Category Archives: Accountability

HISD surveys students and parents on magnet programs

HISD is seeking parent and student input on the district’s magnet programs in an effort to better understand our families’ needs. The survey is open to students or parents of students who:

  • Attend a magnet program
  • Do not attend a magnet program
  • Live within HISD but do not currently attend an HISD school

The survey can be found at HoustonISD.org/MagnetSurvey. It will be open until March 30.

HISD pioneered the development of magnet programs in the 1970s and is known nationally for its innovative offerings at more than 100 schools.

“We remain committed to magnet programs and school choice,” said HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza. “We want to be sure that our programs are in line with the district’s vision that every child, no matter where they live, has equitable opportunities and access to an effective, personalized education.”

The community will have opportunities to comment on the magnet program in public meetings that will be scheduled for the coming weeks.

Board of Education’s updated Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals focus on equity, improving student outcomes

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education recently adopted changes to the District’s Vision and Beliefs, and approved the addition of a Mission, Constraints, and Goal Progress Measures, to serve as the district’s roadmap to success.

“Together, the Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals represent a sharper focus on the very specific steps we as a district must take to improve student outcomes. The trustees on the Board of Education are united in our commitment to ensure that HISD delivers the best possible education equitably to all students in our district,” said HISD Board of Education President Wanda Adams.

The Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals reinforce HISD’s commitment to equity, closing the achievement gap, meeting the needs of the whole child, personalizing learning for each individual child, creating safe, joyful learning spaces, retaining qualified and effective personnel, operating with transparency across all departments, and engaging meaningfully with the community in all major decision-making.

The Board’s Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals are on permanent display in a series of posters outside the Manuel Rodriguez Jr. Board Auditorium.

Read more about HISD’s Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Constraints, and Goals here.

HISD Board of Education to vote on extended days for schools with delayed start

Sept. 14 2017 – In its first regular meeting since Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Independent School District Board of Education Trustees will consider a proposal to make up instructional time lost because of the storm.  The Texas Education Agency approved waivers that exempt students from making up the first nine days the storm took away.  However, students at the 12 schools that suffered the most significant damage will have to make up any lost time beyond those days.

Here’s how the proposed plan works:  Students at the four schools scheduled to start on September 18 would be in school for 25 additional minutes every day.  Students at the eight schools scheduled to start on September 25 would go for an extra 55 minutes.  That extended school day would be effective from their first day of school until the end of the first semester in December. Continue reading →

Superintendent outlines priorities at ‘Welcome Back’ event 

Achieve 180, wraparound services, and restorative justice practices are priorities for 2017-2018 school year 

Superintendent Richard Carranza outlined HISD’s top priorities for the 2017-2018 school year to school and district leaders at the annual “Welcome Back” back event on August 11.

Nearly 1,200 principals, deans, assistant principals, and district leaders packed Delmar Fieldhouse to hear Carranza’s message, which celebrated the successes of the previous year and outlined goals, initiatives, and challenges for the coming year.


Continue reading →

Special Education conference focuses on meeting unique needs of every student 


HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza addressed more than 300 teachers and support staff members at the district’s fourth-annual Special Ed Conference on Tuesday at Pin Oak Middle School, encouraging them to create an environment where all children can succeed.

“We are at a critical juncture,” Carranza said later, when asked what he hoped the conference would achieve. “Too often, students with disabilities have been marginalized. We say NO, that is not what we are going to do here in HISD. I want all these educators to leave here on fire, to go back to their schools with great strategies and support so they can create incredible learning environments.”  Continue reading →

HISD superintendent discusses equity, district’s vision during forum with African-American community leaders

[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/222519225″ ]

HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza told African-American community, business, and civic leaders on Tuesday that HISD is prioritizing equity in the district and proposing a plan, called Achieve 180, to target 32 underserved schools with extra supports and funding.

Carranza outlined his priorities for the coming year during a one-on-one interview with Houston Defender Publisher Sonceria Messiah Jiles, part of the Defender’s “Conversations and Coffee” series. Continue reading →

Community feedback desired on school turnaround plans 

Parents, staff, students, and community members invited to take survey 

A dozen HISD schools have been rated as Improvement Required (IR) campuses by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The TEA requires the district to develop “turnaround plans” for each campus for the 2017-2018 school year, listing the actions that must take place to foster greater student growth and improve student achievement. HISD is inviting parents, students, staff, and community members to participate in the process by providing feedback via the online survey linked below. Your feedback is valuable. Take the survey here.

Superintendent takes questions from HISD community during Virtual Listen & Learn broadcasts 

Superintendent Richard Carranza wrapped up his Listen & Learn Tour on Monday night with two virtual sessions in both English and Spanish, which were streamed live on HISD-TV, the district’s website, and Facebook.

Topics included the issue of recapture and how the state’s current school funding structure is affecting the district, equity, dual language programs, fine arts access, serving the whole child, standardized testing, special education, and what the superintendent is looking for in future district leaders.

Continue reading →

Twenty-eight HISD schools recognized by state for top performance in 2015-2016

HISD schools were twice as likely as other Texas schools to earn the maximum number of distinction designations from the Texas Education Agency for their strong performance during the 2015-2016 school year, according to a report released this week.

Eleven percent of the district’s 255 eligible campuses earned every distinction designation for which they were eligible. Statewide, only 5.5 percent of eligible schools can make that claim. HISD’s awarded campuses include 15 elementary schools, six middle schools, and seven high schools. Continue reading →

More HISD schools meet state standard

Number of schools with “Improvement Required” rating declines 31 percent

The number of Houston ISD schools meeting state standards is now the highest it has ever been under Texas’ tougher new accountability system.

According to preliminary ratings released Monday, 85 percent of HISD schools (235 out of 275) earned a “met standard” rating for the 2015-2016 school year, a 6-point increase from the previous year. At the same time, 18 fewer schools received an “improvement required” rating. HISD earned a “met standard” district rating. Continue reading →