DALLAS ISD

I didn't go, so I'm relying on those who did to fill us in.

Was the event motivating?

Did it make teachers feel good about the opening bell?

Any gratuitous jabs and the DMN? (Yesterday, I put the over/under at 4, and bet the over. Did I win?)

Some of you may have seen yesterday's li'l dust-up over on FrontBurner regarding the grading rules, and how Jon Dahlander's BFF says we made a big whoopity-to-do over nada. He let the district off the hook for its "miscommunication," while wagging a blogging finger at us for reporting on "a draft" copy of the new rules "before it was ready for public dissemination."

To which I say, bullsmack and after the jump I'll give you the Smoking Gun document to prove it ...

The virtually new Spruce High School staff just got out of a staff meeting and is enthused about beginning the school year afresh. Those of you who keep up on DISD happenings know that Spruce has been pretty much gutted -- mostly new staff members and no 10th and 11th graders. Freshmen students and seniors who wish to return will be the only students this school year. DISD decided on a drastic makeover of the school after it made the state's low-performing list for four consecutive years.

Anyway, new principal Lucy Davila Hakemack talked about various subjects at the staff gathering, including the importance of teachers not scheduling field trips that aren't educational and managing their classrooms so they can teach. She also asked them to have "thick skin" because kids can be cruel -- to take the high road and not get into a yelling match with students.

Teachers left the meeting in good spirits -- and ready to tackle the school year.

TEA has assigned a "monitor" to work alongside district folk efforting to turn around three of the district's chronically low-performing schools. Unfair Park had it first.

However, the monitor has no real power, as she can't hire or fire, has no authority over money, etc. That and these assignments aren't *that* rare -- DISD, in fact, had one of these monitors assigned to it a few years ago, when it ran into problems with its special ed services. Austin has one currently, as do a few other districts around the state.

But anyway, click the jump for the 411 ...

What the media, blogs and others are saying today.

** Lowering the drinking bar?

** The Gov. says locals should decide if teachers can pack heat.

** The watchdogs are now being watched.

Got a link we missed or an item for the Daily Dish? Send it our way.

One of the best and most underused opportunities offered to DISD students, in my opinion, isn't offered through DISD, but rather, through DCCCD, the Dallas Community College District. All DISD students can enroll for free in summer courses that can supplement or replace courses that they are taking. The only cost is textbooks (which, admittedly, can be expensive). If a student is willing to put in a little work over the summer, they can gain college credit for much less than what they would pay normally.

Parents in DISD recently got in the mail the back-to-school edition of Connections -- the district's newsletter for parents. And stuffed inside was all kinds of junk: Fliers for VOIP telephone service, Blockbuster, auto insurance. It was your basic Val-Pak type stuff. You know, the crap you immediately toss out without even reading it.

The advertising is a new move for DISD and is meant to offset the cost of producing and mailing the newsletter. "The district does not endorse any of the companies whose ads appear with this publication," says the newsletter.

I bet the folks at Proactiv just let out a sigh of relief because, you know, they are already paying Jessica Simpson for that gig.

Since just about everything written about DISD of late has been about the new grading rules, we're dedicating today's Daily Dish to that topic alone.

Click the jump for a bevy of mind-numbing links...

UPDATE after the jump. Last week, the Superintendent and others asked teachers to reserve judgment on the new grading rules until after their principals had a chance to talk to them about the rules and why they're needed. Those conversations should start taking place today, as teachers and staff return to their schools in preparation for Monday's opening bell.

Inquiring minds want to know: How did your principals pitch these new rules, and was it convincing? Do you see merit in the new rules, now that the district has made its best case for them?

Please use this thread to describe how the rules were explained at your campus, and to discus whether they're a good idea, now that you've got all the information. Or, e-mail me your thoughts and I'll post them for you anonymously.

UPDATE 11:02 a.m.: Principals told to delay discussing the new rules until this afternoon. Changes afoot?

UPDATE with NEW document 5:42 p.m.: Here's the clarification teachers will receive from their administrators in the next day or two. Does seeing this assuage any raw nerves?

Holy crap. Last week was insane on the blog, what with the new grading rules blowing up first here on Wednesday and then in the paper and the airwaves Friday morning. That issue alone unleashed a torrent of comments -- more than 300 came in.

Due to the volume, I'm giving three Comment of the Week Awards out this time around: one for hilarity; one for creativity; one for bravery.

Click the jump to read this week's Golden COW winners ...

The reaction to the new grading rules has been, well, hot. But it also got me thinking ... how many teachers already do the things outlined in the new protocol? How many of you already accept late homework? Or let a kid take a retest? Or don't grade homework?

I'm reminded of the recent HBO documentary "Hard Times at Douglass High" where, near the end of the school year, teachers are told to come up with extra-credit assignments so that seniors on the cusp of failure can graduate. I thought it amusing how angry many of the teachers were when, throughout the year, they had been bending over for their students anyway.

Here's what I'd like to hear from teachers this morning: How many compromises/concessions are you already making?

New UPDATE Monday 8/18 after the jump.

Just talked to Superintendent Hinojosa and two trustees about the new grading rules for a follow-up story due for tomorrow's dead-tree version of the DMN. Here are some highlights:

• Teachers haven't been trained/shown the new rules yet, so much of the early reaction is overblown, Hinojosa said.
• The new rules are not a watering down of standards. They're an attempt to give kids multiple avenues to show mastery of the work. They're meant to put the emphasis on learning the material, Hinojosa said, not getting bad grades for failing to complete busy work.
• The requirements for teachers to call parents before giving zeros is meant to spur teachers to act before it's too late. Hinojosa cited research showing that students who are flunking two or more classes during their first six weeks of ninth grade almost always drop out. He hopes the new policies will force teachers to take corrective action with these kids quicker.

