The Houston Independent School District Board of Education will welcome its two newest members on Thursday, swearing in newly elected District VIII Trustee Diana Dávila and District IV Trustee Jolanda Jones.
The two trustees were elected to the board in November. They will be formally sworn in prior to the first meeting of the year during a special ceremony at 11 a.m. in the board auditorium of the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Continue reading
Two Houston Independent School District elementary schools have been nominated for the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious national 2016 Blue Ribbon School designation.
National Blue Ribbons are awarded annually to high-performing schools to validate the hard work of students and educators. Lovett and Oak Forest elementary schools are among 26 public schools in Texas to be nominated for the recognition. Continue reading
Richard (Rick) Cruz poses for a photograph, January 6, 2016.
Houston Independent School District Major Projects Officer Rick Cruz has been selected to lead his division, replacing outgoing Chief Don Hare, who is retiring.
Cruz, a former fifth-grade teacher who was tapped to serve in the HISD administration after launching the district’s successful EMERGE program more than five years ago, will officially assume his new role on Jan. 25.
In his new position, he will be tasked with managing the College Readiness and Counseling and Guidance departments, as well as major initiatives designed to transform education in the district, such as the EMERGE and Futures Academy programs, and Linked Learning.
Sixty-four seniors from 15 Houston Independent School District high schools were recognized for their academic excellence as part of the College Board’s 32nd annual National Hispanic Recognition Program.
The HISD seniors are among about 5,000 students from across the country and abroad to be named finalists in the program, which colleges use to identify academically exceptional students of Hispanic or Latin descent to receive scholarships. The district more than doubled the number of honorees this year, up from 26 finalists last year. Continue reading
Angela Lundy Jackson poses for a photograph, September 2, 2015.
North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson is among three finalists for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) High School Principal of the Year award.
Committed to excellence in school administration, the TASSP recognizes outstanding principals and assistant principals from across the state each year. Nominations, bestowed by fellow school administrators, are based upon exemplary performance and outstanding leadership in secondary education.
Houston Independent School District Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Ken Huewitt has been honored by the Council of Great City Schools with the 2015 Bill Wise Award for distinguished service to urban education.
The national honor was established in 2000 to recognize school district business officials who distinguish themselves through their service to urban education and exemplify professionalism, commitment, integrity and leadership. The award is bestowed by Council of the Great City Schools, which brings together 68 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems in an effort to improve the education of urban schoolchildren. Continue reading
Erin Krafft, a math teacher at HISD’s Revere Middle School, was spotlighted last year for her effective instructional practices. Now, she’s getting recognition from the very person whose techniques she has been implementing in the classroom: Doug Lemov, author of the bestselling book, “Teach Like a Champion.”
Krafft was the subject of a “Field Notes” entry on Lemov’s blog dated Oct. 19, in which Colleen Driggs highlights “how beautifully she built a positive, productive and efficient procedure for Turn and Talk,” and how skillfully she laid the foundation for a method she could build upon the entire school year.
To read the full story and see the video, please visit the Teach Like a Champion website.
North Houston Early College High School on Tuesday received its first-ever 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award from U.S Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The school was among just 335 schools nationwide and 25 public schools in Texas to receive the honor.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap, especially among disadvantaged and minority students. Continue reading
The island of Sumatra may be half a world away, but that didn’t stop Oak Forest Elementary School students from caring about its wildlife.
Children in the school’s kindergarten classes raised more than $2,170 before school let out last year and donated it to the Rainforest Trust after learning how man’s activities can threaten the natural world. And for that, the organization named the campus a “Rainforest Hero.”
Ferleshare Starks
Ferleshare Starks, a biology teacher at HISD’s Wheatley High School, has been named a finalist for the 2015 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
Starks, who came to HISD from Fort Bend ISD last year, is one of only 10 educators from Texas to be so honored. She was nominated by Tia Watson, a first-year teacher she is mentoring.
“Being nominated by my mentee is one of the highlights of my career,” said Starks. “My passion is to fill all new teachers with a love for science. Being named a finalist has given me an overwhelming sense of gratitude.”