Michael Wood, Vice President, Education & Workforce
In 2019, the Texas Legislature approved House Bill 3 (H.B. 3), a historic piece of school finance legislation that infused more than $6 billion into public schools. As part of that investment, state lawmakers directed school boards throughout Texas to adopt five-year goals in early literacy and math achievement and college, career, and military readiness.
The goals, including annual measurable targets for each metric, were designed to keep elected school district leadership focused on key academic benchmarks, such as 3rd grade reading and math. With original goals set to expire in June 2025, school districts statewide are beginning the process of establishing new five-year targets.
The goal setting process provides an important venue for the public, including the business community, to hold our public schools accountable for student progress and the strength of our regional talent pool.
Dallas ISD has set an ambitious plan to reset achievement goals
In addition to the goals mandated by the state, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees adopted a comprehensive set of student outcome targets, including secondary progress measures to monitor contributing indicators and trends in achievement among demographic groups.
These goals actively drive Dallas ISD’s decision-making. District board meetings are centered around them, as is the Superintendent’s contract and performance evaluation.
With new five-year goals on the horizon, the Dallas ISD school board has laid out a robust plan to collect stakeholder feedback to inform achievement targets and refresh the mission of the district.
Through the end of the year, Dallas ISD will conduct more than a dozen community listening sessions across the district, including a dedicated virtual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 23, for members of the business community. This effort will culminate in a new strategic plan, complete with updated targets and tactics, to guide Dallas ISD through 2030.
For employers, the goal-setting process is a unique window to influence workforce development
With more than 140,000 students, Dallas ISD is the largest producer of talent in North Texas. Beyond size, Dallas ISD has established a reputation for leading the state in innovative education strategies. In fact, many of H.B. 3’s evidence-based reforms – such as the “Teacher Incentive Allotment,” which provides school districts extra funding for developing data-based teacher evaluation systems – were based on successful models from Dallas ISD.
New goals also come at a critical juncture for public school districts. Statewide data shows that students are still recovering from pandemic-driven learning loss, particularly in math. Meanwhile, workforce needs are evolving rapidly as employers contend with advancements in artificial intelligence and other growing technological demands, such as semiconductor manufacturing.
Dallas ISD’s robust goal-setting approach offers employers a meaningful opportunity to help steer the district as they work to improve academic achievement and address pressing industry needs.
How to get engaged
Dallas ISD will convene with the business community for a virtual listening session at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23. To participate, please email Michael Wood, the DRC’s Vice President of Education & Workforce, at mwood@dallaschamber.org.
Dallas ISD has also created a survey instrument to capture feedback from stakeholders who are unable to attend a listening session. If you are unable to participate on Wednesday, Oct. 23, please complete the survey here.
To view a full list of Dallas ISD’s scheduled listening sessions, see here.
The DRC encourages residents of other school districts to monitor school district communications for updates or reach out to district administrators to learn more about opportunities to engage in the goal setting process.
To learn more about the work the DRC is doing in Education, Talent & Workforce, visit our website.