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I am excited to share those soon students from Hillcrest, North Dallas and Woodrow Wilson high schools will have the option to also gain workforce-ready, in-demand skills at a Dallas ISD Career Institute.

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Dallas ISD will operate the career institutes in the four quadrants of the district. The career and tech education program will guide students from concept to hands-on training with instruction by experienced tradesmen with firsthand experience and the contacts to connect students to internships, apprenticeships, and jobs in their industry.

About 800 ninth-graders at 12 high schools–including Hillcrest and North Dallas high schools– are currently taking the Principles of Construction class at their home campus to prepare for the two career institutes opening August 2020. The students next school year will then take some classes at the career institute, and other classes at their home campus.

Meanwhile, a third career institute will open in 2021–2022 and a fourth career institute will open in 2022–2023, with students starting relevant classes on their home campus the year before each career institute opens. The ultimate goal is for more than 4,500 students to be enrolled in a career institute in 2023–2024.

The career institutes will offer authentic, real-world learning experiences that lead to industry certifications, internships, pre-apprenticeships and post-graduation employment and/or college programs.

The current pathways are:

  • Construction and carpentry
  • Plumbing and pipefitting
  • Electrical and solar technology
  • Heating ventilation and air conditioning
  • Interior design
  • Aviation and unmanned aerial systems


Potential future pathways are:

  • Logics
  • Cybersecurity
  • Mechatronics
  • Air traffic controller
  • Automotive technology

Discover Dallas ISD

In other news, I invite all District 2 families to attend the Discover Dallas ISD school expo to help find the best-fit school for their child. Parents can talk with representatives from the various school choice programs–including those in District 2–and can apply on-site. This year, the event will take place Saturday, Nov. 2, at W.H. Adamson High School, 309 E. Ninth Street, from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. The event will also include workshops to guide parents on how to select the best school for their child. For more information about the event, visit: www.dallasisd.org/discover.

In Other District 2 News…

Woodrow Wilson and North Dallas high schools were among the 20 neighborhood schools selected by the Office of Transformation and Innovation (OTI) for the Innovation Engine Grant Program, which provides $50,000 in seed money to help each campus explore and implement innovative education models.

DONT USE IN EDITORIAL - DISD AD PHOTODustin Marshall

Dustin Marshall, District 2