How Two Inspiring DISD Leaders Are Guiding Campuses Through a Complete 180

Time and again, the key ingredient for a turnaround within a struggling school is a savvy leader with a big heart and a lot of grit.Undaunted by odds that would bury most of us, these individuals become only more resolved in the work. Theirs are not overnight miracles but incremental day-by-day progress -- slow and steady so success is baked firmly into their campus.Dallas ISD is working hard to recruit these kinds of school leaders, and two end-of-year news stories provide inspiring illustrations.Seven years ago, first-time principal Dayanna Kelly signed up to lead McShan Elementary in Vickery Meadow, Dallas' most ethnically diverse neighborhood and one of its poorest. As Dallas Morning News education reporter Corbett Smith writes, Kelly has guided McShan from the state's failing list to the district's honor roll.  Continue reading...