Academic Diversity Specialist Honored by Community Forum
October 17, 2008
Plano ISD Academic Diversity Specialist Donna Hartman captured the “Educator of the Year” award presented on October 11 at the annual scholarship banquet of the Plano Community Forum, a local organization that supports cultural enrichment and educational opportunities.
Donna Hartman (center) enjoyed a recent visit to Teacher Rosie Potter’s DISCOVER class at Weatherford Elementary School.
“All kids want to be challenged,” says Ms. Hartman, appointed to her role in the professional learning and advanced academics department in 2007. “If we set the bar high, they will reach for it. It is important that all children be challenged to do even more than they think they can.”
Ms. Hartman’s role, by its very nature, raises the bar for the school district, as the board of trustees has adopted the ongoing district initiative to “continue to develop, improve and maintain a guaranteed and viable curriculum that meets the needs of diverse learners.”
As academic diversity specialist, Ms. Hartman oversees Plano ISD's Discover Program, currently offered at 15 elementary schools and targeting students who demonstrate the need for increased higher order thinking activities but who are not currently identified for participation in the PACE (Plano Academic Creative Education) program. The goal of the program is to provide early intervention strategies that will lead to the highest possible academic placement for the students.
Ms. Hartman also plans and helps conduct evening and weekend meetings to inform parents of advanced academic opportunities available to students. These forums offer parents networking opportunities and a time to hear in-depth information about district programs and policies. She works closely with Discover teachers, gifted specialists, the district AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) coordinator, PTA members and other parents to continually assist in identification of a “talent pool” of students who represent diverse populations.
 Educating the public about Plano ISD’s commitment to the program is also among her welcome responsibilities. Last year, she presented workshops for Plano ISD school principals entitled “How to Get Diverse Parents Involved,” and she presented a session on “How to Recruit and Retain Diverse Students” at the Texas Gifted and Talented Conference.
Donna Hartman gave feedback to Noel Oliva during an "abstract thinking" excercise in which students shared items from home that represent themselves.
Due to her passion for helping students achieve, Ms. Hartman has been tapped to serve on the board of directors for two national foundations, the Justin Blalock Foundation, headed by the former Plano East and Texas Longhorns football player and current Atlanta Falcon, and Richie’s Spirit Foundation, which honors late Plano Senior High School student Richie Herskowitz who struggled with cystic fibrosis.
Ms. Hartman and her husband Michael and son Jordan have called Plano home for 13 years. During that time, she opened Skaggs Elementary School as a fifth grade teacher, and she has served as a gifted specialist at Saigling and Wells elementary schools.
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