COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
This chapter reviews Dallas Independent School District's (DISD) communications and community relations efforts in four sections:
- A. Organization and Management
- B. Internal and External Communications
- C. Community Relations
- D. Broadcast Services
D. BROADCAST SERVICES
DISD's Broadcast Services Division supports students, staff and community members by providing quality educational and informational programming through district cable channels.
Broadcast Services is managed by a director and supported by staff in four areas-Distance Learning, Engineering, Production and Scheduling, Distance Learning is supported by a specialist IV position, two specialist III positions and a teacher. A chief engineer and a specialist I position support engineering. Production is supported by two specialist I positions, two specialist II positions, two specialist III positions and a specialist IV position. Scheduling is supported by a specialist I position.
Broadcast Services is responsible for:
- Coordinating and producing distance learning courses
- Providing technical training in distance learning technologies
- Providing technical assistance to schools with broadcast capabilities
- Operating district cable channels
- Providing video production services
- Providing audio/visual assistance to the administration building
FINDING
Broadcast Services enables the planning, scheduling and broadcasting of distance learning educational programs to all district campuses; provides videotaped staff development training for teachers and administrators, and airs district board meetings.
Broadcast Services programs five cable channels (2B, 5B, 7B, 9B and 12B) on AT&T Cable Systems for instructional use that go to schools and 145,000 homes in the Dallas metropolitan area. Programs are broadcast from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., seven days per week, 365 days per year. A sixth channel-11B-operates as a closed circuit television channel within the district's administration building. Exhibit 3-24 summarizes Broadcast Services' cable channel offerings.
Exhibit 3-24 Source: DISD Broadcast Services Division.
Summary of Broadcast Services
Cable Channel Program Offerings
Channel Purpose 2B - Reading Provides teacher-training modules on best practices in reading instruction. This channel also features Celebrity Readers, a series designed to promote the importance of reading. Dallas Reading Plan Model Lessons - Topics covered include developing an understanding of how children develop awareness of the different sounds that make up words. Techniques that promote awareness of basic speech are modeled. Literacy Material Center - A room designed to help teach a balanced reading program by providing a wealth of materials in response to teachers' needs and to reach children on all reading levels. 5B - Foreign Languages/Math Russian, Spanish and Japanese language courses and an interactive math course. Advanced Placement Calculus - Prepares students to take the Advanced Placement Calculus exam for college credit through a live, interactive math program. Russian World - A journey through Russian language, culture and history through 30-minute Russian I and Russian II distance learning programs. 7B - Music/Art/Math/
Miscellaneous ProgrammingMusic, math, art and miscellaneous electronic field trips. A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Celebrates the diversity and unity of culture as the legacy of Dr. King is remembered. DISD honored Dr. King with a variety of performances by students at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church. Art Journeys: What is Art? - An introduction to the appreciation of art through three art themes: Art About Life (realistic), Art About Art (abstraction/
non-objective) and Art About Ideas (conceptual).9B - Annenberg/CPB Broadcast services airs this programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Annenberg/CPB offers innovative programs including professional development for K-12 teachers in math, science, literature, social studies, arts and humanities, and world languages. Voices and Visions - Profiles Ezra Pound, who describes the role of music and visual arts in the search for one's poetic voice. The Earth Revealed - Creates an appreciation for the immensity of the geologic time scale and summarizes Earth's evolutionary journey over more than 4 billion years. 11B - Closed-circuit Network Closed-circuit network for DISD's administration building. Airs programming such as DISD's board committee meetings. 12B - Downlinks/ Miscellaneous Programming A variety of programs are downlinked from the STEP-Star Network including adult literacy, parenting skills and science. Young Astronauts I & II - These programs encourage children to develop knowledge, skills and positive attitudes toward science, technology and mathematics. Students explore how satellites and space stations are used to improve life on earth. Parenting Skills - A comprehensive parenting course identifying major concepts and issues in child development and family relationships. Exhibit 3-25 provides an overview of distance learning courses produced by DISD's Broadcast Services Division.
Exhibit 3-25 Source: Broadcast Services Division.
Broadcast Services Produced
Distance Learning Courses
Course Number of Schools Served Number of Students Served Grade Levels Served Elementary Spanish 32 1,656 K-4 Elementary Russian 3 125 3-6 Russian World - Russian I-III 5 58 9-12 Spanish I 1 150 9-12 Advanced Placement 11 300 11-12 Russian World - Russian I (out-of-state schools)* 7 32 N/A Russian World - Russian II (out-of-state schools)* 6 10 N/A
Note: *Tuition is paid to Broadcast Services from the sale of Russian I-II. Revenue received for 1999-2000 was $20,895. Funds were used to purchase textbooks and supplies, pay teachers extra duty pay, take students on cultural field trips, pay for printing of workbooks, order videotapes and pay for Japanese III tuition.Exhibit 3-26 provides an overview of programming received from external distance learning providers.
Exhibit 3-26 Source: Broadcast Services Division.
Programming Received From Distance Learning Providers
Course Number of Schools Served Number of Students Served Grade Levels Served Japanese III* 2 5 11-12 Annenberg/CPB Channel All District Unlimited K-12/Adult Fairfax Network - Field Trips All District Unlimited K-12 NASA Teleconferences All District Unlimited K-12 T-Star Network All District Unlimited Adult
Note: *Tuition: $2,500 ($500 per student paid to South East Regional Consortium).Houston ISD contracts with the city of Houston to present 18 hours of programming each day, including district-produced instructional and informational programs. About 50 percent of Houston ISD's media broadcast programming is produced locally by HISD including issues programs, a daily 15-minute newscast, parent programming, homework assistance and special events programs. Houston ISD also partners with the University of Houston to produce videotaped musical instrument instruction programs. Houston ISD's board meetings are also televised via media broadcast services.
Hillsborough County Schools in Tampa, Fla. provides media broadcast services in conjunction with the Partners in Tampa Educational Consortium on the educational channel carried by Time Warner Communications. Hillsborough County Schools' media broadcast programs include community forums, a math homework hotline and the superintendent's "Back to School" press conference. The supervisor of Parent Involvement co-hosts a weekly broadcast for family involvement and other school-related information. Media broadcast services also airs Hillsborough County Schools' board meetings.
San Diego City Unified Schools uses media broadcast services to videotape staff development training for employees and to produce a monthly one-hour community involvement program that airs on local cable television stations. Board meetings are not televised.
El Paso ISD uses media broadcast services for the production of instructional programs and documentaries. Board meetings are televised on the local cable channel.
COMMENDATION
DISD's Broadcast Services Division provides a variety of distance learning courses to students, staff development courses for district employees and provides televised board meetings.