The Montessori Method of education is a common alternative to the traditional classroom structure. It emphasizes “the development of the whole child” and allows students independence to learn at their own pace and in their own way. A Montessori classroom is decentralized and open, and multiple grades are typically combinedRead More

To most of us who aren’t computer scientists, programming seems like a daunting prospect. We know that our computers, tablets, and phones could not function without vast quantities of code, but we couldn’t write that code ourselves – we couldn’t even make sense of it if we read it. WithRead More

It’s been a big week for President Obama with the announcement of his executive action on immigration. This hot-button new policy and the buzz surrounding it have eclipsed many other national policy issues for the moment, so you may not have heard much about what else the President has beenRead More

HISD superintendent Terry Grier has held his position since September of 2009 – five years. In that time, he has implemented the Apollo 20 program to help the district’s lowest performing schools; he has implemented stricter regulations on magnet status eligibility for schools; and he has presided over considerable upgradesRead More

Under the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), all students are required to be taught music, theater, and the visual arts. It is not mandated that all of these be taught by specialists; in some cases, it is acceptable to integrate them into standard classroom instruction. Many Houston-area school districtsRead More

One in twenty K-12 students has a diagnosed learning disability – or learning difference, to use the term now preferred by many educators. The distinction may seem trivial, but it captures an important truth. A learning “disability” implies that one is less capable of learning; a learning “difference,” on theRead More

Even at the early childhood and kindergarten level, many parents associate the idea of “a good education” with structured, skills-focused instruction. Kindergarteners must learn their letters, numbers, and colors and build the foundations that they will need for all future schooling; that is the point of kindergarten, is it not?Read More

Parents of toddlers and pre-kindergarten kids: do you let your kids watch TV? And what about using iPads? In the media-driven world of the 21st century, many children grow up with digital screens. These media are so ubiquitous – and, indeed, so useful for keeping children occupied – that itRead More

There are three ways of paying college tuition fees: 1) grants and scholarships (from the government, the school, or outside organizations) that need not be repaid; 2) student loans, which typically come with steep interest rates; and 3) financial support from the student’s parents. Option 1 is not equally availableRead More

In last night’s meeting, in addition to approving the plan for the Arabic immersion magnet school, the HISD board also addressed a proposal that could impact students across the district. The board voted 7-0 to recognize a group called the HISD Student Congress as a representation of the voice ofRead More

Perhaps the biggest trend in K-12 ed tech right now is the movement toward providing students with tablets and/or laptops for use in their schoolwork. Many of Houston’s best private schools provide this technology for their students, and under HISD’s PowerUp Initiative, Windows laptops will be made available on aRead More

You probably have an opinion on “helicopter parenting” – the ever-vigilant, ever-helpful parenting style practiced by many in America and around the world. Some people feel strongly that helicoptering stifles children’s independence and their ability to think and learn for themselves, but others would say that a certain amount ofRead More

There are many unique stresses associated with being the parent of a toddler – from the terrible two’s to the first day at preschool and beyond. One such stress comes from watching your children’s first steps into education. Will they be adequately prepared by the time they get to kindergarten?Read More

Many parents of younger elementary school students wonder whether their children’s homework is really necessary. Should my child really be devoting this much time to spelling worksheets? Can’t we let kids be kids until they’re just a little bit older? In a recent Huffington Post op-ed, entrepreneur and mother Kate SolomonRead More

It seems like the holiday marketing season has come earlier than ever this year. If the relentlessly cheery music already playing in department stores has inspired you to start thinking about Christmas gifts, you may be interested in the list of the 10 best illustrated children’s books of 2014 recentlyRead More

In American high schools, dropout rates are at an all-time low, and graduation rates are at an all-time high. 86% of the class of 2014 graduated successfully, while 7% dropped out. Graduation rates for Latino students, in particular, have risen dramatically. In yesterday’s The Atlantic, writer Janie Boschma discussed thisRead More