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Hello, Houston,
Hard to believe that one year ago today, many of us were hearing about Mike Miles, the New Education System and "wholesale systemic reform" for the first time. So much has happened since then that it's impossible to keep track of it all, but we've tried our best to make some sense of it all below.
It's been a long (and difficult) year for many of you. Our sincere appreciation to the students, parents, teachers and administrators who have trusted us with their stories in these uncertain times, and to everyone who has followed our coverage over the past year. Thank you.
 | Sam González Kelly, Education Reporter |
One year in, are Mike Miles' strict reforms working at Houston ISD?
One year ago today, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath appointed his former Dallas ISD colleague Mike Miles to lead Houston ISD, charging him with turning around the entirety of the state's largest school district after one school failed state ratings for five years in a row.
Miles, a former superintendent at DISD and a charter school founder, wasted no time in getting to work. On his first day in office, he announced that 28 struggling schools in northeast Houston would be completely overhauled as the inaugural cohort of his New Education System, fundamentally changing how schools were staffed, how classrooms operated and how students learned.
That upheaval would have considerably shaken up HISD on its own, but what no one knew at the time was that it was just the beginning of a year's worth of controversial and often unpopular changes that would leave none of HISD's 274 schools entirely unaffected.
The Texas Education Agency, in appointing Miles, laid out three criteria that the district needs to meet in order to return HISD to an elected school board and superintendent: no schools can fail state rankings for multiple years in a row, the district must improve its special education outcomes and the board must follow state governance principles.
With student achievement data unavailable for several more months, it remains unclear how much progress HISD made toward fulfilling those requirements in Miles' first year in charge. The TEA did not respond to multiple requests for comment about how the agency evaluates HISD's progress against the exit criteria, and how much farther the district needs to go.
Several recurring storylines have emerged, however, which will define Miles' first year in charge. The Houston Chronicle spoke with education experts, advocates and community members about how the district fared in those areas over the last 12 months, and what it means for Houston students.
This Week's Must Reads:
- Have Mike Miles' strict reforms improved Houston ISD in his first year? Here's what the data says. Since Superintendent Mike Miles was appointed to lead the takeover, HISD has reported more teacher and principal turnover, progress on special education compliance and systemic campus reforms.
- What Mike Miles' past can tell us about HISD's future. Mike Miles is the face of one of the largest educational transformations attempted in this country. A close study of what led him to this point may give Houston an indication of where it is headed.
- We asked HISD parents, teachers and students about their thoughts on the district's first year under TEA control. Here's what they had to say.
- HISD has been under state control for one year now, but the events that led to that point began in 2019. Here's a look back at the major events that led us to this point.
What Else Happened This Week
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The Calendar Ahead
• June 4: Bond meeting at Fondren Middle School from 6 to 8 p.m.
• June 5: Last day of school. Bond meeting at Fleming Middle School from 6 to 8 p.m.
• June 10: Bond Community Advisory Committee meeting at Forest Brook Middle School from 6 to 8 p.m.
• June 13: School board meeting at 5 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center
Shoutout
Congrats to the Class of 2024 and the Superintendent Scholars
The 7th annual Superintendent Scholars Awards recognized several HISD graduates who have overcome struggles in their journey to finish high school.
Each senior nominated received a $1,000 scholarship, and the top 10 were awarded $1,500 and a new laptop. The Top 10 Superintendent Scholars Award winners are:
Linh Le
Westbury High School
Munachi Muoghalu
Sharpstown International High School
Yunior Robles Mesa
Liberty High School
Abigail Matthews
Heights High School
Kavien Bertrand
High School for Law and Justice
Jonathan Vasquez
Carnegie Vanguard High School
Alberto Ramirez
Waltrip High School
Brielle Grant
North Forest High School
Christian Rogers
Sterling High School
Taylor Spiller
Energy Institute High School
See the full list of scholars here.
Know a person or program who deserves a shoutout? Let us know here or by replying to this email.
Meet The Team
Photo by: Susan Barber
Our HISD coverage is fueled by reporting from Megan Menchaca, Sam González Kelly and Anastasia Goodwin. 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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