Texas students lost about a decade of academic progress in math and about five years of progress in reading during the pandemic.
Dallas students – many of whom are among the most vulnerable children in North Texas – bore the brunt of the chaos from COVID-19. They were forced to find their way through inconsistent internet access, food insecurity, loss of jobs in their families, and other trauma that made keeping up with schoolwork a challenge.
In total, more than 55,000 DISD students failed or failed a state examination last year. This corresponds to more than a third of the total enrollment in the district.
The district is focused on helping students recover from the disruptions of the past two years of school. DISD received more than $ 700 million in federal pandemic aid to support their efforts and plans to spend some of the money on programs such as intensive tutoring and extended school days.
Some of these programs may be known to families whose students are enrolled in ACE schools or Accelerating Campus Excellence schools. The ACE program targets chronically ailing campuses and pumps in resources to try to improve student performance. Elements of the signature school turnaround program were in the DNA of the district’s redevelopment plan, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said.
Hinojosa will be participating in a free virtual discussion Tuesday afternoon with Michele Willis, a special education teacher at Umphrey Lee Elementary, and Jerry Hawkins, executive director of the Dallas Truth nonprofit, Racial Healing & Transformation.
The three will discuss how the pandemic has shaped the experiences of students in the classroom. the pandemic recovery model; and goals schools should work towards in the years to come.
The event will be broadcast on The News’ Facebook page from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on October 5th. A recording will be available after the event ends.
Register for the event here and send questions in advance to edlab@dallasnews.com.
The DMN Education Lab deepens reporting and discussion on pressing educational issues that are critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control over the Education Lab’s journalism.
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