State Releases 2011-2012 STAAR Exam Results for Grades 3-8

New exams measure whether students are on track for college and career readiness

Most Houston ISD students who took the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) in grades 3-8 for the first time in 2011-2012 met the tougher academic challenge.

The Texas Education Agency released the STAAR passing rates by grade level and subject nearly a year after students took the tests during the 2011-2012 school year. Because this was the first time students were tested under the new STAAR system, the state will not use these scores to rate schools and they were not used for student grade-level promotion decisions last summer.
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Community Input Sought on Relocation of High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice

Meeting will focus on schedule, site needs, construction process for 2012 bond project

What: Community meeting to discuss the upcoming project to relocate the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. As part of the 2012 Bond Program, voters authorized HISD to relocate the school to a site designed to better meet the academic needs of students and site requirements for physical education and athletics. The meeting will discuss project schedule, as well as site, planning, design and construction considerations. Continue reading →

Majority of Work Under 2007 Bond is Complete; 20 New Schools Open

As the Houston Independent School District moves forward with planning for the 2012 bond program to renovate, build, or replace 40 schools, work is under way to finish all the projects in the 2007 bond program over the next two years.

As of January, more than 77 percent of the approved work in the 2007 bond program was complete. Among the milestones are 20 new schools open for students, including Berry Elementary School, which offers a hands-on science garden and two environmental science instruction labs. Continue reading →

New Committee Looks to Boost HISD’s Supplier Diversity Initiatives

HISD’s Supplier Diversity Advisory Committee got its second look Friday at proposed changes that would build on the success of the district’s program for minority and women-owned enterprises.

The committee, launched in December, is moving forward with a plan to hold firms more accountable in meeting the district’s M/WBE goals with a new scoring system designed to encourage outreach and participation. Continue reading →

Waltrip HS Ram Band says thanks for experience of a lifetime in D.C.

Many Waltrip Ram Band students are calling it the experience of a lifetime. Those are just a few of the words being used to describe the band’s trip to the recent Inaugural Celebration in Washington, D.C. The Ram Band was selected to represent Houston ISD and the state of Texas during ceremonies celebrating President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Continue reading →

HISD to Hear from Students on Planning Phase of 2012 Bond

As HISD begins the planning phase for the 2012 bond program, which will replace or rebuild 40 schools across the city, the district is seeking valuable input from its most important stakeholders: students.

Architecture professors from Rice University and the University of Houston will lead four focus groups on Jan. 31 at the district’s headquarters to get students thinking about what kinds of buildings they would like to see. Each 90-minute focus group will include up to 12 HISD students, all coming from a bond campus high school. Continue reading →

Trustee Anna Eastman Elected President of the HISD Board of Education

Trustee Anna Eastman was unanimously elected 2013 president of the Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Thursday.

Eastman, who was elected to the board in 2009, pledged to create an environment of “healthy, spirited, and respectful debate” with a focus on raising the level of academic achievement for all students. Eastman said she will make a priority of ensuring that more HISD students graduate prepared to succeed in college.

“Thank you to all of my colleagues for your support tonight,” she said.

Eastman holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Texas, and a master of social work degree from Our Lady of the Lake University. She and her husband, Brad, have three children in HISD schools.

Ms. Eastman thanked 2012 President Michael Lunceford for leading the board through the largest successful bond election in Texas history, and for helping the board strengthen its ethics policy.

Other school board officers for 2013 are First Vice President Juliet Stipeche, Second Vice President Manuel Rodriguez Jr., Secretary Rhonda Skillern-Jones, and Assistant Secretary Michael Lunceford (by domingos).

HISD Students Compete in 17th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition

Twelve HISD students will compete in the final round of the 17^th Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition. The fourth-and fifth-grade students have written three-to-five minute speeches answering the theme question “If you could talk directly to Dr. King about your dream for our future, what would you tell him?” Students will be judged on delivery, stage presence and decorum, content interpretation, and memorization. The winner will receive $1,000 and the other finalists will also be awarded a monetary prize. The competition was created to celebrate cultural diversity and to recognize exceptional HISD students as they learn about Dr. King’s legacy. It is free and open to the public. Click here to see the speeches from last year’s event.

Who: Twelve students representing HISD elementary schools; HISD Board of Education Trustee Anna Eastman, HISD Chief Elementary School officer Samuel Sarabia, and local civic and community leaders will serve as judges.

What: Final round of the 17^th annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition

When: Friday, January 18 at 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Where: Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Christ, 500 Clay Street

HISD Seeks Volunteers for Bond Oversight Committee

The Houston Independent School District is looking for volunteers to serve on its newly reorganized Bond Oversight Committee as the district embarks on its $1.89 billion bond program approved by voters in November.

Administrators decided in December to revise the committee charter to give the group of up to nine members a more active role in monitoring the district’s bond program and keeping the public informed on new construction and renovation projects.

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Reagan K-8 Officially Dedicated, Honoring Former HISD Superintendent

HISD Trustee Larry Marshall, from left, Principal Joyce Williams, Billy Reagan, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, and Chief School Officer Chip Zullinger cut the ribbon on the new Billy Reagan K-8 Educational Center. For more photos of the dedication, click here.

The doors of Billy Reagan K-8 Educational Center opened for students in August, but on Wednesday, the school community got a chance to celebrate the new school with its official dedication.

More than 200 people, including neighbors, parents, faculty, and HISD officials, attended the ceremony at the campus off Anderson Road to recognize the new campus and honor the school’s namesake, former HISD superintendent Billy Reagan. During his opening remarks, Superintendent Terry Grier said Reagan made significant contributions to education in the city of Houston and across the country.