Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo Dr. Bob Bravo

Elizabeth Pittman, a chemistry teacher at Spruce High School, was driving in her car and listening to NPR when she heard a story about a restorative discipline pilot program being implemented in New Zealand public schools. Pittman was intrigued by the story on the pilot program, which rethinks how teachers and administrators discipline students. She ended up applying and receiving a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher Award to travel to New Zealand to study the pilot program in person. In today’s episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo, Pittman talks with the Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership about the process of applying for a Fulbright, why she is interested in learning about restorative discipline in New Zealand, and what she hopes to bring back to Dallas ISD from the experience.

With 130 officers and 220 employees, the Dallas ISD Police Department is among the largest of all police departments in the state. In this episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo, a podcast hosted by the Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership, Dallas ISD Police Chief Craig Miller discusses the benefits of the school district having its own police department. Miller also tells Bravo about when it’s appropriate for a teacher or school administrator to call the Dallas ISD police department, how a teacher can work to deescalate instead of escalate a situation, and how students misusing cell phones is the biggest issue the police department faces.

Two Dallas ISD schools—Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School at Mountain View College and Harry Stone Montessori and IB World School—were named National Blue Ribbon schools in September. Curious what is it like to lead or work at a Blue Ribbon School? Or what sets a Blue Ribbon School apart from other schools? This episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo, a podcast hosted by the Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership, talks with Trini Garza Principal Dr. Janice Lombardi and Lisa Curry, who served as principal last year of Harry Stone, to learn the answers to these questions and more. The conversation also offers advice for a Dallas ISD principal or teacher who is interested in striving for Blue Ribbon status at their school.

In today’s episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo, Dr. Bravo picks the brain of Irma De La Guardia, the 2014 Bilingual Education Teacher of the Year who this year transitioned into a role as Assistant Principal at Cabell Elementary. In the episode, De La Guardia talks about her effort as a teacher to take advantage of every instructional minute and what inspired her to move out of the classroom to become an Assistant Principal. She also offers helpful tips for newer teachers, as well as advice for more veteran teachers who may be considering a transition into school administration, and discusses the professional development opportunities she has pursued to continue to improve her craft.

In this episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bob Bravo, listeners can learn more about the leadership development opportunities in Dallas ISD. Dr. Bravo, Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership, talks with Joe Miniscalco, Executive Director of the Dallas ISD Leadership Academies, about the district’s efforts to develop the leadership skills of administrators and interested teachers. The discussion also goes into a new speaker series that brings policy makers and national education leaders to talk with Dallas ISD staff.

In this episode of Ed Talk with Bob Bravo, Dr. Bravo, Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership, speaks with Brian Lusk, the Executive Director of the H. Grady Spruce High School feeder pattern, and John Quincy Adams Elementary Principal Nancy Bernardino. The conversation explains how Learning Objectives (LOs) aim to focus a class on what a teacher wants students to learn in a lesson, while Demonstrations of Learning (DOLs) help teachers check if students understand the lesson. The podcast also talks about how a teacher can determine if they have written an appropriate LO and DOL and explains the resources available for teachers who want further guidance on the topic of LO and DOLs.