Diego Linares, a native of Bogota, Colombia, has been named School Support Officer for the Northwest Schools Office. Dr. Linares began his career as a bilingual teacher in Alief ISD, where he also served as a high school assistant principal. He served as an elementary school principal in the Stafford Municipal School District before being recruited by HISD to serve as principal of Scarborough High School. He led Scarborough out of improvement–required status by meeting TEA standards and receiving distinctions in mathematics and science. Dr. Linares earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Universidad Santo Tomas in Bogota, a master’s degree in educational leadership from University of Houston at Clear Lake, and a doctorate in educational leadership from University of Houston. He also completed the Educational Entrepreneurship Program at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.
HISD offices, schools closed for Fourth of July
All Houston Independent School District schools and administrative offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. All schools and offices will operate under normal hours on Monday, July 3.
All HISD offices will reopen on Wednesday, July 5, after the holiday.
Teach Forward Houston selects new cohort of fellows
Just as the initial group of Teach Forward Houston fellows successfully finished its first year at University of Houston, the HISD Board of Education approved a second group at its June 8 board meeting.
A new group of graduating HISD seniors are just now being notified of their acceptance into the program. The second cohort is a strong group and includes salutatorians from Liberty and Worthing high schools. They will attend a Summer Bridge program at UH in late July. Their names and high schools are listed below. Continue reading
Siomara Saenz-Phillips named new school support officer for West Area
Siomara Saenz-Phillips has been selected as school support officer for the West Area. She most recently served as the West Area Director. Saenz-Phillips has taught at all levels, from elementary through high school – both outside of and within HISD. She has a vast array of leadership experience, including as the lead principal who led the turnaround work at Jefferson Elementary School. Under her leadership, Jefferson grew from TEA “Improvement Required” to “Met Standard” and continues to show impressive gains in closing the student achievement gap. Saenz-Phillips holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from the University of Texas – Pan American. She earned a master’s degree in Education Administration and Supervision as a Title III Fellow in the Urban Principals Program at the University of Houston and has begun her doctoral studies at the University of Houston.
HISD accepts District of Distinction award for dual-language program
The Association of Two-Way and Dual Language Education on Tuesday presented HISD with the 2017 District of Distinction award for the district’s dual language program at the 25th Annual Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Conference in Palm Springs, Calif.
“This national award is presented to schools and districts that have been trailblazers in establishing powerful school programs that ensure the opportunity of bilingualism and biliteracy for their students,” said Rosa Molina, executive director of ATDLE. “The dual language programs started in HISD over 20 years ago, and recognition for HISD’s commitment to this work is long overdue.” Continue reading
Focus on literacy expands to HISD high schools with Literacy Empowered
In 2014, HISD launched Literacy by 3, a program with the goal of having all students read and write on grade level by the end of third grade by 2019. In the summer of 2016, the district followed with Literacy in the Middle aimed at middle school students. Now, the literacy focus is expanding to high schools. Called Literacy Empowered, the program is training teachers on how to implement best practices for improving literacy in all four core classes.
“In the coming school year, we are allocating more district resources and tools to support and grow secondary students as readers, writers, listeners, speakers, and thinkers through professional development, online training modules, and just-in-time sessions,” said HISD Chief Academic Officer Grenita Lathan.
High school principals were invited to attend a two-day training in mid-June, and all core content high school teachers are being trained the week of June 26 at Waltrip High School. A follow-up training opportunity will be offered to high school teachers during the week of July 17 at Ortiz Middle School. English Language Arts teachers will attend four days of training June 26-29, July 17-20, or July 24-27.
During training sessions, participants will explore and apply the elements of Literacy Empowered, including disciplinary content, literacy best practices, hands-on experience, and instructional technology. For instructions on registration, see this link.
“In the training sessions, our teachers are learning about independent reading, writing, and discourse, and they are also learning about new resources that are coming to their classrooms this fall,” said Secondary Curriculum and Development Officer Annie Wolfe. “We know that interventions are needed now for our students who read far below grade level, but we also want to put systems in place from elementary all the way up into our secondary schools to make sure that tier-one instruction is adequately addressing the literacy needs of our students.”
HISD has approved $2 million for the program. All high schools will receive books and digital classroom libraries—300 books for ELA classrooms and 250 book club books for other classrooms. Each campus will receive a campuswide license for Achieve 3000, which offers personalized articles for students at their reading and interest level. Campuses will also receive comprehension toolkits and additional classroom libraries for ninth- and 10th-grade reading-intervention classes.
The focus will be on independent reading, writing, thinking critically, and student discourse in a one-to-one classroom environment.
Register for HIPPY’s Back to School Festival on Aug. 5
HISD’s Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) will hold its Back to School Festival from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Kingdom Builders Center (6011 W. Orem, 77085).
Parents of children ages 0-11 or in grades pre-K through 5 are encouraged to attend. At the event, parents will be able to learn more about the HIPPY program, connect with HISD and community resources, receive free back-to-school supplies, and have the chance to win prizes. Lunch will be provided.
To register, go to HoustonISD.org/HippyFestival or call 713-967-5298. The registration deadline is July 21.
HIPPY works with parents of 3- and 4-year-old children to help prepare their preschool child for academic success. Instructors visit parents in their homes for an hour a week in a 30-week period and cover early literacy skills, mathematics, science, fine and gross motor skills, and language development. Research shows that HISD kindergarten students whose parents have participated in the HIPPY program significantly outperform their peers in reading and math. Interested families can contact the HIPPY office at 713-967-5298.
Cornelius Anderson named new principal of Wesley Elementary School
Cornelius Anderson has been selected as the new principal of Wesley Elementary School. Anderson has been an educator for 16 years and has served in various roles, from paraprofessional to principal. He began his career in Garland ISD as a special education paraprofessional and dyslexia facilitator before joining Denton ISD as a kindergarten teacher, dean of instruction, and assistant principal. Since 2014, he has served as the principal at Stafford Intermediate School in Stafford MSD and was named district administrator of the year for 2015-2016. Anderson earned his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas Woman’s University, master’s degree in educational leadership from American College of Education, and completed the superintendent certification program at Sam Houston State University.
HISD wins five Golden Achievement Awards, multiple other NSPRA honors
The Houston Independent School District has received 14 National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) awards, including five Golden Achievement Awards.
The Golden Achievement Awards, the highest honor given by the organization, were for the following:
- 2017 HISD State of the Schools communications campaign, which included a dedicated website, invitation, program, and other materials.
- Listen and Learn Tour to introduce new HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza to the community, complete with branding, flyers, online survey, and signage – as well as a live “virtual” town hall meeting streamed on district’s website, social media, and TV channel.
- Family-Friendly Schools Certification, including a video, branding materials, and a dedicated website.
- Social Media Scorecard to provide schools with feedback on their social media channels and school websites. The Communications team created a rubric for grading and provided the feedback in customized reports for each school, as well as resources and best practices.
- 2016 Educators of the Year, including branding for the superhero-themed event, signage, and a social media campaign.
Faith Fugit named new principal of Elmore Elementary School
Faith Fugit has been selected as the new principal of Elmore Elementary School. Fugit has been with HISD since 2004, serving as a teacher and a human resources recruiter prior to moving into school administration. For the last four years, she has been an assistant principal, first at Elmore during the transition of the former North Forest ISD and most recently at Westbury High School. Fugit earned her bachelor’s degree in English and master of arts in teaching from Trinity University. In 2013, she completed the University of Texas Collaborative Urban Leadership Project, where she earned an additional master’s degree in educational administration.