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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If your child is applying to a private high school this winter, chances are they will be taking the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) as administered by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). If you’re like most parents, you want your child to have some idea of what the exam willRead More

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

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

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

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

Earlier this week, we published college application advice for parents and students from a former admissions director, and we also shared tips on college interviews from a Rice University interviewer. In this companion piece, recent Rice graduate Sarah Craig shares some big-picture advice for students currently applying to college. Hi,Read More

UPDATE: After appeals from the affected schools, only one program has been slated for closure and eight programs – including those at Twain and Roberts – are still on probation. The Houston Chronicle has more. At last night’s school board meeting, a preliminary plan was announced under which 15 HISDRead More

I recently found myself interviewing prospective candidates for Rice University’s freshman class of 2015. Below, I’ll tell you about some of my interviews and explain to you some things your child should and should not do in his interview for college, high school, or really anything. In general, your child shouldRead More