HISD wins $30 million in federal Race to the Top funds to link students to careers, college from earliest age

The Houston Independent School District learned Tuesday that it has won nearly $30 million in federal Race to the Top funding, the only urban school system to be named a winner in this round of district competition.

The announcement was made at noon, Houston time, by Education Secretary Arne Duncan at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

“This funding is an acknowledgment of the work we’ve done, as a giant urban district, to personalize learning to each student – and a belief by the Department of Education in the work we intend to do,” said Superintendent Terry Grier.

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Discovery Education partnering with PowerUp educators

HISD is partnering with Discovery Education, a branch of the media company Discovery Communications, as the district begins its journey to transform all classrooms into 21st century learning environments. Principals, assistant principals, and deans from the PowerUp one-to-one campuses recently attended a hands-on workshop with Discovery Education to explore some of the digital content and interactive lessons that teachers and students will have access to as part of the district’s digital transformation.

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A load of code: HISD schools take part in digital literacy exercise

Many tech-savvy people—including Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and HISD’s own Adam Stephens—believe that in the not-too-distant future, knowing how to create computer code will be considered as basic a skill as knowing how to read, write, or perform basic math calculations.

That’s why students at several HISD campuses participated in a challenge issued by Code.org as a part of Computer Science Education Week.

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Little-known resource helping parents resolve problems

Maderian Johnson had a problem. Her 17-year-old son, a student at HISD’s Westbury High School, had been suspended for excessive class-skipping, and she had been asked to come to the campus to discuss the situation.

But Johnson was still recovering from a recent surgical procedure and was unable to meet in person with school administrators. She called the school to request a phone conference instead.

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Board of Education approves 7 more CMAR contracts under 2012 bond program

CMAR firm for North Forest area athletic facility also approved

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday agreed to authorize the district to negotiate contracts with five firms to provide construction manager at risk (CMAR) services on selected 2012 bond projects.

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Board of Education approves policy update banning offensive mascots

Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday took the first step in approving a measure that would prohibit offensive or culturally insensitive mascots.

The proposed policy affects four HISD schools — Lamar High School Redskins, Westbury High School Rebels, Hamilton Middle School Indians and Welch Middle School Warriors. It would go into effect at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.

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Deadline to apply to HISD’s magnet programs is Dec. 20

Parents who want their children to attend one of HISD’s magnet programs for the 2014-2015 academic year need to submit their applications before the holidays.  The deadline to apply, either online or through the paper application, is December 20 for guaranteed consideration in the first round.  Applications received after this date can only be considered at schools in which there is still space available.

“This year parents can even apply from the comfort of their homes using our newly adopted online application option,” HISD Assistant Superintendent of School Choice Dave Wheat said.  “To date, more than 27,000 applications have been submitted using our new online option, and thousands more are in progress.”

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21st Century Schools Build on History with Elements of the Past

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When Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy says goodbye to its 1920s-era building next year, the school may take a few pieces of history with it.

The original 1929 building cornerstone that sits on the west corner of the middle school building may be extracted to include in the new YMCPA facility that will be built in mid- to late 2014 with funds from the HISD 2012 bond program.

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Trustee Marshall Honored Before His Last HISD Board Meeting

Larry Marshall

Thursday marked the end of the era in HISD leadership when Trustee Larry Marshall took his seat at the board table for the last time, after more than 50 years in public education as both an employee and board member.

To recognize his many contributions to Texas’ largest public school system, Marshall’s fellow trustees hosted a farewell reception in his honor immediately before the 5 p.m. meeting at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, 4400 W. 18th St.

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Score! Houston Texans Award NFL Play 60 Grants to 4 HISD Schools

Houston Texans President Jamey Rootes congratulated HISD personnel for their winning NFL Play 60 grants. Left to right, they are Ines Brost, Sutton ES; Lisa McManus, J.P Henderson ES; Lindsey Pollock, Garden Oaks ES; and Sarah Stafford, Patrick Henry MS.

Four HISD schools have scored big with the Houston Texans, winning NFL Play 60 grants from the team to supply campuses with playground or gym equipment that broadens physical education and afterschool programs.

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