A great deal of pride and an unwavering commitment to excellence have kept Durham School of the Arts at the top of the heap in student achievement. For the 2024-25 school year, the magnet school for performing and visual arts exceeded expected student growth and placed in the top 5 percent of schools across the state in doing so.
“I think that what stands out for DSA is that from top to bottom we have a talented and dedicated staff,” said Principal Donald Jones. “There is a culture among teachers here that is professional and grounded in wanting to see students be successful.”
Jones, who came to lead DSA this year after 20 years as a high school social studies teacher and soccer coach, four years as an assistant principal, and most recently, four years as principal of Lakewood Elementary School, said he has been impressed with the atmosphere of openness and respect among DSA students, teachers, and families.
“There are three ingredients that every school needs to truly be successful,” said Jones. “Talented teachers, students who show up, and a community that believes in what the mission and vision of the school are.”
Jones added that he has found DSA’s community to be incredibly supportive when the school has had needs that otherwise might not be able to be met.
‘Being who they want to be’
Over the years, teachers, staff, students, and families have worked to establish a culture that accepts all students for who they are and celebrates differences, said Jones. This type of atmosphere allows creativity and individuality to flourish.
“I think one of the things I’ve always appreciated about DSA is it feels like a campus where a student has a really, really good chance at being who they want to be,” said Jones. “It’s an open, accepting, nice group of 1,800 students, and I think that has been a culture that has been here since the school’s founding in the late 1990s. We have so many creative and talented kids on our campus with such diverse backgrounds.”
Teachers and staff work collaboratively to ensure that students have their social and emotional needs met so that they may excel academically, said Shonda Middleton, a DSA school counselor.
“DSA has a culture of kindness that we start with our sixth-graders and we build upon it every year,” said Middleton. “Our school has a culture of trust and respect.”
October is Kindness Month at the school, and students are rewarded for behaving well and respecting each other. In addition to strong academics, the school has an effective PBIS (Positive Behavioral and Intervention Supports) programs that reinforces good behavior. For example, students who go a full quarter without having behavioral issues receive Locopops!
The school also employs a full-time social worker to collaborate with school counselors to provide academic and social and emotional supports for students.
Arts and academics focus, meaningful family involvement
Arts are a key component of DSA students’ academic success, said Jones. Students are required to take a least one course in visual or performing arts throughout their tenure at DSA, regardless of whether they plan to pursue arts in college or the working world.
“Our arts teachers do a wonderful job of creating a culture where kids are asked to contribute, give feedback, and take chances knowing they are going to have a lot of opportunities to experience different things,” said Jones.
Parents are actively involved in the school, as well. Val Martinez is a 23-year veteran visual arts teacher at DSA. He said that by and large, parents take a strong interest and want to be engaged in their children’s successes and challenges.
“We have a high percentage of parents who pay attention to what’s going on with their kids,” said Martinez. “If they’re struggling they will reach out to you. Ninety-five percent of the time they’re very quick to respond, and usually very supportive of what teachers are doing.”
“My personal goal as a leader of the school is to keep the focus on learning,” said Jones. “In my role I always try to tie things back to learning, understanding that kids and families have lots of different hopes and dreams for why they come to school.”
Supporting teachers and staff by protecting time, encouraging collaboration
Jones said that DSA enjoys a relatively low teacher turnover rate (5 percent as compared to more than 10 percent statewide). Why? Again, by providing an environment where ideas are encouraged and supported and where instructional time is protected and teachers are not called upon to take on responsibilities that fall outside of classroom instruction, as is often the case.
Martinez said that he and his colleagues appreciate the treatment they receive as professionals from the administration.
“Ultimately, everybody gets to do their job; people are protected in being able to do their job,” said Martinez. “You have that autonomy and also support when you need it. People get to do what they want to do.”
Math teacher and interventionist Danielle Hamilton said that it’s not lost on the teaching staff that they have the freedom to investigate new methods without being worried that they will be reprimanded.
“We have teacher-leaders at our school, and we have the trust we need in order to let teachers try new things,” said Hamilton. For example, several teachers are using the Modern Classrooms Project, an instructional model that incorporates blended learning in a self-paced structure.
Having the same students in a school for seven years is also advantageous for teachers, said Hamilton.
“I think that DSA being a 6-12 (grade) school plays a huge part in our success,” she said. “We have kids for seven years, and we are able to build a team of teachers who really get to know them and what their individual needs are.”
“For a school of 1,800-plus students, it’s really difficult for a student to get lost here,” added Martinez. “The seven-period day means a student is seeing seven adults who have an eye on them every day. You really get to know them and you can tell that it creates a really great community.”