Tag Archives: College Readiness

63 HISD students named National Merit semifinalists

Sixty-three seniors from six Houston Independent School District high schools qualified as semifinalists this week in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. HISD had 56 semifinalists last year.

The HISD students are among 16,000 from across the country to earn the semifinalist designation, allowing them the opportunity to continue in the academic competition and vie for more than $32 million in scholarships that will be awarded in the spring.

They attend Bellaire, Carnegie Vanguard, and Lamar high schools, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Eastwood Academy, and the High School for the Performing & Visual Arts. Continue reading →

Interactive bus to help students learn more about health, science, tech careers

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HISD’s completely revamped career bus is hitting the road.

The district’s Career Readiness Department unveiled the newly remodeled vehicle—known as the Career Ready Wagon—on March 26, when it made its inaugural visit to Atherton Elementary School.

The bus is designed to allow elementary school students in third, fourth, and fifth grades the chance to explore possible career interests before advancing to middle school. It features a robotics station, a flight simulator, and a welding simulator, as well as an electric station that allows students to build their own electrical circuits. Also inside are four touchscreen monitors where students can test their career knowledge with a short quiz and watch a career-related video.

The bus will visit another 10 elementary schools — Anderson, Dávila, Emerson, Field, Garcia, Helms, Jefferson, Mading, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School, and T.H. Rogers — throughout April and May.

The bus is sponsored by HISD and CenterPoint Energy.

Also see this related story on HISD’s one and only Career Cowboy, Jake Breier, who was the subject of an “I Am HISD” profile last October.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier focuses on global education, higher education in 2015 State of the Schools address

Placing a strong emphasis on college attendance and completion, Houston Independent School District Superintendent Terry Grier on Wednesday unveiled plans to expand the district’s successful EMERGE program and double the number of college counselors available to high school students. Continue reading →

AVID program supports low-income students’ quest for college

The desks in seventh-grade teacher Zachary Cummings’ AVID classroom at Hamilton Middle School are arranged so that students can work in groups. Collaboration is one of the five hallmarks of AVID, along with reading, writing, inquiry, and organization.

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Cummings’ students recently quizzed each other on Cornell notes they took on a PowerPoint presentation about the history of Apple Inc. Cornell notes are just one example of college-level study techniques students learn in AVID, a global nonprofit organization directed at students who are capable of completing a college-preparatory path if they receive the proper support. The focus is on low-income students whose families don’t traditionally attend college.

Continue reading →

EMERGE scholars reunite to reflect on college experience, prepare for internships

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Graduates of HISD’s EMERGE program reflected on their first semester of college and learned how to begin a summer internship search during a “homecoming” event held especially for them on Jan. 6. The EMERGE Scholar Homecoming, which took place at the University of Houston, reunited students who came home for the winter break from colleges such as Columbia University, Oberlin College, Smith College, and Yale University.  Continue reading →

Senior challenges giving students extra incentive to apply to college

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Completing college and financial aid applications early often yields its own rewards, but for students at two HISD campuses, it could also mean a free ticket to the senior prom or a day spent shadowing an admired professional.

Sharpstown High School Principal Rob Gasparello launched the Senior Challenge at his campus last fall, and students who meet all criteria are eligible to attend both the senior prom and the annual senior trip for free.  Continue reading →

Dream Summit to prepare HISD international students for college

The HISD College Readiness Department will hold its first-ever Dream Summit to assist international students with the college application and financial aid process on Saturday, Dec. 13.

“Students will have the opportunity to hear from Texas universities and community colleges and learn about admissions requirements and financial aid and scholarship opportunities for international students,” said HISD College Readiness specialist Josefina Trevino. “Our hope is that they leave the Dream Summit feeling more confident about the process for applying to college.” Continue reading →

Middle school students tour TAMU-Galveston, learn about maritime studies

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It was the trip of the year for Woodson Leadership Academy sixth-graders. Nearly 100 youngsters traveled to Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) to explore the world of marine and maritime studies.

The students split into small groups, and Texas A&M students took them on walking tours of the campus located on Pelican Island, followed by a hands-on lesson about oysters from Wetlands Center and Field Trip Coordinator William Daily. Daily jumped into the water at the Dr. Sammy and Charlotte Ray Oyster Garden and started fishing around for oysters to show eager students, who passed around them around, marveling at tiny creatures attached to the rough shells. Continue reading →

HISD announces commitment to expand college access at White House event

Houston ISD EMERGE students visit Boston College, June 4, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

Houston ISD EMERGE students visit Boston College, June 4, 2014. (Dave Einsel / Houston ISD)

HISD College Readiness Assistant Superintendent Rick Cruz will join President Obama, the First Lady, and Vice President Biden along with hundreds of college presidents and other higher education leaders Thursday to announce new actions to help more students prepare for and graduate from college.

The White House College Opportunity Day of Action serves to strengthen the President’s commitment to partner with colleges and universities, business leaders, and nonprofits to support students across the country as they help the U.S. reach its goal of leading the world in college attainment. The event is being held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. Continue reading →

HISD educators, administrators tour California schools integrating Linked Learning approach

A team of 40 school educators and  district support staff recently traveled to California for a site visit of five schools that have successfully combined core academics with career-based knowledge and skills in collaborative and research-intensive learning environments known as Linked Learning. Continue reading →