How Dallas ISD Trustees Can Support Innovation

On Thursday, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees will decide whether to pursue designation as a District of Innovation. The trustees will show, by their vote, if they support the district's successful programming and, more important, our students.The Texas Legislature passed a law in 2015 to allow traditional public school districts to pursue the designation, which gives these districts much of the flexibility currently available to charter schools, involving items such as school start date, class size, compulsory attendance and teacher certification requirements. More than 200 Texas school districts are today designated as DOI, including El Paso, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, Plano and Richardson.Per a board resolution late last year, a committee of staff, parents, former students and community members, including me, formed to develop Dallas' local innovation plan to consider allowing flexibility in two areas under DOI designation: school start date being determined at the district level and teacher certification requirements for career and technical education and STEAM (science, technology, engineering and math, together with art) classes.  Continue reading...