Do you want your child to excel in school? Get into college? Find a rewarding career?
We can help!
This fall, HISD launches the Family Learning Academy – a series of free events to connect district and community resources that support student success with HISD families across the city. Continue reading
Chávez High School has been selected to participate in the UDL: Transforming High School Learning Environments (UDL:THSLE) project this year—and it is the only school chosen from the seven county area that makes up Region 4 to do so.
“Your application reflected the level of excitement, planning, vision, dedication of resources, and commitment that we believe is necessary for a successful collaborative partnership,” wrote Dr. Kirsten Omelan, an education specialist with the Department of Special Education Solutions and a project manager with Building Inclusive Schools Initiative. “We look forward to working closely with the faculty, staff, and students of Cesar E. Chávez High School and Houston ISD to support the transformation of teaching and learning.” Continue reading
HISD teachers at a select group of schools will be utilizing an online tool this school year designed to make their instruction more personalized and collaborative, while at the same time allowing them to do more in less time. The new online teaching and learning platform is called the PowerUp:HUB, or HUB for short, and is being piloted at 48 K through 12 campuses during the 2014-2015 school year.
[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/103947121″ responsive=”no”]
“The HUB is an LMS, a Learning Management System, that is a one-stop-shop,” said Annetta Modest, senior manager for Teacher Development. “Once teachers in our pilot schools sign on, they will have access to tools, curriculum, and lesson plans.” Continue reading
Westbury High School graduate Darling Romero’s busy work schedule kept her from registering for fall classes earlier this summer at a local community college.
“The summer went by fast, and I got caught up in work,” Romero said. “The next thing I knew, it was almost time for the (enrollment) deadline.”
The HISD College Readiness team helped students like Romero make the time to register for fall classes during the department’s “It’s Not Too Late” Application Day last week at Houston Community College-Southwest. A second event was held at HCC-Southeast.
The event, in collaboration with HCC, is part of a new initiative to help 2014 high school graduates who have not enrolled in college apply for community college classes and financial aid. Continue reading
This is the ninth in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year.
So promising is HISD’s new Linked Learning approach, launching this school year, that the federal government gave one of its coveted Race to the Top grants worth $30 million to get it started over the next five years.
The Linked Learning approach — not a program, not an initiative — blends college and career readiness into one unified path from kindergarten through 12th grade. This year, eight HISD high schools and their 32 feeder elementary and middle schools are piloting Linked Learning. The high schools are Chavez, Eastwood Academy, Furr, Lee, Milby, Reagan, Sterling, and Westside. Continue reading
Growing up with two uncles as firefighters and listening to their stories of saving lives has inspired Furr High School graduate Justice Jones to take a similar career path.
“I understand the dangers of being a firefighter because I’ve seen my uncles come home from work with burns, cuts, and even a broken collarbone,” Jones said. “But that’s a risk I’m willing to take because I love helping people, and firefighters save thousands of lives every year.” Continue reading
More than 500 Advanced Placement (AP) teachers shouted ‘I AM AP’ at HISD’s inaugural AP Ramp Up Celebration, which recognized AP teachers for helping students get a head start on college.
“This is not just about the kids who are able to go to college, but those who get to college and are so much more prepared because they already have college credits through our AP program,” said Carolyn Klein, who teaches AP environmental science at Westside High School.
[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/103328893″ responsive=”no”]
The program was held at Westbury High School, which the district recently announced will be its first school to focus heavily on AP curriculum. The decision comes after the school community recently expressed a desire to raise student academic expectations as the school welcomes a new principal on board. Students in all grade levels will be urged to enroll in at least one pre-AP or AP course. Students who receive a 3 or higher on AP course exams are eligible to receive college credit. Continue reading
Help HISD get dropouts back in school by volunteering for the 2014 Grads Within Reach walk.
This year’s event will be held at 24 high schools from 8 a.m. to noon on Sat., Sept. 6, 2014. Volunteers will be placed in teams and fan out across the city, based on the school to which they are assigned, and visit the last known address of students who dropped out or didn’t show up for the first weeks of school. Continue reading
Class of 2014 member Felipe Guillen, who will be the first in this family to attend college, is heading almost 2,000 miles away from home this fall on a full scholarship to Stanford University.
Teachers at eight HISD high schools are preparing their coursework for the upcoming year a bit differently than they have in the past. Campus teams from Chavez, Eastwood Academy, Furr, Lee, Milby, Reagan, Sterling, and Westside are refining plans to teach core subjects through project-based learning — a part of the district’s commitment to the Linked Learning approach. These campus teams shared their plans at the Linked Learning Summer Institute during June.
Continue reading