Jonica is principal at D.A. Hulcy STEAM Middle School.

Like their mother, they describe themselves as lifelong learners who are committed to making an impact on the community. For them, working in Dallas ISD is how they give back and help young people and their families.

“We are Dallas ISD proud,” Keisha declared with a smile.