Author: Robyn Boren

By Catie George, Manager, Communications and Storytelling

The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) partnered with Dallas Independent School District (ISD) Tuesday, Oct. 17 to host the 23rd annual Principal for a Day (PFAD), presented by Capital One for the 14th year.

PFAD matches business and community leaders with an elementary, middle, or high school in Dallas ISD based on the participant’s areas of expertise, interests, and the school’s need. The participant gets to experience a day-in-the-life as principal in a local school.

“Our mission at the DRC is to help make the Dallas Region the best place in America for all people to live, work, and do business. That all starts with a strong public education system,” said DRC President & CEO Dale Petroskey. “More often than not, a high-quality education leads to a good job and a good life. That’s why the DRC is so proud of our partnership with Dallas ISD because they have become a model for urban school districts in America.”

This year, nearly 200 business and civic leaders from around the Dallas Region served as volunteer principals at Dallas ISD schools.

During his PFAD experience, Tellis Bethel, Group Vice President and Chief Social Innovation Officer for Toyota North America, visited classrooms, learned about upcoming school events, and discussed school-wide curriculum at the West Dallas STEM School.

Toyota partnered with Dallas ISD and Southern Methodist University to open the school in 2018 to offer project-based, hands-on learning to address STEM gaps in learning. West Dallas STEM School’s principal and assistant principal discussed how they are encouraging teachers to have a more hands-off approach in the classroom to allow learning to happen as children come to solutions by struggling through the problem with their peers in this new learning approach.

“It’s no surprise there’s a parallel in the course of the corporate world,” Tellis commented, as employee ownership in training becomes more and more important. Allowing students and employees to grapple with a concept enhances their learning.

Throughout the day, participants got to teach classes, share school-wide announcements, meet with student organizations, attend school performances, read to students, observe teacher and administrative planning sessions, and participate in several other activities.

Vickie Yakunin, Head of Community Affairs for the North Texas Region at Amazon, was the principal at Townview School of Science and Engineering. She visited Townview earlier this year to surprise two high school seniors with Amazon’s Future Engineer Scholarships. As principal for a day, she spoke to a class of seniors about her job, college, and the Amazon scholarship, which awards students $40,000, an Amazon internship, and a mentor.

“At Amazon, we believe education is the most important driver of future success and economic prosperity in our community,” emphasized Yakunin.

After the school day was completed, participants gathered for a reception hosted at Gilley’s Dallas, sponsored by Amazon. There, participants and their partner principals reconvened alongside elected officials and other civic leaders to discuss their experiences and encourage further participation in Dallas ISD.

At the reception, participants heard DRC President & CEO Dale Petroskey, event sponsors, and Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde.

“There is something that absolutely unites all of us, and that is that we know a strong public education is the foundation to economic mobility in our city and in our community,” said Elizalde. “Our teachers are the program and principals are the platform from which everything is supported.”

Future involvement and lasting connections between the companies and organizations and the schools they volunteered at are some of the key objectives of Principal for a Day.

“Get to know what’s happening with our students in our future workforce, create opportunities to build a future workforce, and create some linkages between what we can offer as industry to the organizations that provide education to our students,” said Andrella Thomas, Social Innovation Manager at Capital One.

Visiting Dallas ISD’s schools and engaging in the work it takes to run a public school gave many participants a newfound respect for the public school system.

“What I saw today was inspiring. I was reminded that hard work still matters and that no matter what zip code you live in, you have a chance to succeed if you focus on your goals,” said Yakunin. “Be persistent, believe in yourself, and show up every day; roll up your sleeves and do the hard work. That was demonstrated to me throughout all the students that I met in my experience today.”

Thanks to the PFAD presenting sponsor, Capital One, and the reception sponsor, Amazon. Thank you to the Dallas Independent School District for their continued partnership.

To learn more about the work the DRC is doing in Education & Workforce, visit our website.

