HISD Repeats as Broad Prize Finalist

Today, we received more great news that Houston schools truly are becoming great all over. For the second straight year, the Houston Independent School District is among just four national finalists for the most prestigious award in K-12 public education: The Broad Prize for Urban Education. Seventy-five school districts from across America were considered for the award by a panel of researchers who pored over reams of student achievement data covering the past four years. They looked at SAT scores, performance on college-level Advanced Placement exams, graduation and dropout rates, and much more. The award’s goal is to not just identify the highest-achieving districts, but to highlight the ones that are getting the job done consistently, year after year.

To make the final cut for the Broad Prize in two consecutive years is a true honor, and a resounding endorsement for the fantastic work our teachers, principals, and support staff are doing with 203,000 HISD students every day. I am constantly amazed at the work they do. But they don’t do it alone. Houston is truly blessed to have a community of parents, and business and community leaders who recognize that we’re all in this together. This is a day for all of you to enjoy the spotlight as the nation takes notice of the consistently strong student academic achievement that you are leading.

 

And while we take a moment to celebrate this achievement, we must also remain mindful that we still have work to do if we are to truly become great all over. Every parent should be able to trust that their child will be challenged academically in every classroom by effective teachers equipped with the tools and training they need to do the job. Every parent should be confident that their child’s school is safe and secure. We are closer to meeting these high expectations than before, and we must collectively remain focused on what’s most important – our students. So, congratulations, Houston, for showing the rest of America what can happen when an entire community rallies around its children and their schools.