More than 100 architects and engineers planning to bid for design work for schools listed in the remaining phases of the HISD 2012 bond program attended a pre-proposal conference this week. The deadline to submit bids for projects in Phase 3 and 4 is scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 8.
New era for HISD magnets as board votes for funding plan to increase equity, transparency
HISD trustees enacted a historic component of a steady, four-year reform of HISD’s magnet school programs last week, when they approved a new funding formula that increases equity and transparency. Continue reading
Linked Learning crafts new pathways for college and career
Educators from eight HISD high schools — Chavez, Eastwood Academy, Furr, Lee, Milby, Reagan, Sterling, and Westside — are spending their summer designing industry-themed programs of study intended to make learning exciting, challenging and relevant to real-world experiences. The program, known as Linked Learning, will help students build a strong foundation that leads to fulfilling and successful college and career experiences.
“It’s amazing. It’s awesome,” said Linked Learning superintendent Adam Stephens.
Linked Learning pathways differ from Texas House Bill 5’s mandated pathways. Continue reading
Video explores design, planning of new Lee High School
Design images of Lee High School, which will be rebuilt into a 21st century learning environment, are featured in a new HISD video that explores the planning and design of the campus.
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Ushering in the Digital Age: Personalization driving HISD’s
efforts to phase out textbooks
The ability to personalize the learning experience for students is a key component of HISD’s PowerUp initiative, and the district is helping teachers meet that goal with its ongoing conversion to digital learning resources.
Previously, HISD has spent its annual allotment for instructional materials on textbooks, but this spring, about a third of those funds went toward the purchase of either digital materials or resources with a digital component. These materials allow teachers to further differentiate—or tailor—their instruction to individual students. Continue reading
First-gen student gearing up for the road less traveled
Karen Banda
The route of a minority, low-income, first-generation student is filled with road-blocks and a mix of emotions: anxiety, fear, confusion, happiness, and sadness. I know because I am a first-gen student. I’m anxious to see what’s beyond my hometown; to see the things that I can accomplish. But I am also scared that I will not make it or that I will not do as well as I have these past few years in high school.
This fall, I will embark on the road less traveled by someone with my background – I will leave my home and family to achieve my “impossible dream.”
Continue reading
Mandarin Chinese Immersion Magnet School hosts second community meeting
On Thursday, parents and community members met for the second time to discuss design updates for the new Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School being built under the district’s 2012 bond program.
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Veteran volunteer finds ‘joy and fulfillment’ through work with HIPPY
Melissa Hill
HISD’s Family and Community Engagement department will be hosting a recruitment event Saturday, June 28, for the district’s Home Instruction for Parent of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program, which empowers the parents of young children to act as their kids’ first teachers.
To get a feel for what it’s like to work with these parents and children, we sat down with volunteer and mother of four Melissa Hill, who serves as a parent instructor in the program. Below is a condensed transcript of that conversation, in which she talks about what first brought her to HIPPY, what the most surprising aspect of the program has been, and her advice to parents on how best to prepare their young children for academic success. Continue reading
All teachers to receive a minimum increase of $1,100 under new HISD salary schedule
The HISD Board of Education last week approved a $1.74 billion budget that includes nearly $30 million that will go directly to teacher salaries. As a result, HISD is adopting a new salary schedule that will benefit all teachers. Under the new schedule, every current teacher, and those teachers hired by July 1, 2014, will see a minimum gain of $1,100. Continue reading
Want to help young children succeed in school? Attend the HIPPY recruitment event June 28
HISD’s Family and Community Engagement department will be hosting a recruitment event on Saturday, June 28, to hire 35 part-time home instructors for the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program. The event will take place from 9 a.m. until noon at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center (4400 W. 18th St., 77092).
The HIPPY program helps parents of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children prepare their preschoolers for academic success starting in kindergarten. The role of the home instructor is at the heart of the program—home instructors visit 15 to 20 parents in their homes each week and role-play educational activities for parents to practice with their children. Children whose parents participate in the free program consistently outperform their peers on standardized tests in the early grades. Continue reading