Hello, Houston,
Welcome to the first edition of our new education newsletter! Soggy weather probably snarled your drive to school this week, but I hope everyone gets out to enjoy the beautiful fall weather in store for this weekend. Personally, I plan to celebrate by taking a trip with friends to a pumpkin patch.
Curriculum issues, special education and the board workshop last night likely rose to the top of your news feeds this week. Make sure you do not miss a new report by Megan Menchaca, who uncovered a quiet policy change surrounding testing in HISD's Gifted and Talented program. Experts say the new approach may in fact be more equitable for kids.
This week's must reads:
- Reforms have trickled beyond the New Education System schools, with students and teachers at even top-ranked HISD campuses reporting changes in curriculum, instructional practice and administrative oversight.
- Students seem to be enjoying learning about gardening, photography and video game design in Dyad classes. But the new program has created some logistical challenges for campuses.
Is there something happening you think we should be covering? Let us know here or by replying directly to this email.
 | Anna Bauman, Education Reporter |
Superintendent Miles unveils special education plan meant to improve long-broken system in HISD
Inside a cold auditorium, Jane Friou sat anxiously waiting on Thursday night for the third item on the Board of Managers workshop agenda: a presentation about a new plan to tackle systemic special education problems.
Friou has become intimately familiar with those problems over the years. Her daughter, a student at Lamar High School, has been in the HISD special education program for more than a decade, and the mother leads a special education parent advocacy group. Friou recently re-read the scathing 44-page Texas Education Agency report that several years ago triggered state monitoring over the HISD special education department.
"I hope by now you're familiar with the TEA investigative report like I am," she told the school board during Thursday night public comment.
Friou urged the new HISD leaders to address the failures outlined in the TEA report by enacting new policies and procedures driven by data, systems to ensure campuses follow legal mandates and avenues for parents to know whether schools are implementing the individualized special education plan for their child.
But a short slideshow presentation at the meeting seemed lacking in data and robust policy changes, Friou said.
"That's 10 years of failures — and that's what they're going to do? OK," she said.
The four-point plan includes goals to improve the timelines for evaluating children with disabilities, speed up parent communication and improve the quality of instruction to close the achievement gap between special education students and their peers.
Miles and Stacy Venson, chief deputy of special education, say the district has already made some progress on certain special education metrics but still has a ways to go in other areas, including staffing for speech language therapy.
Read more here about their plans and the latest updates on the special education population.
What Else Happened This Week
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The Calendar Ahead
• Oct. 12: 5 p.m. Board of Managers regular meeting, 4400 West 18th St.
• Oct. 13: Staff professional development (no classes)
Shout Out
Meet the Chávez Rocketry Club: A group of students at César E. Chávez High School is designing model rockets for The American Rocketry Challenge. The projectile will be judged on its flight time and altitude, as well as whether a hen egg carried on board survives the journey undamaged. The club is trying to qualify for the National Finals Fly-Off in Washington D.C. on May 18, according to HISD.
"The Rocketry Club means different things for each of them. For some of them, it's just about college applications, it looks great on their resumes. For others, it's literally the thing that holds them together and makes them want to come to school. It becomes the reason that they end up graduating," science teacher and club sponsor Maqsuda Afroz said in a statement.
Condit Elementary School fifth-grader Kush Kalra has been selected as one of 28 students internationally who will serve as a Kid Reporter in the Scholastic Kids Press program. The Bellaire 10-year-old will have the chance to interview leaders and experts in the community about the topics that matter most to young people for articles that will be published by Scholastic Kids Press.
Also: If there's a student, teacher or staff member you think deserves a shoutout to, let us know here.
Meet The Team
Photo by: Susan Barber
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Anna Bauman, Megan Menchaca and Sam González Kelly. Assistant City Editor Jennifer Radcliffe also helps contribute to this newsletter.
You can reach out to any of them by emailing them at their firstname.lastname@houstonchronicle.com, filling out this survey or by replying directly to this email.
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