Linked Learning kicks off at Westside HS

Freshmen at Westside High School entered the auditorium to cheers of encouragement from their peers at the school’s recent kickoff for Linked Learning, a district initiative that places real-life career experience in the classroom. The event allows students who expressed an interest in digital media and design to learn more about Linked Learning and their ninth-grade project.

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“They’ll get the opportunity to learn about things they’re passionate about,” said Adam Stephens, assistant superintendent of Linked Learning. Continue reading →

HISD Office of Communications unveils new department logos, taglines

Branding is a way to help people recognize products or companies visually at a glance, but in an organization the size of HISD, it’s sometimes easy for individual departments to appear separate from or unrelated to the district and its core mission: teaching and learning.

That’s why over the past three months, 57 different central office departments have been working to come up with short taglines to accompany a common district logo. The taglines are designed to reflect each individual department’s main focus—as well as how it relates to education—while giving clear visual cues that they are a part of HISD. Continue reading →

Meet the North Forest HS senior who already has his own radio show on KCOH

In this edition of I am HISD, which features district students, graduates, employees, and other team members, North Forest High School senior Joseph Vaughns talks about how he landed his own radio show on KCOH 1230 AM, which life struggles he considers a blessing, and what his plans are for after graduation.

North Forest High School senior Joseph Vaughns hosts his show "Generation Next" at the KCOH studio, September 20, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

Joseph Vaughns

You host the Generation Next program on Saturday mornings at KCOH 1230 AM. How did a high school senior come to be hosting his own public radio show?

I started at the radio station as an intern when I was in the eighth grade. I learned to work the board as a deejay and to produce the Saturday show call “Person to Person” with Lisa Berry-Dockery.

Time went on and the owners of the station changed; they no longer needed me. They told me they would call me if they needed me and eventually, they did. Early one Saturday morning, I received a call asking me to come in to the station because they needed someone in the morning temporarily. I filled in for about two Saturdays and they asked me if I was interested in the position. I’ve been there ever since.

Tell me a bit more about Generation Next. How long have you been hosting that show and when did it first start airing? What is it designed to showcase?  Continue reading →

Former E-Rate compliance officer named HISD’s new chief audit executive

(Houston Independent School District)

Richard Patton

January of 2005, HISD’s Board of Education created the office of inspector general to address allegations of cheating and help rebuild the public’s confidence by ensuring the integrity of district data. Robert Moore, the district’s highly respected assistant superintendent for internal audit at the time, was tapped to lead that office.

Now, the position of inspector general has been renamed, and a familiar face has stepped into that role. Richard Patton, who served as HISD’s E-Rate compliance officer from Feb. 2010 until this month, was approved by the Board of Education on Sept. 18 as the district’s new chief audit executive. Continue reading →

Get the facts: What you need to know about Enterovirus D68

If you’ve been hearing or seeing disturbing news reports about a respiratory virus afflicting children across the U.S., try not to be too alarmed. Though HISD officials do not believe this virus has spread to the Houston area yet, below are some facts and tips to help keep your family healthy.

This virus — more commonly referred to as Enterovirus D68 — is not new. Rather, it’s part of a larger family of viruses that likely has changed slightly, causing more serious symptoms in children who are not yet immune.

There is no particular vaccine or treatment for this virus. It simply must run its course. Mild symptoms include fever, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and body and muscle aches. Severe symptoms include difficulty breathing and wheezing and are often experienced by children who have asthma or a history of wheezing. Continue reading →

Settlement allows construction of Mickey Leland College Prep Academy to continue

Facade to be constructed in similar architectural style as historical building

The Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to approve a settlement that will allow the district to move forward with a plan to build the Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men on the site of the former Wheatley/E.O Smith building in the Fifth Ward.

To honor the accomplishments and history of the school and the students previously educated at the site, district architects are planning an outside area and a Grand Hallway that is, according to the agreement, “befitting and honoring the dignity of the history of the previous school.” The Gregg Street and Lyons Avenue facades of the new two-story facility will use a similar architectural style as the current H.P. Carter building, which once housed the original Phillis Wheatley High School. Additionally, the school will incorporate as much of the original building materials, including bricks and decorative ornaments, into the design as is practical.

HISD is agreeing to devote up to $1 million toward the construction to implement the agreement. Demolition will begin early next week, and construction of the new facility is scheduled to start before the end of the year. Continue reading →

Your Voice feedback paves way for school improvement

HISD recently released the results of the 2013-2014 “Your Voice” survey, which gave thousands of students, parents and instructional staff the opportunity to share information on how HISD and individual schools have progressed toward district and campus goals.

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The survey, which was conducted for the second year in a row this past May, measures perceptions of safety, rigor and environment within the district. The survey also allows HISD to better understand the needs of its schools and to foster a culture of community engagement that will help guide future initiatives. Continue reading →

HISD ‘goes corporate’ to recruit volunteers for Read Houston Read

When HISD announced its need for 1,500 volunteers on Sept. 4, the greater-Houston community responded with an outpouring of support. By Sept. 16, more than 250 caring citizens had already signed up to be mentors to first-graders through the district’s Read Houston Read program, but many others are still needed.

[su_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/8KGl5kvyl0Y” responsive=”no”] Continue reading →