History
RootsandGoals.org Pk3-12 Homework Project Development
The Project started in 2005 as the School Time Capsule Project focused on life goals. We had 8th graders writing letters to themselves about their goals for 10-years into the future. The letters were stored in a large vault in the school lobby students saw daily as they passed it. The letters were returned at 10-year class reunions.
In 2010 both Sunset High School and Pinkston High School saw the academic progress Quintanilla students were showing above the Freshmen from the other middle school. They both started School Time Capsule Projects of their own along with Greiner Middle School. Each school secured a vault and began having their seniors, or 8th graders, plan their lives 10-years into their future in letters to themselves. These letters were archived in the respective schools vaults that were visible daily to all students. Graduation rates and achievement rose.
Then also in 2010 letters from parents and relatives about their goals for the students were added and requested from the parents by each principal. But by 2015 we never were able to get more than 30% of parents to write such valuable letters to their students.
The 2016 Language Arts Coach at Quintanilla (now married and named Ms. Niki Lincolin Goff) suggested having all grades write letters. She also suggested ending the principal writing the parents and instead having all students in all grades write their own letters to their own parents asking for these letters. Immediately 80% of children began to receive letters from their family! Teachers were in tears for joy for their students. The students value these letters and parents saw that! But, since this was the 11th year of the Project, Quintanilla was already the highest School Effectiveness Indices (SEI) scoring middle school in DISD after 10+ years of focusing on goals. We did not notice any 2016 academic improvement!
Then in 2016/17 T.W. Browne Middle School was in it’s 5th year as a failing school. DISD was putting in additional resources to avoid being forced by the Texas Education Agency to close the school. The T.W. Browne Principal, Dr. Jonathan Smith, knew the old School Time Capsule Project and wanted to try out the new all-grade StudentMotivation.org model with students writing to parent and grandparents asking for the letters back themselves. It worked wonderfully! Not only was Browne no longer a failing school by the end of 2016/17, but the 47.5 School Effectiveness Indices score they had for 2016 had jumped 14.2 points in only one year to the highest School Effectiveness Indices score of all 33 middle schools in Dallas ISD that year, and for all years since 2008! (See “Data” section from menu for details.)
The Browne 61.7 SEI score has not been beaten by any of the remaining 32 non-magnet middle school since 2017! Obviously the T.W. Browne StudentMotivation.org Project was being helped by the abundance of resources given this 5th year failing schools from DISD Central Office that year, but the StudentMotivation.org Project certainly gave an extra boost never seen before in any similar situation! This proved the value of each parent and grandparent writing to their child about their dreams for them with a story from their own life written into the same letter. A major Project improvement was validated! Family involvement made a huge difference!
The Covid Pandemic shut down this letter writing Project in 2020 in all schools. It did not restart until 2023/24 at South Oak Cliff High School (SOC). SOC had a 7 year SEI score that averaged 44.14, just below the average range (45-55) and the 4th lowest of all 37 DISD high schools. The lessons learned were used. By 2025 SOC had the highest SEI score over all 37 DISD high schools, 63.8 or 8.8 points above the 45-55 average range!
By 2026 the transition was completed with the improved RootsandGoals.org Pk3-12 Homework Project! The old School Time Capsule Project and StudentMotivation.org Projects were periods of growth in the Project History! Now we know we must constantly, every year have every parent and grandparent available writing to their student about their goals and dreams for their child, including new stories from their own life in the letter. Every student meets with every letter writer they have to read their letter with them and discuss the family values and history their letter points to.
Then students write a letter to themselves about each letter received and their thoughts about them. They also write about their own goals for their life in the same letter.
Each student now has two envelopes provided by the school that are dated and self-addressed as their Roots & Goals Envelopes. One is marked “Originals” and all the original letters they received go into that envelope, including the letter the student wrote to themselves about their own future. This envelope is taken to the public library (free copies) or anywhere where they can have two copies made of every letter. The student gives one copy of each letter to the person who wrote that letter. Then they place the final copy of all letters into the second self-addressed envelope which is NOT sealed but taken to school. Their teacher will count the number of letters, write that number under the students address, circle the number, and seal the envelope. This Roots & Goals Envelope is then returned to the student who brings it to their first period class where they say their daily Pledge of Allegiance. They place their envelope into the Roots & Goals Envelope Box near the American Flag where it will stay until the end of the school year.
Every day when they say their Pledge they may be reminded of the letters they received and their own life plans. If they forget what any of the letters say they can read the original when they get home.
This pattern creates new goal-focused students who are more grounded in their family roots. Since this is now happening to Dallas ISD students from the age of 3 past 18, DISD students are changing at earlier ages and to an constantly evolving extent. With every passing year, as more schools start their own RootsandGoals.org Homework Projects, those changes will be more widely celebrated districtwide!
The newest RootsandGoals.org Pk3-12 Homework Project is the most recent big change made. The Project was moved from the crowded DISD class schedules to begin being a homework project this past January 2026. As a homework project any school on Earth can start the RootsandGoals.org Homework Project more easily using only a fraction of one class period to hand out the directions, 2 envelopes for each student, and to explain the project! They can begin accelerating PK3 through 12th grade student achievement within just one year with minimal class time investment!
Repeat, the total class time invested from all RootsandGoals.org Homework Project updates, and reminders, should only add up to maybe half of one class period once the Project is understood. Students can always go to the RootsandGoals.org website with any questions. A Q & A section will be developed to speed the process as questions are identified.
The three Handouts in the Handout Section of the RootsandGoals.org website menu are available in both Spanish and English. Google Translate (translate.google.com) allows translations for free into over 104 additional languages currently available!
The RootsandGoals.org Pk3-12 Homework Project will always remain free for any school to use. See details on the homepage.
The Loop 12 Walmart at I-35 near SOC has provided all needed supplies at no cost. See handout #5 for the letter used to secure needed supplies by SOC. Just reprint it on school stationary with the principals signature and the needed supplies can be picked up. If paying, the total annual cost would be significantly less than $200/yr. This is not an expensive Project!