Yearly Archives: 2014

Computer simulation is helping teachers refine instructional methods

Teachers at eight different HISD schools have been spending more time with avatars this spring—but it’s not because they’re playing on FarmVille, The Sims, or Second Life.

Instead, these educators have been fine-tuning their instructional skills using TeachLivE, a pilot program in which flesh-and-blood teachers deliver actual lessons to virtual students in a computer-simulated classroom. The students are programmed to respond in real time to the actions of the teacher, so instructors can identify ways to improve their lessons almost immediately.
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HISD honored by Texas Comptroller’s office for financial transparency

District recognized for participation in budget awards program

On the eve of one its busiest times in the annual budget process, Houston Independent School District’s financial team has secured two key awards. The team which is led by CFO Ken Huewitt and is currently preparing the district’s 2014-2015 budget proposal, earned one of the state’s highest awards for financial transparency. The team was also recognized for its long-term participation in a budget awards program. Continue reading →

EMERGE students tour nine top-tier universities in four days

In what can be described as a super-charged dose of college “realness,” EMERGE students from 15 HISD high schools completed a whirlwind tour of some of the top colleges and universities in the nation in only four days, from June 1-4. More than 80 sophomores and juniors toured Tufts, Harvard, MIT, Clark, Brandeis, Stonehill, Brown, Boston College and Northeastern University, talked to current students and found out what it takes to get in…and stay in.

Students, many of whom will be the first in their family to attend college or university, had the chance to eat in the dining halls with current Ivy Leaguers, attend panels on subjects such the role of cultural centers on academic success, and even engage in time-honored traditions such as “painting the cannon” at Tufts University. They also received advice from current students and admissions counselors on financial aid and the affordability of higher education.

More importantly, the trip gave many high-schoolers a renewed sense of purpose. “Knowing that I have a real chance of attending one of these amazing schools, such as Harvard or Tufts, has created a sense a hope that I didn’t have three days ago,” said junior Giovanna DeLeon. “Realizing that our economic background is not something that needs to define us or whether or not we should or can go to college is powerful.”

The EMERGE program encourages and prepares talented HISD students from underserved communities to successfully attend and graduate from Ivy League and other top-tier colleges.

HISD will soon be launching an EMERGE blog to highlight these students’ journeys throughout the next year. In the meantime, you can read the first few entries from Day 1 and Day 2, and visit the HISD News blog at https://blogs.houstonisd.org/news/ for regular updates. You can also follow the students on Twitter using the hashtag #EMERGETour.

HISD TAKS recovery program aims to help students earn overdue HS diplomas

The search is on for 1,200 current and former HISD students who may be just one test short of earning their high school diplomas to take advantage of a free, drop-in program that could help them earn that valuable document.

All HISD high schools are offering teacher-conducted tutoring for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test that will be administered July 7, and HISD will also offer the coaching at three city of Houston Multi-Service Center sites. This second-chance program will be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, June 9-July 3, but special hours may be arranged. No advance enrollment is required for the scheduled sessions.
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HISD junior: ‘Our economic background doesn’t define us’

Day 2 of HISD’s EMERGE Northeast college and university tour included trips to Harvard and MIT, where students got to walk in the footsteps of such notable alumni as W.E.B. Du Bois (Harvard), Buzz Aldrin (MIT), Richard Feynman (MIT) and President Barack Obama (Harvard). The #EMERGEtour will take more than 95 students from 15 HISD high schools to nine top-tier university campuses this week.

Here are the student’s impressions of their second day, in their own words: Continue reading →

Cutting-edge technology energizes Herrera ES students about learning

HISD’s PowerUp initiative is already transforming the way teachers are deliver instruction and students learn through the mass distribution of laptops, but other types of cutting-edge technology are also making a big impression on district campuses.

Students at HISD’s Herrera Elementary School, for instance, have been “making” the most of a new three-dimensional (3-D) printer the school purchased this year, using it to explore lessons in science, music, and art.
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Castro’s Kids donates 7,200 books to HISD two elementary schools

Jason Castro is usually knowing for his catching prowess on the baseball diamond, but on May 29, he was delivering a pitch.

The professional athlete was at Scroggins Elementary School last Thursday to persuade young learners to continue reading for pleasure over the summer months, and to improve their chances of doing that, he helped distribute some of the 7,200 books he and his wife had donated to two HISD campuses. The books were divided between Scroggins and MacGregor elementary schools, and students at each campus got to select up to five books to take home and keep.

A hundred lucky families also got to attend the Houston Astros’ evening game against the Baltimore Orioles. The donation was coordinated through the literacy foundation the couple started, called Castro’s Kids.

Thank you for using Your Voice

Thousands respond to annual district survey to offer views on rigor, safety

HISD thanks the more than 110,000 parents, students, teachers and administrators who submitted responses to the annual Your Voice district survey this year.

Although mailed results are still being tallied by RDA Group, more than 4,000 parents took the survey online, answering questions about their perceptions of rigor, consistency and safety in HISD.

Complete results of the Your Voice survey are expected to be available online by July 11. Principals and other campus decision-makers will use these survey results to help guide campus improvement plans.

Once again, thank you to all who submitted survey results. With your support and participation, we can make changes that will impact the educational future of Houston’s children.

Schools already gearing up for fall with ‘guided reading leveled bookrooms’

The summer break has just barely begun, but faculty and staff members at hundreds of schools around the Houston Independent School District are already getting a head start on the coming school year by setting up something called “leveled bookrooms” on their campuses.

The bookrooms are being stocked with some of the more than $8.5 million worth of reading materials the district purchased from Scholastic, Inc. with approval from the Board of Education. They are sorted by reading level and contain multiple copies of more than 5,000 titles in a wide variety of text types, themes, genres, topics, and content areas. The bookrooms will serve as an integral part of the Literacy By 3 (LX3) initiative by providing materials for teachers to use in guided reading exercises. The goal of LX3 to have all third-grade students reading at or above grade level by the end of the third grade.

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HISD offers free meals at more than 200 schools

The Houston Independent School District is serving free breakfasts and lunches to children ages 1-18 at more than 200 schools this summer.

Children do not need to be enrolled in summer school to participate in the program, and no paperwork, registration or proof of income is required. Adults may purchase breakfast for $2 and lunch for $3.25.