Education News

Texas Legislature to Tackle Rising College Tuition

Texas Legislature to Tackle Rising College Tuition

College, Education News January 8, 2015 at 4:33 pm

As the 84th Texas legislative session begins on January 13th, 2015, the representatives must face the challenges incurred by debt-ridden post grads throughout the state. State Senator Rodney D. Ellis (D-Houston) and State Senator Charles Schwertner (R-Central Texas) will each sponsor two separate bills aimed at addressing the sky-rocketing tuitionRead More

2015 FAFSA Application Reminders

2015 FAFSA Application Reminders

It’s a brand new year, which means some important financial deadlines are approaching in the Spring. For current and prospective college students, the 2015 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available to complete online. The FAFSA is used annually to determine student eligibility for financial aid toRead More

Top Predictions for Education Trends in 2015

Top Predictions for Education Trends in 2015

Education News December 31, 2014 at 12:30 pm

As we move into 2015, the New Year will undoubtedly bring new challenges and opportunities to education and learning. Many ideas and trends started in education in 2014 will gain more momentum and some may even reach their apex in the coming year. DistrictAdministration.com and the Washington Post collected someRead More

Hour of Code 2014 Success Stories

Hour of Code 2014 Success Stories

Education News, Technology December 30, 2014 at 12:44 pm

The week of December 8-12, 2014 marked Computer Science Education Week. Millions of students around the US and the globe participated in the non-profit organization Code.org’s Hour of Code, teaching kids about the basics of coding in a 60-minute introductory course. Schools that participated in the event around the countryRead More

HISD Plans for Construction Beyond 2012 Bond Funds

HISD Plans for Construction Beyond 2012 Bond Funds

Education News, HISD, Schools December 29, 2014 at 8:30 am

HISD last week announced plans to build three new school buildings not covered in the 2012 bond budget. The district plans to raise $128.7 million over the next five years to fund the construction of new facilities for North Forest High School and the recently-opened Energy Institute High School, asRead More

HISD to Issue Tens of Thousands of Laptops in January for PowerUp Initiative

HISD to Issue Tens of Thousands of Laptops in January for PowerUp Initiative

Education News, HISD, Schools December 26, 2014 at 8:30 am

The HISD PowerUp Initiative, which began implementation in the summer of 2013, will reach a dramatic milestone in January. The three-prong initiative is intended to improve learning through technology by improving access to linked learning, creating a comprehensive web portal as a resource for students, and, most impressively, by makingRead More

Texas Loses Controversial Bid for Federal Pre-K Grant (And What This Means for You)

Texas Loses Controversial Bid for Federal Pre-K Grant (And What This Means for You)

Last week, it was announced that Texas would not be among the 18 states awarded a federal Preschool Development Grant for the expansion of Pre-K programming. The Houston Chronicle‘s Ericka Mellon has more. Pre-K has come to be a contentious issue within education policy; during the recent gubernatorial race, itRead More

Texas Universities and Colleges Rank Nationally, Globally

Texas Universities and Colleges Rank Nationally, Globally

College, Collegiate, Education News, Recommendations December 16, 2014 at 6:03 pm

2014 was a banner year for Texas colleges and universities as several institutions throughout the state earned high rankings in nationally recognized polls listing the best higher education options throughout the country and world. As expected, both Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin are among the mostRead More

Texas Public School Enrollment Numbers Soar in 2013-2014 School Year

Texas Public School Enrollment Numbers Soar in 2013-2014 School Year

The 2014-2014 school year brought Texas its highest ever number of students enrolled in public schools throughout the state.  According to a November 2014 report published by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Texas public school enrollment has increased by almost 19% since 2003. Currently, there are over 5 million studentsRead More

Texas Pushes Programming Languages in New Graduation Requirements

Texas Pushes Programming Languages in New Graduation Requirements

Education News, HISD, Houston Schools, Technology December 10, 2014 at 9:00 am

Computer Science Education Week and Code.org’s “Hour of Code” are in full swing, reaching out to millions of people worldwide. Code.org hopes to demystify computer science for the masses and establish computer science as part of the core curriculum for all schools. This is particularly important for students in theRead More

K-12 Comp Sci Offerings on the Decline Nationwide

K-12 Comp Sci Offerings on the Decline Nationwide

This week, students in classrooms throughout America – including many right here in Houston – will be answering the challenge to complete an “Hour of Code” as part of Computer Science Education Week, an annual event championing computer science in K-12. Given the ascendance of computer science as an industry,Read More

The Present and Future of No Child Left Behind

The Present and Future of No Child Left Behind

Education News, Policy, Research, & Analysis December 3, 2014 at 8:30 am

Remember No Child Left Behind, the comprehensive education reform passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2002? I wouldn’t blame you for forgetting. While the law is still on the books, most states (including Texas) have obtained waivers allowing them to bypass the program’s toughest regulations. The original stated purpose ofRead More

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Later School Start Time Debate Continues

Exhausted teenagers may soon see their dreams come true at a later morning hour. The school start time debate has shifted as proponents of later school start times now have greater scientific evidence to back up their claims. In August of this year, the American Academy of Pediatricians recommended thatRead More

What You Should Know About President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative

What You Should Know About President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative

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

Houston an Exception to High Turnover Rates of Urban Superintendents

Houston an Exception to High Turnover Rates of Urban Superintendents

Education News, HISD, Policy, Research, & Analysis November 20, 2014 at 8:30 am

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

HISD Schools to Audit Fine Arts Instruction for Compliance with State Policy

HISD Schools to Audit Fine Arts Instruction for Compliance with State Policy

Education News, HISD, Schools November 19, 2014 at 8:30 am

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