Houston ISD Students, Teachers & Principals Get Out the Vote

Last 3 Days of Early Voting

Houston ISD students, principals and staff members created a fun video to the tune of the song Gangnam Style to encourage citizens to "VOTE Early Style."

Houston ISD has a historic bond proposal on the November ballot - the largest ever in Texas history ($1.89 billion).

Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Middle School Dedication - Dallas ISD

 Rev. and Mrs. Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr., Principal Barbara Moham and students

Celebrating the school named 'Zan' ...

Students watched in their digital classrooms, giving way for family and community to sit in the auditorium.  Everyone was tuned in to the dedication program of the Legendary Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Middle School.

A Dallas legend, Rev. Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. humbly watched and listened while community participants expressed appreciation for "Zan's" service and as former students reflected on what his caring spirit, generosity and support meant in their lives.   Their remarks were authentic; their testimonies were moving.  Combined they provided an historical and personal chronology of the creation and development of a legacy.

Wife Carrie and great granddaughter Savannah, along with dozens of family members from Texas, Washington D.C. and California were present.  They were overjoyed to experience the outpouring of  love, gratitude and honors for the man -- the brother, uncle, cousin -- affectionately called "Zan."

The dedication focused on Rev. Holmes' long-time relationship with Dallas ISD which dates back to 1967 when he wrote his Master's degree thesis on the first African American Trustee elected to the Dallas school board - Dr. Emmett J. Conrad.

In 1971 Rev. Holmes was appointed by Federal Judge William Mack Taylor to be the first Chair of the Tri-Ethnic Committee established to help navigate Dallas through the first turbulent years of school desegregation.

In 1991, Gov. Ann Richards appointed Rev. Holmes the first African-American to serve on The University of Texas Board of Regents, a position he held until 1997.

Thanks to the community for your presence and participation in dedicating our new Dallas ISD middle school and for paying tribute to its namesake and legend, Rev. Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr.

Congratulations -- students, Principal Barbara Moham, faculty and staff. We wish you much success in your environmentally green school and in the many innovations you are exploring and implementing to achieve excellence in teaching and learning.

The Legendary Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Middle School -- dedicated and celebrated!

Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. family on casual tour - Saturday,10-27-12

Diane Ravitch says 'Race to the Top is a terrible education policy'

From Diane Ravitch's Blog - October 25, 2012

Diane Ravitch speaks on Race to the Top:

"Yesterday I announced my intention to vote for President Obama, and given the choice confronting us, I will vote for President Obama.

I will vote for him despite his terrible education policy known as Race to the Top.

It is a disaster. It has all the faults of No Child Left Behind, and it is worse.

It is incentivizing the creation of more privately managed charter schools, which are more segregated than the public schools in the same district and which do not even get higher test scores. It is pushing more testing, more school closings, more destabilizing of communities, more labeling of children, more layoffs, more money spent for compliance with federal mandates.

Race to the Top is harmful to children, to teachers, to principals, and to the future of public education in America.

Education Week reporter Alyson Klein wrote an analysis of what lies ahead in a second Obama term, and it is more of the same. What is especially disgusting is that the President continues to believe that Race to the Top is a positive policy; he seems to think that it will improve public education. He has not heard anything that teachers and parents and principals across the nation have been shouting. Stop the high-stakes testing! Stop the evaluation of teachers by test scores! Stop the privatization!

Federal policy is supposed to be devoted to equity, to helping the neediest children, not to a race. What is the point of a “race” in education? Are we racing to get the highest test scores? How does that promote equality of educational opportunity?

What is even more disgusting is that your representatives in Congress are voting the funds to continue the advance of these toxic policies. Raise your voices. Let your Senator and member of Congress know that Race to the Top is racing for the edge of a cliff. Stop. Stop now."

Diane Ravitch - TASB Speaker - Austin, Texas - September 30, 2012

Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Middle School dedication - Friday - 10:30 A.M.

The Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent of Schools Mike Miles invite you to the

Dedication Ceremony for

ZAN WESLEY HOLMES JR. MIDDLE SCHOOL

 2939 St. Rita Dr. | Dallas, Texas 75233
Friday, October 26, 2012
10:30 a.m.
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www.dallasisd2008bond.org

http://www.dallasisd.org/zwholmes

District 6

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Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Middle School seeks to
develop leaders who are empowered to set goals that
ensure excellence and to nurture the development and
academic achievement of responsible youths.

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