Dallas Independent School District

April 3, 2013

Superintendents Report to the Board and Community March 28, 2013

The following is an edited version of Superintendent Mike Miles report to the Board during last weeks Board of Trustees meeting. There are many good things happening in Dallas ISD, things that we can all be proud of and are proud ofbut it is a sad fact that we have many, many kids not getting the best education possible. We have achievement in some schools that is woefully under the level of education that our students need to have: a college- and career-ready education. As a community, we must ask ourselves is it OK? Is it OK if a school has several hundred students take the Advanced Placement test and only a handful of kids pass with a 3 or higher? Is it OK if our ACT rate in some schools is an average of 15, when the district average is 17, the state average is 20, and the national average 21? Is it OK that we have an unacceptable number of students dropping out of school? Is it OK that in many, many communities there seems to be, at least in some cases, a cradle to prison pipeline based on geography? I think most people in our community would say: Thats not OK. So, what should we do to make sure that we dont have similar statistics ten years from now in Dallas ISD? What we should do is something we have known for many, many years. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education Equity and Excellence Commission didnt tell us anything we didnt already know. We need an effective teacher in front of every child. And while we have lots and lots the overwhelming majority of our 9,800 teachers doing a great job every day, we dont have an effective teacher in front of every child. Every child means all. The Equity and Excellence Commission report also said we have to have an effective principal in our schools. And yes, while we have the overwhelming majority of our principals doing a great job for our kids, we dont have 223 great principals. All mean s all. The report also said that we need to have the financial resources to have the best schools possible. We need to have an effective central office team. And, yes, we need to have collective impact, meaning that it is not just about what happens in the classroom or the school, but it is also about what is happening in the community a community that demands excellence and demands rigor and is engaged. Thats what we need. The Equity and Excellence Commission report didnt mention one other thing we need and it wasnt a highlight of the groundbreaking report from 1983 called A Nation At Risk. But it is the variable that will keep us from being in the same situation 10 years from now. That other variable is couragenot just the courage of the Board of Trustees, or the administration, or the principal, or the teachers. It is also the courage of the community. When one is in the midst of the storm of change or the nexus of history, it is hard to see either the path or the importance of the moment. It is perhaps at these times that courage is needed most lest we turn from the path that is required or miss the opportunity to change the course of history. We are at a crossroads for our students. We are at a crossroads in Dallas ISD. Either we will have the courage to change the fate of thousands or we will maintain the status quo for a few. I suspect we have the courage to change the fate for thousands.

CAPE is a network of stakeholders who have a vested interest in or are involved in some way with Dallas ISD students and/or staff. The CAPE includes registered volunteers, faith-based organizations, community partners, government and community leaders, civic groups, involved parents and family members.