Houston ISD superintendent Dr. Terry Grier comments on effective teacher retention during a news conference on October 30. (Houston ISD/Dave Einsel)
Teachers whose students show the most academic achievement gains are more likely to continue teaching in Houston ISD classrooms, according to the latest staff retention data.
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The Houston Independent School District is hosting several school choice fairs across the district to inform parents of the different educational choices available to their children as they transition into middle and high school.
“HISD offers excellent opportunities to meet your child’s needs, challenge their thinking, and develop their skills,” said Dave Wheat, HISD assistant superintendent for school choice. “But most importantly, we prepare them for success in college and their careers.”
If students learn best by doing, 120 eighth-graders from The Rice School gained valuable knowledge that may influence their future career choices. On Sept. 20, they experienced a hands-on day filled with competitive, educational activities promoting awareness of and interest in careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
What: HISD, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), and Houston energy executives will gather to officially open the district’s new Energy Institute High School. The school is the first of its kind in the nation and represents a collaborative effort between a public school district and industry leaders. The high school will provide students with a rigorous STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum, hands-on learning, and externships in the fields of geoscience, alternative energy, and offshore technology.
Caleb Jolibett works on a project at the Houston Community College Minority Male Initiative STEM Academy
Ninth grader Caleb Jolibett is hoping to have an edge over his classmates this coming school year after spending most of the summer honing his math and science skills. “I think I will know a lot more than the kids who stayed home and didn’t take the initiative to learn something new,” said Jolibett, who will be attending Lamar High School in the fall.
EECHS students Christopher Martinez (left), Alexandra Santos (right) and homeschooled-student Nicolas Xiong (center)
Students at two HISD schools brought home first- and second-place trophies in the SECME National Engineering Competition, a robotics event held in Daytona Beach, Fla. Even a security snafu at the airport couldn’t stop East Early College High School (EECHS) students from winning the grand prize.
Alexandra Santos and Christopher Martinez won first place in overall VEX robotics, along with homeschooled student, Nicolas Xiong, who has been on EECHS’s team since 2011. Young Men’s College Preparatory Academy’s seventh-grade students Marcellus Jordan, Steven Jackson, and Daveon Clemons won second place in overall VEX robotics.
A dozen female students from Chávez High School are spending their summer studying science and building new relationships, thanks to a new three-year program at Rice University.
The girls had to apply for acceptance to the program, and 80 percent of the 15 participating were selected from Chávez (the remainder are from a local charter school).
Partnership possible thanks to KBR’s support
Students at HISD’s Booker T. Washington High School are collaborating with students at the Ormiston Victory Academy in Norwich, England to build a mission on Mars, thanks to KBR’s Discover Engineering Committee.
The SAMbassadors program is designed to engage students in science and engineering projects with a global perspective. The students at both campuses Skype every other week to discuss the logistics of this project and share documents online. Each school has 25-30 students in the program.
One group of students has been determining environmental conditions on Mars such as wind speed, temperature, atmospheric gases, sunlight and shade, radiation and soil conditions. Another group is designing the living conditions. Meanwhile, the British students at Victory Academy are creating 3D CAD drawings.
The students from both campuses will Skype immediately following the press conference on Monday, May 20, 2013.
What: SAMbassadors, program to a build mission on Mars
Who: Aimee Yuan, KBR-DEC chairperson; Patrick Harkin, KBR-DEC outreach chair; Jack Kramer, KBR engineer; Dr. Nghia Le, engineering teacher, Washington High School; LaShonda Bilbo-Ervin, principal, Washington High School; Elizabeth Nolazco, student, Washington High School
When: Monday, May 20, 2013; Press conference – 9:30 a.m.; Skype interview – 10 a.m.
Where: Washington High School, 119 East 39th Street, Houston, 77018
Representatives from more than 70 HISD schools will be on-site
April 25, 2013 – When it comes to selecting a school, parents and students at the Houston Independent School District have a multitude of options from magnet programs to preschool programs to career and technical education academies and early college high schools. Houston families will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from more than 70 HISD schools at the upcoming HISD School Choice Fair on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hattie Mae White Education Support Center (4400 West 18th Street).
“In HISD, we are committed to providing equity in access to quality educational programs for all students,” said Assistant Superintendent of School Choice Dave Wheat. “We want to help families choose an ideal school for their children based on the students’ interests, talents, and needs.”
The schools at the fair are those that still have space for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. The representatives from these schools will be available to answer questions, provide detailed information about their campuses and help parents fill out the application on site.
Information will be provided about HISD’s magnet schools, early colleges, vanguard programs for gifted and talented students, preschool programs, multilingual programs and other specialty programs, including the district’s newest additions to its portfolio, the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan and The Energy Institute High School. Parents and students have until May 16 to apply for these two new magnet schools that will feature a highly rigorous curriculum emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
For more information about the School Choice Fair, please contact the Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947.
HISD is actively recruiting STEM teachers who are invested in preparing our students to compete in this 21st century economy. By 2018, Texas will have added over 750,000 new jobs in STEM fields. STEM teachers are critical to ensure that Houston’s students are qualified and skilled for these positions. We are currently accepting applications for the 2013-2014 school year. The next application deadline is April 22, 2013.
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