There will be a full report in tomorrow's DMN ...

At last night's DISD board briefings, Lew Blackburn once again wondered what had happened to the board's mission statement and why it wasn't on the district's website -- or on any other district material. I couldn't find the mission statement during a quick search of the district's website, but it refers to turning out students to be productive members of society.

Apparently at a retreat, some of the board members directed Superintendent Michael Hinojosa to focus on the district's vision statement of being the best urban district in the United States. Hinojosa took that literally and, well, that's why the board's mission statement is nowhere to be found.

Lew Blackburn griped about the missing statement, calling it "very disrespectful" and "underhanded." Trustee Carla Ranger also joined in to voice her displeasure.

Dr. Hinojosa denies that he did away with the mission statement and defended the action taken. "With all due respect I take exception to this conversation, because I was given the directive to focus on the vision. If I was wrong, I apologize. But if I need a new direction, I need the board to tell me that," he said.

What the media, blogs and others are saying today.

** BackTalk's take on the grading rules: Teachers "held hostage."

** Darth Vader teaches math. "The Pythagorean Theorem is your destiny." Mr. Teacher rocks.

** Trustees contemplate extending their terms from three years to four.

** Something we don't hear much about: The gay teen dropout rate.

** Didn't turn in your homework? You feeling lucky punk? Well, are ya?

** Texas Observer picks up an item from a charter school that allows kids to skip lessons on evolution.

Got a link we missed or an item for the Daily Dish? Send it our way.

Has anyone else noticed that the recent policy changes, school closures, magnet program shifts, and other really important issues in DISD appear to be implemented at the very last possible moment? Or that information about said issues is given to stakeholders at such a time that real input and dialog cannot occur to really find the best possible solution?

Take the most recent, early-August, change, the district-wide grading policy. Sure, most of us knew about the whole "you can't give less than a 50" aspect. But unless your on the campus leadership team (or CILT) you won't find out until you either read this blog or sometime next week, the week before kids show up.

I'm involved in my school and pay close attention to what DISD is doing. However, I'm one of the few kids at my school that pays any attention to these things; many don't even know who Hinojosa is. Why is this true? I feel that if more students cared about the actions of DISD and of their own schools, then DISD would be much better off. The real question is "What can we do to get more students involved?"

What the media, blogs and others are saying today.

** Part of 'Pacman' Jones' strategy to get himself reinstated in the NFL is to give school uniforms to DISD kids. What a nice guy. Question: Will they made of kevlar?

** The 'issue' that just won't die: Booker T.'s name.

** A DISD teacher blogs on an inservice and wonders why it was presented so poorly.

** DISD offering mentors.

** Curriculum czarina Denise Collier will help the feds 'strengthen' NCLB. I'm sure you all will have lots to say about that, given that she authored this.

** Speaking of 'strengthening' NCLB ...

** Remember the TEA honcho who quit/was fired over an email she sent regarding a Creationism lecture? TEA responds to her lawsuit.

Got a link we missed or an item for the Daily Dish? Send it our way.

A blog-reading district worker bee sent along a copy of the memo that explains the new high school grading rules that we've been kicking around this week. This memo is also, apparently, to be sent out to parents, if it hasn't been already.

Color me skeptical, but there are enough loopholes in these rules to drive a grade-inflated truck through. Seriously, given all the second chances, fudge factors and wiggle room these rules enact, wouldn't it take an act of God for a kid to flunk a class?

Read the memo for yourself along with my "quick and dirty" translation of the high points.

UPDATED with NEW documents: A PowerPoint presentation used to explain the changes at a "Principal Awareness Session."

Regulation EIA rewritten to reflect the changes.

What the media, blogs and others are saying today.

** The Texas Virtual Academy expands into San Antonio.

** ACT scores down, but more kids college-ready. In Texas, scores are up.

** This Week in Education passes along this bizare story about a Nevada state school board member's PDA and subsequent resignation.

** Another allegation of cheating at Jesse Jackson charter school.

Got a link we missed or an item for the Daily Dish? Send it our way.

I have no idea what to make of a little item in The School Administrator's magazine for August. In a nutshell, it tells superintendents how to avoid telling the truth. (Insert your own joke here).

I'm not kidding you. The article, "Eliminate Bad News by Eradicating Negative Language," gives advice on how to make bad news not sound so bad. The author even provides examples on how he's "taken a series of negative phrases and spun them into positive ones."

Here are some examples he uses:

Negative: "I don't know.
Positive: "My knowledge is limited, but I know a couple of things about that. Let me tell you what they are. If you need more information, I can get it for you."

Negative: "We can't release the information."
Positive: "That information is confidential and must remain private."

(Go to the jump to read the article.)

Ok, I'll give all DISD administrators a bit of advice --THIS DOESN'T WORK. This evasive chatter will only get you a reporter who is now highly suspicious and wonders what else the administrator is hiding. It makes a reporter want to dig and keep on digging.

My advice: Be honest. Reporters respect district administrators who are straightforward and honest -- or who appear to be.

One issue that I've seen crop up several times has to do with the value of the magnet schools. I've heard people say that the magnet schools are harmful to DISD as a whole because they pull some of the best students out of the comprehensive high schools. A presentation to the school board in December by the National Center for Educational Accountability placed some of the blame in the number of academically unacceptable schools on the magnet programs recruiting "academically motivated students". When I was looking for a high school, some parents in my neighborhood told my mom that I really should go to W. T. White because I "would help the school". Her question was what school would help me the most. In my opinion, this second question is the most important one, "What is the best option for the student?" I feel I was best served by going to a magnet school.