The Frequency at Fort Bend ISD

AVDA, or Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, is a Houston nonprofit that provides not only assistance to victims of domestic abuse and their families, but also educates students across the greater Houston area about how to cultivate healthy relationships. In its first year working in Fort Bend ISD, AVDA is equipping middle school coaches on how to coach compassion citizenship in student athletes, aliging with our District Profile of a Graduate. This episode of The Frequency shares how our students athletes are serving as ambassadors, and role models, for their fellow students.

Healthy food is vital to a successful school day, from the start of the day at breakfast throughout the day at lunch. In a diverse district like Fort Bend ISD, the reasons why students skip lunch or decide to grab something unhealthy are varied. In this episode of The Frequency, we hear from leaders in the Child Nutrition Department, as well as a student and teacher who have made it their mission to educate students about healthy food choices.

The first episode of The Frequency this school year includes a pair of interviews with our 2019 District Teachers of the Year - Laci Tonnesen of Sienna Crossing Elementary and Lorelei Thorp of Kempner High School. Both teachers discuss what led them to education and why they remain passionate about what they do and the students they support.

Statement from Dr. Deena Hill, Executive Director of Special Education in Fort Bend ISD:

It is true that overall, general education teachers do not feel truly prepared for the needs of students with disabilities in their classrooms.  While the Special Education department offers training specifically for general education teachers working with this group of students, these courses are not required for them due to competing priorities.

The Special Education department is working on ways to embed special education topics into the required training for general education teachers.  This was initiated in the summer of 2018 when special education information was embedded into the 7-hour Tier 1 instruction training.  Additionally, courses were offered after school, at other times during the summer, and on request for particular campuses.

The Special Education Department is currently collaborating with Teacher Development to utilize teacher leaders from the special education teams to co-train with Teacher Development  on required trainings, utilizing a Co-Teach model of instruction for the trainings.  In addition, the Special Education Department provides specialized training for campuses based on Principal requests. These targeted trainings can be provided on campus during the instructional day or after school on a variety of topics with the goal of  building capacity within the campus staff.

Episode 1 - Ulrich Kleinschmidt, "Mr. Kempner," Retires