Dear Staff:
I am proud that, as a district family, we have spent the past few weeks celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and honoring the rich cultures, traditions, and contributions that strengthen our community. As we move through October, I also encourage you to wear pink on Wednesdays to raise awareness and show support for those affected by breast cancer. Together, we demonstrate the power of compassion, unity, and belonging. We are always stronger when we uplift and support one another.
We are nine weeks into the school year, and it’s exciting to see the transformation already underway in our classrooms and students. Thank you for embracing the sense of urgency and shared commitment needed to ensure every student is learning at grade level and reaching their full potential.
This year we are laser-focused on academics. In September, to support excellence in every classroom, we rolled out a new initiative called High 5. The initiative creates a common framework for instruction by ensuring clear learning objectives, frequent student engagement and feedback, data-driven decision-making, collaborative teacher planning, and strategic walkthroughs that provide regular feedback to teachers.
Building on the High 5 initiative, the Teaching and Learning department will continue to support educators with targeted instructional resources, coaching, and tools designed to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
In the coming weeks, as we continue to visit campuses, I look forward to giving all principals and educators a literal high five as we witness these materials in action. We’ll be documenting and giving shoutouts as I see schools execute the curriculum and instructional strategies with fidelity!
I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn (@adbustil) to follow our district’s transformation over the course of this school year. Together we will:
Improve student outcomes
Manage instruction
Build human capacity
And execute with fidelity
It will take the efforts of all of us to ensure our district maintains an upward trajectory to ensure our students learn on grade level and to avoid a state takeover, as we’ve seen happen in other urban districts across Texas.
That is why the Core Team and I continue to expand our learning as well. We are currently reading “The Knowledge Gap,” by Natalie Wexler. In her book, the author argues that reading comprehension depends on content knowledge across all subjects, not just reading skills, and that schools must prioritize knowledge-rich curriculum to close achievement gaps. After the holidays, we’ll also study “Teach Like a Champion” by Doug Lemov. Feel free to read along with us.
Best,
Dr. Adrian Bustillos
Superintendent