DSST CIRCUIT

There's a poem Chad Heltzel wrote more than 15 years ago that almost never saw the light of day. It sat in a dissertation, then in a manuscript, then in a drawer - revised, resubmitted, rejected and nearly abandoned. Last September, it was finally published. The collection, Recording of Dead...

On a bright afternoon filled with pride, gratitude and a whole lot of joy, the DSST: Elevate Northeast community gathered to celebrate something truly extraordinary - the official opening of the Elevate Library, a space imagined, shaped and championed by students.

There's a question that sits at the heart of Savianna Gonzales-Wagner's work at DSST: Elevate High School:Do my students know they're wanted here?It sounds simple. It isn't. And for Gonzales-Wagner, an Apprentice Teacher in her first year at Elevate, answering that question - every single day, for...

Every day, Salvador Ramirez shows up to work at the DSST Home Office with a clear sense of purpose: to build something better.

When we talk about great teaching, we often describe it through frameworks, videos or carefully curated examples. But the reality of teaching lives in the middle of a lesson, with real students, real curriculum and real decisions unfolding moment by moment.

At DSST: Elevate Northeast High School, Raul Castillo Ontiveros teaches more than AP Spanish. He teaches students to see themselves as bilingual scholars. He teaches them that the language they already speak at home, the one they might have been told to leave at the door, is actually their...

And after nearly eight years at DSST, science teacher Laurie Pochette (pictured far right) found something rare in education: a place where she can grow, lead and make a lasting impact without ever leaving the classroom."My unwavering commitment to the communities we serve anchors my work,"...

Sandra Ross remembers sixth grade clearly. Sitting with her advisor at DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School, on the verge of tears, working so hard yet still building her reading skills. It was frustrating. It was vulnerable. And it shaped everything that came after.

When you ask the DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School College Success Team what they’re most proud of, their answers reveal a deep commitment to students, families and the power of opportunity through college access. They are one team out of many across our network, all working towards ambitious...

In seventh-grade classrooms across DSST, November means more than turning the calendar page. It's a moment to pause, to listen and to learn from voices that have too often been silenced or simplified in education. At DSST: Aurora Science & Tech (AST) Middle School, English Language Arts teacher...