HISD has announced the suspension of the student uniform policy for the upcoming school year.
The district understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has created or increased the economic challenges that some families face. Relaxing the uniform requirements will hopefully provide some relief for parents as they prepare for the school year.
Continue readingPresentations to highlight how technology has helped transform learning
Teams from 10 HISD high schools will be making presentations to Microsoft executives this Thursday, Feb. 23, as part of Digital Learning Day. The student presentations highlight how HISD’s one-to-one laptop initiative, also known as PowerUp, has impacted learning both in and out of the classroom.
The ten teams were selected from among 45 high schools who participated in Together with Tech, the district’s first ever student-led technology conference that took place Feb. 11 at Lamar High School. Student presentations at the conference used technology-based platforms that included digital animation, mobile app design, and tools such as Google Earth. Continue reading
More than 100 Houston ISD high school students on Saturday will deliver presentations on the impact of technology in the classroom at Together With Tech, the district’s first student-led technology conference.
Students from 45 schools will present on technology-based platforms that include digital animation, mobile app design, and tools such as Google Earth. Each participating school has a team of at least three students who will share ways in which the district’s PowerUp initiative has transformed what it means to be a high school student in HISD.
Cross-functional collaboration at HISD honored by Council of the Great City Schools
Various departments and members of Team HISD were recently recognized by the Council of the Great City Schools for their collaboration on PowerUp—the district’s initiative to digitally transform teaching and learning.
HISD was presented with the Making Strides Together Curriculum Award for Excellence in Urban Education at a luncheon July 10, at the Council’s Academic, Information Technology and Research Conference held in Palm Beach, Florida.
Washington HS sophomore Karla Bueno displays her new laptop.
Students at a dozen HISD high schools will soon be making the most of 21st-century technology, thanks to HISD’s PowerUp program. The districtwide initiative to transform teaching and learning enters its third and final phase during the 2015–2016 school year, and students in the last group of 12 high schools began receiving laptops this month for use in the classroom and at home.
Noah Brown, a tenth-grader at Booker T. Washington High School, said he was excited to be receiving the device on Jan. 20. “It will make classwork easier,” he said. “Up ‘til now, I’ve been doing research on my phone.”
Furr High School is new to HISD’s PowerUp initiative, but that didn’t stop enthusiastic campus leaders from spreading the word.
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The first public Arabic language immersion school in the country opened its doors Monday to 132 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students who will learn Arabic along with English. The new Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) is among 283 HISD campuses that welcomed back nearly 215,000 students from across the district. In HISD, Arabic is the second most common foreign language spoken at home.
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“There are children from 40 different Houston-area zip codes here,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said. “The Arabic school is a very demographically diverse school, with about 30 percent Hispanic, 30 percent Anglo, and 30 percent African American. This year is especially exciting, as we continue to set our sights on making sure our students have access to a truly global education.” Continue reading
The Houston Independent School District will begin the 2015-2016 academic year on Monday with the opening of the nation’s first public Arabic language immersion school, significantly expanded dual language opportunities and a continued shift to digital learning.
The Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) is among 283 HISD campuses that will throw open their doors on Monday and welcome back nearly 215,000 students from across the district. Bus drivers will begin transporting nearly 34,000 students to and from school, and cafeteria workers will begin cooking the 288,000 meals that they serve each day. Continue reading
Monday was an exciting first day of duty for teachers at DeBakey High School for Health Professions. They received their laptops in the third phase of HISD’s PowerUp initiative.
“I’m excited about how I’m going to use it in my classroom,” said math teacher Wilson Chavez. “Sometimes it’s difficult to implement technology in math, but I have exciting plans to use it for various projects.”
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The teachers are currently receiving training on their laptops, including how to use web-based tools in their daily instruction through the HUB. Continue reading
More than 2,000 teachers attend professional development focused on transforming instruction
Nearly 1,000 middle and high school teachers spent the last week of July gearing up for the start of the school year at the district’s Summer Transformation Institute—one of five professional development sessions held this summer by the Office of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction. The fifth and final Institute at Chávez High School featured sessions on the use of technology for content development and classroom instruction, as well as sessions on project-based learning, classroom management, and reading and writing workshops.
“Teachers are loving the opportunity for choice,” said Chief Secondary Curriculum and Instruction Officer Annie Wolfe. “We designed the Institute so that teachers could start off the morning with their peers in core-content areas, but then have the opportunity to choose late morning and afternoon sessions based on their skill level and needs.” Continue reading