HISD’s Office of Leadership and Teacher Development will host all new teachers during the district’s annual New Teacher Academy (NTA) on August 6-9 at Kingdom Builders Center (6011 W. Orem Dr., 77085) from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day.
With nearly 1,500 new teachers set to be in attendance, NTA is the largest teacher induction conference in the state to welcome those new to the industry and provide insight into the district’s processes, resources and expectations.
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District, the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and the Houston Police Department joined forces Monday to announce the launch of a juvenile justice diversion program that aims to transform the lives of HISD students in the Fifth Ward.
The program, which will be run by the Fifth Ward redevelopment corporation’s new Center for Urban Transformation, will assist students, ages 12 to 16 who are accused of nonviolent offenses. Instead of utilizing the court system, the CUT program will offer mentorship opportunities, volunteer work, and community-based supportive services.
Continue readingIn 2017, Lamar High School celebrated its 80th anniversary with a groundbreaking ceremony. Now the school’s construction has reached nearly 80 percent completion, with doors of the school’s new academic building opening to students for the 2019-2020 school year.
Both painting and flooring in the gymnasium is underway along with the installation of first- and second-floor ceilings, culinary and dining equipment, and joining the new building addition’s HVAC to the existing facility.
Phased renovations to the existing facility are also in progress and an enclosed second-story skybridge connecting the two buildings is set for completion in August.
Continue readingWith a slated opening for the 2019-2020 school year, construction on Northside High School is now 90 percent complete.
The school’s science and art rooms and bus canopy are complete. Interior finishes in the performance arts wing, first floor classroom renovations, landscaping, and parking are nearly complete. In addition, stairwell upgrades in the historic building are underway.
The $66 million project is part of the voter-approved 2012 Bond program and calls for two new additions along with renovations to the original building, built in 1928.
Continue readingCareer and Technical Education (CTE) in HISD is growing, with an increase of over 2,000 student CTE certifications in the 2018-2019 school year.
Over the last year, students from across the district obtained 2,772 TEA Industry-Recognized Certifications. In comparison, just over 700 students obtained a CTE certification during the 2017-2018 school year.
“This increase reflects our district’s focus and the intent behind College and Career Readiness for all students,” said Assistant Superintendent for Career Readiness Michael Love. “Industry certifications are just one form of the many college and career resources the district provides students across HISD.”
Continue readingHISD is expanding its free, full-day pre-kindergarten program at schools across the district to provide more three- and four-year-old students with the opportunity to attend a high-quality program that will build a strong foundation of learning and support the needs of the families it serves.
A total of 12 elementary campuses throughout the district will be expanding pre-K classrooms for a total of 38 pre-K rooms. Those campuses are Neff Early Learning Center, Isaacs, R. Martinez, Rucker, Love, Browning, Shadowbriar, Askew, Mitchell, Garden Villas, DeAnda and Wesley elementary schools.
Two schools – Hillard and Oates elementary schools – are implementing pre-K for the first time.
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Two teams of HISD students have been invited to NASA’s Langley Research Center in August to share their student-designed, wearable, radiation-proof clothing with NASA engineers and scientists as part of the 2019 NASA Wearable Equipment for Adverting Radiation (WEAR) challenge.
The WEAR challenge tasks middle and high school students to design garments to help mitigate radiation exposure during deep space missions. The teams, made up of students and teachers from Milby High School and Deady Middle School, submitted design proposals for wearable anti-radiation garments via video for review by NASA personnel.
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Lauren K. Price has been selected as the new principal of Marshall Elementary School. She most recently served as the dean of students at Meyerland Middle School for the Visual and Performing Arts and assistant principal at Crespo Elementary. Price relocated to Houston from California where she spent eight years as a building principal in the Long Beach Unified School District. She holds a bachelor’s in English from Spelman College and a master’s in Education Management from the University of La Verne.
Beatrice Akala has been selected as the new principal of Sutton Elementary School. She began her career in Education as an English teacher in Kenya before moving to the United States. In the U.S., she started her career as a prekindergarten through fourth-grade teacher in private school. For the last fourteen years, she has served at HISD in various capacities, including as an ESL teacher at Sam Houston High School, teacher development specialist, assistant principal, and dean of instruction at Wisdom High School. As a member of the instructional leadership team at Wisdom, the school earned four distinctions in ELA, math, science and social studies. She holds a bachelor’s in Education from Moi University Kenya, a master’s degree in Education from the University of Houston, a master’s in Human Resource Management from Walden University. She is also currently working on a doctorate’s in Education at North Central University.
Mayte Garcia-Olivo has been selected as the new principal of Seguin Elementary School. She began her career at St. Charles Parish Public Schools and later moved back to the Houston area. She has served as a regular and bilingual teacher, peer facilitator, teacher specialist, and assistant principal. Her years in education has consistently increased academic performance at the schools she serviced. During her most recent tenure at Brookline Elementary School, the campus received an “A” rating and numerous distinctions. Olivo earned two bachelors’ in Operations Management and Marketing from the University of Houston and a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of New Orleans.