By Catie George, Director, Communications & Storytelling
Average reading time: 4.5 minutes
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, 189 business and community leaders traded their usual routines for an eye-opening day inside Dallas ISD classrooms as part of the annual Principal for a Day (PFAD), presented by Capital One. The initiative, which concluded with an “After School” reception, presented by Amazon, at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, brought together members of the Dallas Regional Chamber, elected officials, and corporate partners to witness firsthand the remarkable transformation happening in Dallas’ schools.
Among the participants were 21 members of the DRC Board and Executive Committee and three elected officials (Texas State Representatives Linda Garcia and Rafael Anchia and Texas State Senator Royce West) all eager to connect with the educators and students shaping the region’s future workforce. The day offered a distinct look at the daily dedication, strategic planning, and community-building that drives student success across the district.
Witnessing educational excellence in action
DRC President & CEO Dale Petroskey started his day at South Oak Cliff High School by sitting in on a weekly leadership meeting led by Principal Dr. Willie F. Johnson.
This approach to continuous measurement and goal setting within these leadership meetings have transformed South Oak Cliff from an underperforming school when Dr. Johnson arrived in 2017 to one of the best-performing high schools in Dallas ISD today.
A district transformed
The timing of this year’s PFAD coincided with unprecedented achievement across Dallas ISD. Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde shared remarkable data at the reception that illustrates the district’s upward trajectory. During the 2025 school year, Dallas ISD doubled the number of A-rated campuses from 30 to 60 and increased B schools from 71 to 103. Perhaps most notably, the district cut its failing schools from 24 to just two.
“Dallas ISD is changing what people think of when they think about public schools,” said Dr. Elizalde.
The district’s focus on college and career readiness has also yielded impressive results. About one out of every ten members of the Dallas ISD class of 2025 earned at least 60 college credit hours or career certifications, while 32% of the entire class graduated with at least some college credit. Over the past five years, Dallas ISD students have earned more than 47,000 industry certifications and approximately 4,700 college associate degrees. For the most recent graduating class, 91% were college, career, or military ready by graduation.
The district’s innovations extend beyond academics. Dr. Elizalde highlighted the school counselor excellence initiative that links counselor pay to student outcomes, expanded mental health services added since the pandemic, and groundbreaking work with AI. Infrastructure investments include a new career institute in West Dallas and two state-of-the-art schools: John Lewis Social Justice Academy and Longfellow Career Exploration Academy. The district has earned the highest bond rating possible—a triple-A rating—and its graduates generate $26.8 billion in annual gross product and nearly 213,000 jobs for the Dallas economy.
The business case for engagement
For corporate participants, the event reinforced the direct connection between educational excellence and regional competitiveness. Vickie Yakunin, Head of Community Affairs at Amazon, stressed the ongoing partnership required to sustain this momentum.
“I encourage you to think about how your organizations can continue to show up for students, whether that’s through mentorship, resources, or simply staying engaged,” Yakunin said at the reception. “Together, we can help Dallas ISD become the best urban district in the nation and its students the future workforce our region needs.”
Capital One’s Andrella Thomas, Senior Manager of Social Innovation, found inspiration in the student interactions.
“I love to be able to sit there and hear the inspirational stories of how our journeys help other students determine the next pathway for themselves,” Thomas shared during the reception.
A personal perspective
In a separate interview, Marshalling Resources President & CEO Cynt Marshall reflected on her PFAD experience and the morning huddle with teachers that left a lasting impression on her.
“I actually enjoyed the huddle with the teachers and watching the teachers literally have this community to start the day,” Marshall said. “You could tell they are bonded and that there’s a spirit of teamwork… It was a great way just to see their bonding, which then I saw bleed into the spirit of the school.”
Marshall didn’t mince words about the importance of participation.
“Don’t think twice about joining PFAD. This needs to be the number one priority on your to-do list for your year, to get outside of your business, outside of your organization, and go and see what true impact looks like. These educators give us a lesson every day about impact.”
She also emphasized the interconnected nature of educational and business success.
“These wonderful students that teachers are pouring into every day, these are our future neighbors, our future doctors, our future teachers. But they’re impacting our future employees, so they’re impacting our pipeline.”
Marshall’s message was clear: educators are on the front lines every day, and the business community has a responsibility to support them.
“This is a day to get out and say, ‘I’m here for you. I see you. Yes, I’m going to learn something. I’m going to have fun. I’ll be able to share some of your knowledge and experience with some of these people. But more importantly, I’m here to help you. And I see you, and I want to be a part of your success, because your success as an educator is my success.'”
Looking forward
As Petroskey noted at the reception which took place at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, participants “spent the day in schools with kids who are preparing to take off, and they’re preparing to take off with the help of all the principals and all the teachers and all the other school personnel who spend pretty much every waking hour helping these kids launch into the world.”
The PFAD experience demonstrated that the future of the Dallas Region economy is being shaped right now in classrooms across the district—and that the business community has both an opportunity and a responsibility to support that work.
Thank you to the presenting sponsor, Capital One, the reception sponsor, Amazon, and our corporate sponsor, Dallas College. And thank you to our reception exhibitors, All Stars Project, Beacon Hill, Catch Up & Read, Dallas Education Foundation, and United to Learn. Thank you to Dallas ISD for their continued partnership in hosting 25 years of PFAD.