If you are looking for an HISD magnet school for the 2017–2018 school year, you will have an opportunity to learn more about dozens of schools with openings firsthand at the HISD Spring School Choice Fair. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 22, at Gregory Lincoln Education Center, located at 1101 Taft St, Houston 77019.
I am HISD: ‘Hidden Genius’ Frank Mann made imprint on aviation
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Phyllis Wheatley High School graduate Frank Mann (1908-1992) was just 11 when he met Howard Hughes on a Houston airfield. Mann went on to become a successful aeronautical and aerospace engineer, and worked for Hughes in California. A black child born in 1908 to an unwed mother, he defied the odds to achieve remarkable success in his field. H.T. Bryer, the author of “Hidden Genius: Frank Mann, the Black Engineer Behind Howard Hughes,” knew Mann personally. He and his brother Paul Bryer, who was Mann’s best friend and confidant, spent 20 years researching the book. Continue reading
Two events offer students opportunity to learn about career options
This week, two events will help HISD students of all ages explore careers in high-demand, high-growth industries.
First up is Family Career Night from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, at East Early College (220 N. Milby St., Houston, 77003).
The event, sponsored by District VIII Trustee Diana Davila, is for parents and students in grades K-12 in the Northeast and East part of the city and will provide the opportunity to learn more about different careers in the Greater Houston area, HISD programs and resources, and how to connect with high education and industry representatives. There also will be an opportunity to win a scholarship. Continue reading
HISD Board of Education approves special education program review
The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday approved a proposal to select American Institutes for Research to implement a comprehensive Special Education Program Review.
In preparation for the 2017-18 school year, and in response to feedback from the community and HISD staff, HISD is re-evaluating how it delivers special education services to students and families. The Special Education Program Review will help the district’s efforts to improve special education services. Continue reading
HISD recognizes top volunteers as key to district success
The Houston Independent School District honored its top volunteers today during the annual Volunteers in Public Schools Recognition Reception.
Each year, the Volunteers in Public Schools program — more commonly referred to as VIPS —enlists thousands of parents, community members, business professionals, and youth who are willing to dedicate their time to support HISD students. Volunteers help in classrooms, libraries, media centers, clinics and school offices, serving as tutors, mentors, teacher partners, speakers, security patrols, chaperones, interpreters, and even cafeteria monitors. Continue reading
Northside HS hosts community meeting on construction plan
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Northside High School welcomed parents, students, teachers, and neighbors to its third community meeting on Wednesday to discuss the plan and timeline for construction and renovation work underway on its campus.
During the meeting, Northside Principal Julissa Alcantar-Martinez unveiled a new traffic plan developed to keep students and staff safe throughout construction. The plan calls for the rear parking lot to be closed, with both parking and the main school entrance relocated to the west side of the campus.
“We’ve been meeting for the last four years, every week, every month, talking about the construction and what was coming,” Alcantar-Martinez said. “We’re happy to say we’re getting started.”
HISD teacher recruitment in full swing
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Teacher recruitment is underway and the HISD recruitment team has been traveling to colleges across Texas and the nation to meet with students who are graduating in May and want to become teachers.
Even HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza is hitting the recruitment trail. Carranza was on hand at an April 7 recruitment event at the University of Houston.
YWCPA construction on the fast track
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Construction is advancing at the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy with work on the renovations and new addition for the all-girl STEM school nearly halfway complete.
Work is progressing nicely — steel erection is complete, the metal decking has been covered with concrete, and the brick installation will begin in the next couple of weeks.
YWCPA Principal Delesa O’Dell-Thomas said she is ecstatic to see progress being made, and noted she was especially excited to see the new paint colors and select new furniture for the school.
Construction Services administrative team tours new Milby, DeBakey high schools
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HISD Construction Services administrative staff excitedly boarded a big yellow school bus last Friday, eager to tour several district construction sites and see the fruits of their labor.
“It really is a team effort to build these schools,” said Derrick Sanders, HISD’s officer of Construction Services. “Our administrative staff is as important to what we’re doing as the architect or project manager, so I wanted them to get a firsthand look at what they are helping to build.”
The group of about 20 staffers got to walk through the newly constructed Milby High School and DeBakey High School for Health Professions, both of which will open this summer. The field trip also included a drive-by of High School for Law and Justice, Yates High School, and Energy Institute High School, which are all well into construction. Continue reading
Rice University study: HISD pre-K students more prepared for kindergarten
A study by Rice University released Wednesday has found that the Houston Independent School District’s pre-K program significantly increases preparedness for kindergarten after as little as one year compared to students who do not attend pre-K.
The study, conducted by a postdoctoral fellow at the university, cites English and Spanish assessment scores from kindergarten students after one and two years of pre-K.
The study found that English-assessment test takers who attended one year of HISD pre-K had 2.8 times greater odds of being ready for kindergarten than a student who attended zero years of HISD pre-K. Students who attended two years of HISD pre-K had 3.8 times greater odds of being school-ready than those who attended zero years of HISD pre-K, and 1.4 greater odds of being school-ready than those who attend one year of HISD pre-K.
Get the detailed report here.