By Catie George, Manager, Communication and Storytelling

The Dallas Thrives coalition hosted a partner meeting at the Dallas Regional Chamber’s (DRC) offices Tuesday, Sept. 26. Dallas Thrives is a coordinated effort to double the number of young adults earning a living wage in the Dallas Region by 2040.

“When you’re able to double the living wage attainment here in Dallas County, it would yield $4 billion of additional [gross domestic product] and over $40 million of additional sales tax,” said Brendan McGuire, Regional President at “Not to mention the additional outcomes, including reduced poverty, reduced dependence on entitlements, economic mobility, and increased overall resilience.”

Dallas Thrives is a joint initiative launched by the DRC and the Commit Partnership to collaborate with DRC member companies to identify pressing industry needs to inform educational offerings and workforce development programs.

“Total employment in this region is 10% greater than it was pre-pandemic. That is an amazing statistic that we should all be proud of,” said CEO and Chairman of the Commit Partnership Todd Williams. “Texas still has over 1 million job openings… We didn’t get here overnight. There’s no silver bullet in this work. It’s a series of steady efforts made by lots of people in this room to get there.”

Williams delivered the keynote presentation at the meeting, supported by PNC Bank. Williams’ presentation included several statistics demonstrating Dallas County’s progress in several key education and workforce benchmarks. Since 2012, the number of young adults in Dallas County who have an associate degree or higher has increased by 10%, the number of young adults in Dallas County experiencing poverty has declined from 18% to 12%, and living wage attainment among young adults in Dallas County has grown from 24% to 30%.

“We’re going to keep measuring these [outcomes] every year, but I also want to highlight that this is not just due to our own growth in our own pipeline. This is also due to the people in this room and others who moved here, who were educated elsewhere, to fill the jobs that we need,” said Williams.

McGuire also pointed out how important early education is for students in the long term. In 2014, Dallas leaders, school districts, and community organizations came together to increase pre-K enrollment. The effort increased enrollment by 250%.

“It’s neat to see the industry catch up to the importance of pre-K because when you intervene early, you can set that child up for positive outcomes throughout their academic journey and later in life,” said McGuire. “Certain studies would tell you that $1 invested in early education can yield $17 to $18 of lifetime return. So, it’s quite remarkable to see that Dallas in our region [see that return] right up front.”

Beyond early childhood education, Williams says it is important to create touchpoints throughout the entire educational pipeline for students to have the most career exposure possible to set them up for success.

“Kids need to understand what is available to them. We need to make sure that we are in front of them as early as middle school to help them understand their options,” said Williams. “We have to expose our kids to careers, and that means apprenticeships, internships, as much as possible.”

In high school, encouraging students to earn a credential in addition to their diploma is becoming increasingly relevant to career readiness.

“The credentialing, the certificates, that’s the way of the future. Tell me what you can do, tell me what skill you can bring to the workforce space,” said Lynn McBee, Workforce Czar at Workforce Dallas.

More students in Dallas are graduating with some type of credential or professional certification every year. However, Dallas ISD’s Chief of Strategic Initiatives Dr. Brian Lusk warned attendees not to overstate the statistics.

“We realize getting a student a credential is going to put them in a position to either continue on their schooling or continue on to a career, which is critically important,” said Lusk. “To talk about numbers is great, but when you talk about students and experiences, you can bring emotion to the table and change lives. It feels different.”

DRC Senior Vice President of Education & Workforce Jarrad Toussant shared his personal relationship with this coalition.

“Having grown up in Pleasant Grove, to have the opportunity to come back to my home city and to advance this work has been one of the most important things I’ve done in my career,” said Toussant.

The DRC , including PNC Bank, Amazon, United Way of Dallas, JPMorgan Chase, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Commit Partnership, and Bank of America. And thank you to the Dallas Thrives Steering Committee, the Commit Partnership, Child Poverty Action Lab, Dallas College, Dallas ISD, United Way of Dallas, UNT at Dallas, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, and Workforce Dallas.

If you are interested in learning more, visit the Dallas Thrives website or read the Dallas Thrives Update Report. Learn more about the DRC’s work in Education and Workforce on our website.

