Big part of public education involves tackling inequities
One of the things people often ask me is what I am the proudest of, having worked in public education for so long.
Usually, I tell them I am proudest of my principals, because without good leadership, you can’t have success. But when it comes to HISD, one of the achievements that stands out in my mind is the way we have tackled inequities. A lot of what we do here is to fight inequity, because so many of our students face significant challenges. Whether it’s not speaking English, having trouble at home, or coming from a family that struggles to make ends meet, all of these factors affect students’ ability to learn.
The one thing I never wanted was for kids’ education to be determined by their zip code. That’s why all of our high schools now offer Advanced Placement courses, why we have adjusted the funding structure of magnet schools, and why the EMERGE program is helping ever-higher numbers of traditionally underserved students gain admission — and often full scholarships — to top-tier colleges and universities across the nation.
All of our children count, and that means making sure all students get the same opportunities, and have the same quality of teachers and rigor of courses in their classrooms.
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