United to Learn is on TV!

Check out these fantastic U2L stories running throughout September!

Book vending machines installed on two Dallas ISD elementary campuses

To promote literacy, the Dallas ISD Early Childhood Department partnered with Atmos Energy and the Dallas Education Foundation to bring book vending machines to Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy and Rufus C. Burleson Elementary. Students earn tokens as incentives that can be spent to “purchase” a book to add to their home library.

52 Dallas ISD educators receive funding through Junior League of Dallas’s Grants for Innovative Teaching program

The Junior League of Dallas together with Texas Instruments awarded 52 $2500 grants to Dallas ISD teachers which will impact over 8,000 students. Grants were awarded to educators with innovative, experiential, and inclusive projects. 19 U2L school educators were awarded this honor.

Education is Always on the Ballot

Raise your Hand Texas, a public education advocacy organization, has released its top policy priorities with November elections only two months away. The policy recommendations for the 88th Texas Legislative Session include investing in our students, retaining and recruiting a strong teacher workforce, and supporting public school choice. The organization also recommends changes to assessment and accountability based on the input from state educators and administrators that hopes to more holistically assess the performance of schools and districts.

Texas bucked nation’s learning loss trend

The U.S. Department of Education’s first look at test-score trends revealed the worst drop in reading and math scores in decades; however, students in Dallas ISD and Texas outperformed expectations, even beating pre-pandemic scores in some grades. Texas invested heavily in intensive tutoring interventions through HB4545 and implemented reading instructional academies for teachers.

1 in 5 new Texas teachers were hired without certification last year

TEA reported that 40% of newly hired teachers last year were either hired without certification or came through an alternative certification program. Districts are choosing this alternative due to a lack of available certified teachers to fill positions as 12% of teachers employed during the 2021-2022 left the profession. Since 2015, the state has allowed schools to loosen teacher certification requirements under a program called Districts of Innovation.

Districts Steer Federal Teacher-Quality Funding Into Recruitment, Retention

A USDE report shows that 74% of the $2.1 billion federal grants issued to districts across the nation were used for professional development or the recruitment and retention of teachers. U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, has encouraged districts to invest in “grow your own programs” to encourage students to become teachers in the same communities where they attended school.

We Need More Money to Prevent Cyberattacks, School Districts Tell Feds

Over 1100 school districts signed a letter to the FCC asking that the agency allow school districts to use federal E-rate dollars to cover the increasing need for cybersecurity. 56/80 surveyed state officials reported that either their state education agency or at least one school district in the state was hit by a cyber attack in the last year.

5 teaching apps every educator needs now

Through their free, open-access learning portal, Verizon has a goal to reach 10 million students by 2030. These interactive augmented reality and virtual reality apps help teach STEM concepts in a fun and engaging manner. The apps include “Career Day” that allows students to interview digital avatars of professionals from well-known companies, and “Aurelia” which transforms a classroom into an aquatic ecosystem.