Make a Difference

Dallas education nonprofit opens chapter on most impactful year yet

More than 33,000 Dallas County middle school students are better prepared for college thanks to Education Opens Doors.

Photo courtesy of Education Opens Doors

Tulane grad Jayda Batchelder first became immersed in Dallas education while a corps member of Teach for America, working as an eighth grade teacher in South Oak Cliff.

There, she learned that the average Texas guidance counselor is responsible for nearly 450 students, equating to only 38 minutes of college guidance per student per academic year — a ratio Batchelder knew was simply not enough.

Batchelder founded Education Opens Doors in 2012 and has since expanded from one Dallas classroom to hundreds across Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and New Orleans.

Now, more than 33,000 Dallas County middle school students are better prepared for college thanks to Education Opens Doors. And this month, EOD has launched its End of Year giving campaign with high aspirations to have its most impactful year to date, all to better set its students up for success in the coming year.

The Dallas-based nonprofit equips students with the knowledge and skills they need to realize their college and career potential.

EOD uses a proven, data-driven curriculum to go beyond content mastery and teach middle schoolers what their options are and — more importantly — how to achieve their post-high school goals. By showing teachers how to better equip their students for the future, EOD's program gives students the tools and soft skills needed to pursue the path that is best for their goals.

And it's working, according to both quantitative and qualitative metrics. As a result of the program, students demonstrated increased motivation, ambition, and agency toward their goals and dreams. Education Opens Doors has a 100 percent return rate from school principals who enroll in the program.

And yet, of the 107,000 middle school students in Dallas County, EOD only reaches 8 percent of them. But that's where you can help. Philanthropic dollars will allow the nonprofit to expand its sustainable model of proven success. EOD has launched its End of the Year giving campaign to bring on new supporters who are passionate about the workforce of the future.

Read more about the program, including student and teacher success stories, on Education Opens Doors' website, where you can also donate.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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