In 2005 FCE launched Dallas Achieves, a partnership designed to transform first South Dallas schools and then the entire district by adopting the best practices that distinguish the nation’s most successful urban districts. Other partners are DISD, the National Center for Educational Accountability and Texas Instruments. DISD’s new superintendent, Dr. Michael Hinojosa, has embraced the effort and melded it with his own ambitious strategy for winning the Broad Prize for Urban Education, awarded to the nation’s most improved district, within five years.
At the Campus Level - Dallas Achieves began on the campuses of three South Dallas high schools: Madison, Pinkston and Lincoln, plus the 20-plus elementary and middle schools that feed into them. Like other FCE efforts, this one starts with data – in this case, data comparing the target schools to others with similar student populations and with the highest performing schools across the state. Research into how those top schools succeed shows that the principal – his or her skill as an instructional leader, plus the leeway he or she is given to chart the school’s course – is the most important factor. So Dallas Achieves gives principals intensive training in spotting teachers who need help and coaching them to become more effective. Mentors recruited from the corporate world also coach principals on leadership and management skills. Starting in the 2006-2007 school year, DISD will extend the program district-wide.
At the District Level - Especially in DISD, where authority is highly centralized, the best principal will run up against constraints that limit his or her effectiveness. Therefore, in 2006 Dallas Achieves turned its attention to removing those barriers. Because no reform on this scale can succeed without the support of the entire community, we convened a diverse panel of more than 60 leaders to shape the process. Based on a fresh round of data analysis comparing DISD’s operations to those of the top urban districts around the country, the Dallas Achieves Commission made 12 recommendations, primarily addressing central office functions such as maintenance, purchasing and legal support. The recommendations, which DISD’s Board of Trustees approved unanimously, will save the district as much as $20 million a year – money that will be redirected into the classroom. In response to the recommendations, DISD will also complete a comprehensive 3- to 5-year roadmap for instructional reform and will use a new funding formula that ensures much greater equity between regular campuses (particularly those that are low performing) and the magnets and learning centers favored under the old formula.