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TEA leader praises teaching engagement, excellence during YISD visit

Ysleta ISD

October 23, 2026

Texas Education Agency (TEA) Deputy Commissioner of Governance Steve Lecholop got a firsthand look at Ysleta ISD’s instructional leadership practices and systems during a daylong visit Thursday, visiting several of the district’s “A”-rated campuses to view teaching and learning in action.

The purpose of Lecholop’s visit was to see the instruction happening in classrooms throughout Ysleta ISD in order to bring the district’s instructional practices into focus and get a closer look at the leadership behind them. Lecholop also observed professional learning teams in action and dual-language/third-language classroom instruction.

Student Success – In Real Time

Lecholop visited four “A”-rated campuses at Ysleta ISD: East Point Elementary School, Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School, Eastwood Knolls International School, and Hanks High School. In total, the district has 25 “A”-rated campuses, including all of its high schools.

“What we were able to see today is really exceptional instruction,” Lecholop said. “Students were engaged in learning, teachers were effectively communicating (and) teaching – and I could see, in real time, students learning and mastering the grade-level content they were being introduced to.”

Exceptional Teaching, Lasting Impression

During his visit to East Point Elementary School, Lecholop was particularly impressed after observing a classroom where students were learning Spanish.

“I want my kids to be in that teacher’s class! She was so, so great with the kids,” said Lecholop. “Real excited to see instruction happening, and amazed at the quality that I was able to see.”

A man in a blazer and three young students sitting in a circle on a classroom floor, playing a game with picture cards.

About Ysleta ISD

Ysleta ISD serves about 31,000 students and has been the highest-ranked district in El Paso for the past six years, earning the best score in the city this year (95%) for preparing students for success in college, the workplace or military service. Two elementary schools – Glen Cove and Presa – made history in 2026 as the first schools in El Paso to win the state’s distinguished Lone Star Ribbon Schools award for outstanding academic performance.