Oct 9, 2007 4:29 pm US/Central
DISD Wants To Be The USA's Best District
by Steve Pickett
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
Dallas Independent School District administrators said today they are moving forward with their plan to make the DISD the best urban school district in the country.
The plan, announced earlier this year, is called the "Dallas Achieves Plan."
District administrators say by the year 2010 they want to win the Broad Prize, which is awarded annually to the urban district that shows the most improvement. The prize carries a $1 million award. The Houston ISD won the prize in its inaugural year, 2002.
The DISD's plan has two parts. The first focuses on the students. The district says it's going to increase academic rigor, align the curriculum of all its schools, and improve the daily instruction of the students.
The second part is to improve the district's teachers. Nearly half of all teachers the district hires today have never taught before, and must receive alternative teaching certification from the state.
As part of the reorganization, district officials say they will offer bonuses to some teachers and principals based on the performance of their students.
The DISD's graduation rate is 58%. Some research puts the national graduation rate at about 70%. DISD officials say a major reason for the district's low dropout rate is the lack of proficiency in English among many of its students.
At a news conference today, district leaders said they have raised nearly $10 million in donations to support the plan. Texas Instruments, the W.W. Carruth Foundation, and the Harold Simmons foundation were each recognized today for their $1 million donations.
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