Houston Endowment informed the Houston Independent School District this week that it will release a $3 million payment for the district’s Apollo school turnaround program in January.
The Foundation deferred the final payment on its three-year, $6 million grant to the HISD Foundation pending its review of the project’s third year report by Dr. Roland Fryer of Harvard University.
Update 10:57
Miami-Dade County Public Schools named winner of the 2012 Broad Prize
Update 10:51
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will present the 2012 Broad Prize. He recognizes the four finalists, including Houston ISD. Duncan highlights HISD’s efforts to dramatically increase Advanced Placement course offerings, the Apollo 20 school turnaround initiative, and the focus on data to drive instruction.
Update 10:45
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is at the podium delivering welcoming remarks. He says,
“The work of giving our kids a better future is never done, but the Broad Foundation is helping to raise the bar.” Bloomberg believes the finalists for the Broad Prize are proving that “progress is… possible.”
Update: 10:35
Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the keynote speaker at today’s Broad Prize ceremony. He says the future of our country is closely tied to the nation’s K-12 education system. “I would like to say to the winners, congratulations. It is terrific to see so many who have worked so hard. It is the best investment we can make in America.”
Update: 10:14
The wait is nearly over for the Houston Independent School District and the three other national finalists for the 2012 Broad Prize for Urban Education.
The award ceremony is underway at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Here in Houston, members of Team HISD are watching the celebration live on the web: http://hisdtv.org/live-coverage/
At the HISD Watch party.
The Broad Prize for Urban Education is the largest education prize in the nation. The winning district will receive $550,000 in college scholarships for the Class of 2013.
The other finalists this year are: Corona-Norco Unified School District in Riverside County, Calif., Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and The School District of Palm Beach County, Fla.
Update: 10 a.m.
Superintendents, principals, and teachers from the four districts named as finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education participated in the “Mind the Gap” panel discussion to share ideas about strategies being used to close the achievement gap. HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, Fondren Middle School Principal Charles Foust, and Berry Elementary Teacher Gaby Oliveros represented HISD. They discussed the importance of data-driven instruction, teamwork, and use of technology in the classroom.
Dr. Grier and Mr. Foust also shared information about HISD’s bold school turnaround effort, Apollo 20. Foust said Fondren MS, an Apollo 20 campus, uses Title I funds to pay tutors to help reinforce the material that students are learning in the classroom.
Oliveros, HISD’s Teacher of the Year in 2010, told the panel about HISD’s teacher support specialists. She said their observations help her and her colleagues become better teachers.
HISD is one of four finalists for the largest education award in the nation
The winner of the Broad Prize for Urban Education—the most prestigious prize in public education— will be announced this morning at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. HISD is one of four finalists for the award, which recognizes the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among poor and minority students from 2008.
HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, Board of Education President Mike Lunceford, Trustees Anna Eastman, Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Paula Harris, and Harvin Moore, and Houston Federation of Teachers President President Gayle Fallon are in New York for the announcement.
Other finalists for the Broad Prize include Corona-Norco Unified School District in Riverside County, California, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. Dr. Grier joined the leaders of those school districts for a panel discussion about strategies being used to help close the achievement gap between minority students and their white counterparts.
Live coverage of the discussion and the Broad Prize announcement is available at http://hisdtv.org/live-coverage/