Articles by: Sarah Craig

HISD Considers Language Immersion Program in Arabic

HISD Considers Language Immersion Program in Arabic

Education News, HISD, Schools November 7, 2014 at 10:57 pm

UPDATE: As of 11/14/2014, HISD is officially moving forward on plans for an Arabic immersion magnet school. The Houston Chronicle has more. HISD is well-established as a hotspot for excellent programs in world languages. A combined total of 11 languages are offered in HISD schools, starting as early as PreKRead More

Classroom Solutions to Help Dyslexic Students

Classroom Solutions to Help Dyslexic Students

Health & Science, Learning Differences, Recommendations November 6, 2014 at 10:19 pm

As many as one in five people suffers from dyslexia, a learning difference which affects the ability to parse text when reading and writing. If your child has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia, you probably have a lot of questions. What does my child see when looking at a pageRead More

Op-Ed: An Argument for Game-Based Learning

Op-Ed: An Argument for Game-Based Learning

Health & Science, Opinion, Recommendations, Technology November 5, 2014 at 9:58 pm

Several months ago, we published an overview of educational games and their potential benefits. More recently, we also discussed a game-based productivity app in our recommended productivity apps for teens. From Minecraft-based curricula to edutainment apps for iPhone and Android, educational games are more widespread now than ever before, andRead More

Building Phase Begins on First HISD 2012 Bond Schools

Building Phase Begins on First HISD 2012 Bond Schools

HISD, Schools November 4, 2014 at 10:23 pm

On Saturday, HISD administrators and officials ceremonially broke ground on the construction of the new Condit Elementary. The new Condit school building, to be constructed adjacent to the old building at 7000 South Third St. in Bellaire, is being paid for with funds from the $1.89 billion 2012 HISD bond.Read More

What is the Real Value of a College Education?

What is the Real Value of a College Education?

College, Opinion, Recommendations November 3, 2014 at 9:20 pm

A college education costs more than ten thousand dollars per year – in fact, unless a student is attending a public school in-state, it usually costs tens of thousands of dollars. The average college student graduates with tens of thousands of dollars of debt. The considerable price tag of aRead More

Psych Prof’s Suggestions on Managing ADHD in the Classroom

Psych Prof’s Suggestions on Managing ADHD in the Classroom

Opinion, Recommendations November 2, 2014 at 4:47 pm

ADHD poses a significant challenge for today’s students and educators. It is one of the most widespread sources of academic difficulty in the US – 11% of American children between the ages of 4 and 17 will be diagnosed with ADHD. Students living with the disorder find it difficult toRead More

Reminder: Is Your Child Applying for Scholarships?

Reminder: Is Your Child Applying for Scholarships?

College, Recommendations November 1, 2014 at 2:21 pm

Coming into November, many high school seniors are finally getting started on their college admissions essays, or at least giving serious thought as to what they will write. The deadlines are close enough that they’re starting to seem real, but still sufficiently far away that there isn’t a sense ofRead More

Everything You Need to Know about the November 2014 Bond Elections

Everything You Need to Know about the November 2014 Bond Elections

Education News, Policy, Research, & Analysis October 31, 2014 at 4:02 am

On Tuesday, voters in some areas of Greater Houston will decide whether to accept their school districts’ bond proposals. Bonds – securities issued by school districts with taxpayer consent, to be paid back with interest using tax revenue – are a common means of funding school facilities projects throughout theRead More

NASA Opportunity for High School Juniors

NASA Opportunity for High School Juniors

Recommendations October 30, 2014 at 1:57 pm

If your teenager is interested in space travel and exploration, then he or she may be interested in the High School Aerospace Scholars program (HAS), a free NASA opportunity for current high school juniors. The application deadline is November 4th. Through the program, students are given the chance to learnRead More

School Days at Texas Renaissance Festival Will Mix Education and Fun

School Days at Texas Renaissance Festival Will Mix Education and Fun

Community Events, Homeschool, Recommendations October 28, 2014 at 6:00 am

Next week, students at some Houston-area schools will visit the Texas Renaissance Festival for its 10th Annual School Days, an event in which the festival is open exclusively to groups from public, private, and home schools. This year’s School Days will be November 4-5, 9am-4pm. While Renaissance Festivals are notRead More

HISD Magnet Application Advice for Parents

HISD Magnet Application Advice for Parents

HISD, Recommendations October 27, 2014 at 7:39 am

It’s that time of year again. This Saturday, November 1, is the open date for the HISD magnet application. Before the application period ends on December 19, parents will submit tens of thousands of applications to HISD’s selective magnet schools. If you are one of those parents – and especiallyRead More

Green-Garner Award Honors Grier’s Work as HISD Superintendent

Green-Garner Award Honors Grier’s Work as HISD Superintendent

Education News, HISD October 24, 2014 at 10:22 pm

On Thursday, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier was given the 2014 Green-Garner Award for outstanding contributions in public education. This award is presented annually by the Council of Great City Schools to a superintendent or school board member from a Council school district; there are 67 member districts, and Grier wasRead More

EdX High School Initiative is Groundbreaking Expansion into Online APs

EdX High School Initiative is Groundbreaking Expansion into Online APs

On Monday, the massive open online course (MOOC) platform edX opened registration for AP Biology: Part 1, the first course on the site which explicitly focuses on preparing students for an AP exam. The course has been made available in partnership with Rice University’s Center for Digital Learning and ScholarshipRead More

Spooky Stories and Poems to Teach Kids about Literature

Spooky Stories and Poems to Teach Kids about Literature

Goods for Teens, Homeschool, Recommendations October 21, 2014 at 10:52 pm

When I was a kid, my mom was constantly trying to find ways to make everything educational. From summer classes to seasonally appropriate readings, she was determined that her children should take every opportunity to learn more about the world. If you’re like her – and especially if you homeschoolRead More

New Office of STEM Engagement Furthers Rice’s K-12 Outreach

New Office of STEM Engagement Furthers Rice’s K-12 Outreach

College, Education News October 21, 2014 at 11:18 am

Last week, Rice University announced the creation of a new Office of STEM Engagement as a part of its Priorities for the Second Century. The office, called R-STEM for short, will serve two functions. It will facilitate K-12 outreach events, and it will serve as a one-stop resource for parentsRead More

From Wikipedia

Campus Development at Strake Emphasizes STEM

Houston Schools, Private Schools, Schools October 20, 2014 at 7:10 pm

This semester is a significant one for campus development at Strake Jesuit. The school celebrated the opening of its new STEM building in September, and another building, Hampil Hall, is being demolished to make way for a courtyard. The STEM building, which is now the largest building on Strake’s campusRead More