By Catie George, Manager, Communications and Storytelling

The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) hosted its annual State of Public Education, presented by Toyota Motor North America and Wells Fargo, Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Moody Performance Hall. The event engaged Dallas Region business leaders with key public education topics.

“A high-quality education is foundational to achieving a fulfilling life and career, and our public schools are essential to that pipeline,” said Angela Farley, DRC CFO and COO. “That’s why the DRC is a proud partner and advocate for public education and why our team works so closely with school districts throughout the region that work hard every day to prepare our students for college, career, and military readiness.”

Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath served as the event’s keynote speaker. In his presentation, Morath emphasized the importance of public education for the more than five million children in Texas who benefit from it.

“We want all of our children to be successful in our system of public education so that after they graduate, they are prepared for whatever journey they wish to pursue in life, be that directly into college or directly in the workforce, into the military, whatever that is. And when we say all, we legitimately mean all,” said Morath. “We don’t mean unless you are born in an inner city, unless you are born in rural Texas, unless you are Black or brown or you come from a household that doesn’t speak English, literally. All children need to be prepared for success. This is the unifying mission of public education.”

The event also included a panel discussion between three regional superintendents, in which they concurred that ensuring students graduate from the public education system ready to enter and thrive in life after high school is the highest priority.

“We want our kids to graduate with options. We want them to graduate with an associate degree, a high school diploma, a STEM endorsement, or an industry-based certification because the more options you have, the better off you are with understanding what you want to do for the rest of your life,” said Cedar Hill ISD Superintendent Dr. Gerald Hudson. “If we can help you find your passion while you’re in high school, then you’re going to enjoy the rest of your life… So, we want to make sure our kids understand what opportunities are out there for them while they still have that playing field.”

Morath’s keynote focused on the most pressing issues facing Texas’ public schools, including strategies for hiring and retaining quality teachers.

“The teacher in the classroom is the single most important in-school factor that affects student outcomes,” said Morath. “There is no way that we materially improve these numbers without improving the way that we support and retain our teachers. It comes down to two key things: pay and working conditions.”

Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde concurred.

“If we don’t have effective teachers, we cannot get our work done,” said Elizalde.

By introducing a performance-based pay system for teachers, Dallas ISD has closed its teacher turnover gap with the state despite a significantly higher rate of student poverty. In 2013-14, the teacher turnover rate in Dallas ISD exceeded the state’s rate by more than 5 percentage-points. During the height of the pandemic during the 2020-21 school year, statewide teacher turnover exceeded attrition rates in Dallas ISD.

“It is the only school system in the state of Texas to date that has made this change, where not everybody gets a raise every year. And instead, pay is entirely driven based upon performance,” said Morath. “And as a result, Dallas has seen a significant reduction in turnover. Their teachers are sticking around a lot longer than they used to. This is better for our teachers, but the thing is, it’s a lot better for our kids.”

A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, cited by Morath, bears this out. Compared to its peer districts, who have seen stable student achievement since 2015 – when Dallas’ performance-based compensation system was introduced – outcomes in Dallas ISD have steadily improved.

Morath also shared that reading levels have recovered to and largely exceed pre-pandemic levels, but there is still a way to go in math.

“We say that all children, when we support them properly, can learn and achieve at high levels,” said Morath. “Schools are making improvement, but this is hard work… it’s the most important work that we do, and we’ve got to do it right.”

Dallas schools’ new approach to graduating kids with their high school diploma, work experience, and their associate degree was also praised by the commissioner.

“Dallas is leading the nation in this transformation towards career readiness,” said Morath. “We have seen a quadrupling in the number of children statewide that are graduating high school with an associate degree in the state of Texas. This is a huge, life-changing opportunity for so many kids.”

Dr. Theresa Williams, Superintendent of Plano ISD, shared that, while there is always room for improvement, it’s important to recognize the strides being made in Dallas Region’s public schools.

