Category Archives: District VIII – Judith Cruz

SBOE rep visits Austin HS Mexican-American studies class

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Ruben Cortez Jr., a member of the State Board of Education from District 2, visited Stephen F. Austin High School today to check on the progress of a new history class that is near and dear to his heart – Mexican-American studies. Cortez, who is from Brownsville, Texas, advocated for the new course and convinced the board to approve it in April of last year. The vote included asking the Texas Education Agency to draft new state standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, better known as TEKS) in Mexican-American history.

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HISD principal named ‘Educator of the Year’ by LULAC

Henderson ES principal Herlinda Garcia

Henderson ES principal Herlinda Garcia

Herlinda Garcia was named “Educator of the Year” by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 402. The J.P. Henderson Elementary School principal was honored at the council’s annual scholarship gala on Feb. 11, along with former HISD Board President Juliet Stipeche, who represents District VIII and was named “Honoree of the Year.” Also in attendance was current HISD Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones.

“I have devoted my life to education, and this means a lot to me, because this event is a fundraiser that raises money for scholarships for area students who want to go to college,” Garcia said. As the principal of Henderson for 35 years, she is only the fourth principal in that position since the school was built in 1929.

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Austin High School students take a bite out of “Shark Tank” competition

Houston Community College Professor Catherine Smith’s Business Dual Credit/College Credit students at Austin High School made “business dreams and ideas come alive” twice this past year when they participated in two high-level collegiate business plan and business development competitions. Continue reading →

Digital Learning Spotlight: Herrera Elementary

During the month of February, all HISD teachers are being encouraged to try something new in their classrooms, as well as share ideas, resources, and lessons learned by posting their experiences and photos on social media using the hashtag #HISDdigital. Each week during the month, we are profiling a teacher or campus that is using technology to break up rows in classrooms, engage students, and innovate instructional practice. This week’s profile features Herrera Elementary.

Students at Herrera Elementary are using tablets and digital programs such as iMovie, Animoto, Prezi, and Roxio to produce digital book trailers instead of the standard book report most of us remembering doing in elementary school. Continue reading →

33 HISD high schools rated as best in nation in annual Washington Post rankings

More than two-thirds of the high schools in the Houston Independent School District made the Washington Post’s annual list of the Most Challenging Schools in America — and four schools cracked the top 100.

Carnegie Vanguard High School took home top honors for HISD, ranking 11th out of the 2,156 high schools from across the country that made the list. Energized for STEM Academy came in 32nd place, the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice ranked 52nd and Challenge Early College High School came in at 97th place. Continue reading →

HISD to hold community meetings on plans for right-sizing school enrollments

District to provide details, gather feedback on various proposals under consideration

Six community meetings are being held to provide HISD parents with more information about a series of proposals designed to right-size classrooms at certain elementary schools beginning with the 2015–2016 school year. Meetings are scheduled for 6 – 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and Thursday, Feb. 19, at area schools. See below for a list of schools being affected and meeting locations. The district would like to gather feedback from parents before the Board of Education votes on the proposal in March.

For the current school year, HISD submitted nearly 1,500 class-size waivers to the Texas Education Agency, which requires no more than 22 students per classroom in all kindergarten through fourth-grade classes. District officials aim to cut that number in half next year and plan to continue to decrease the number incrementally through 2019.

Additional factors include housing development, shifting birth rates, and demographic changes in neighborhoods around the district.

Options under consideration range from readjusting attendance boundaries and program enhancements to limiting the number of students each school may accept from outside its own neighborhood. The district’s goal is to alleviate overcrowding while still maintaining the traditional demographic makeup of each affected school. The following meetings are planned:

6 – 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17

  • Briar Forest Community Meeting – Revere Middle School, 10502 Briar Forest, 77042
    Affected elementary schools: Ashford, Askew, Bush, Daily, Emerson, Shadowbriar, and Walnut Bend
  • Northwest Area Community Meeting – Waltrip High School, 1900 West 34th St., 77018
    Affected elementary schools: Crockett, Highland Heights, Love, Memorial, Sinclair, Smith, and Stevens
  • 288 Corridor Community Meeting – Attucks Middle School, 4330 Bellfort, 77051
    Affected elementary schools: Bastian, Kelso, and Young

6 – 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19

  • Medical Center Area Community Meeting – Pershing Middle School, 3838 Blue Bonnet Blvd., 77025
    Affected elementary schools: The Rice School, Roberts, Twain, and West University (*see note below)
  • Northline Area Community Meeting – Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center, 9400 Irvington Blvd, 77076
    Affected elementary schools: Burbank, Lyons, and Northline
  • Tinsley and Halpin Area Community Meeting – Tinsley Elementary School, 11035 Bob White Dr., 77096
    Affected elementary schools: Anderson, Halpin ECC, and Tinsley

District officials are also considering ways to improve internal practices such as the process to request class-size waivers, eliminating waivers for district charter schools, and limiting the number of transfer students that schools may accept from outside their attendance boundaries.

*Note to parents of students at The Rice School, Roberts, Twain, and West University: Attendance boundaries will not be changed for these schools.

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please click here (.pdf). (en Español)

For a list of proposed attendance boundary maps, please click here.

Music students showcased at State of the Schools 2015

Guests at HISD’s 2015 State of the Schools luncheon got a side order of entertainment with their meal. Westside High School’s Wind Ensemble of 35 students provided music throughout the program under the guiding hand of Conductor Joey Brunson, and students from 19 HISD elementary schools sang the national anthem.

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Table centerpieces put ‘a world of learning’ on display

Their subjects ranged from starry nights and galaxies to water lilies and sunflowers, but the one thing all the orbs had in common was their inspiration: a desire to show how HISD is putting a “global” spin on education for all of its 215,000 students.

Children from 28 different campuses decorated Styrofoam balls this year to serve as the table centerpieces at the State of the Schools luncheon, and participating students were eager to share their artistic visions with guests.

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Lockwood-area schools receive thousands of dollars in community grants

Comerica Bank awarded a total of $20,000 in community grants to five HISD schools in the Lockwood area to commemorate the bank’s 20th year of operation in Houston’s culturally rich Fifth Ward.

Pugh Elementary School was the big winner, with $10,000 for its proposal to put a tablet in every one of its classrooms. Wheatley High School received the second-place award of $4,000 and plans to invest in spirit incentives, as well as instructional improvements. McReynolds Middle School also took home $2,500, while Atherton Elementary School won $2,000, and N. Q. Henderson Elementary School won $1,500. The grants were awarded to these schools because they are located near a newly constructed Lockwood Banking Center.

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