“We welcome rigor. That’s what it’s all about. And we want great learning environments for our kids,” said Williams. “Our teachers will do whatever they need to do to ensure that our kids are getting what they need, but we need to recognize the hard work and celebrate the great accomplishments that our kids are making.”

The State of Public Education was presented by Toyota Motor North America and Wells Fargo. Dallas College, Oncor, and The Commit Partnership also contributed as silver sponsors to this event.

If you want to learn more about the DRC’s work in public education, visit our website.

Michael Wood, Managing Director, Education & Workforce

The DRC hosted members of its Education and Workforce Council at Dallas ISD’s Career Institute North campus on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Funded by the 2020 Dallas ISD bond program, Career Institute North is one of four planned career and technical education hubs that will service every high school in the district by providing students access to a variety of career and workforce training pathways that are not available at their home campus. These programs are designed to supplement a student’s standard course load and enable the attainment of industry-specific certifications aligned with high-demand, high-wage occupations upon high school graduation.

“Dallas ISD’s commitment to career readiness is admirable,” said Jennifer Chandler, Dallas Market President and Head of Philanthropic Solutions for Bank of America and Vice Chair of the DRC’s Education and Workforce Council. “As a business community, we need to continue to lean into our public schools to form partnerships that help prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, especially those in our own companies.”

Presently, Career Institutes North, South, and East are operational, although Career Institute North is the only campus that is fully complete. Career Institute South will be finished for the 2024-2025 school year, followed by Career Institute East in 2025-2026. Career Institute West will open its doors in fall 2026.

The Career Institutes are similar in spirit to Dallas ISD’s robust Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-TECH, program, which also aims to equip students with a postsecondary degree or credential upon high school graduation. Career Institutes are unique, however, in the hands-on experience they offer students. Each Career Institute campus features state-of-the-art equipment and industry experts, helping students obtain hands-on experience in their chosen industry pathway.

Currently, Dallas ISD’s Career Institutes serve just over 5,000 students. Enrollment is projected to surpass 15,000 by the 2029-2030 school year. As a result, Dallas ISD expects its already-impressive percentage of graduating seniors earning an industry-based certification, or IBC, to also improve. Just 3% of the class of 2020, or 243 students, earned an IBC. Three years later, 61% of the class of 2023, or 5,229 students, met this benchmark.

“For too long, college and career readiness has been viewed as an ‘either/or,’ but it should be a ‘both/and,’” said Dr. Stephanie Elizalde, Superintendent of Dallas ISD. “Our Career Institutes, which allow students to pursue both an industry credential and credits that can stack toward a postsecondary degree, are a big step in the right direction.”

Career Institute North serves students from Conrad, Hillcrest, North Dallas, Thomas Jefferson, and W.T. White high schools and offers programs of study in 16 distinct industries. Industry pathways were selected based on projected supply, demand, and earnings using regional labor market data.

The Career Institute North campus resides in the former Walnut Hill Elementary School. Classrooms are filled with heavy machinery and equipment, from an aviation wing complete with flight simulators and drones to health science labs with hospital beds, dental chairs, and “smart” mannequins that can be programmed to exhibit symptoms.

Building the campus came with challenges. Compared to a typical school, Career Institute North is a much more complicated build, requiring different specifications for different rooms to ensure safety and alignment with industry standards. For example, the construction shop required specialty ventilation to mitigate sawdust accumulation from woodworking, and the windows above the welding classroom needed shades to protect potential onlookers from harmful light.

Industry experts have had a direct impact on Career Institute North. Dallas ISD consulted directly with practitioners on campus design and construction. In addition, many of the instructors at Career Institute North are also industry experts rather than classically trained educators to ensure that the curriculum is as up-to-date as possible with current industry practices. While Dallas ISD provides instructional coaching to these practitioners, many are already well-versed in teaching from managing teams in the field or through prior experience with apprenticeship programs, which are common in trade professions.

For more information about Dallas ISD’s Career Institutes, please contact the DRC Education and Workforce team at education@dallaschamber.org.