New on Thesis

Holy Trinity Episcopal School: New on Houston School Survey

Holy Trinity Episcopal School: New on Houston School Survey

Houston Schools, Private Schools March 26, 2015 at 2:00 pm

The newest school to be profiled by the Houston School Survey is Holy Trinity Episcopal School. Holy Trinity Episcopal School is a private, coeducational school located in northeast Houston just inside Beltway 8. It was founded in 1994 by community members who saw and sought to meet the need forRead More

Grace School Wins Garden Grant

Grace School Wins Garden Grant

Houston Schools March 25, 2015 at 8:30 am

Gardens can be a wonderful educational tool. They can be used to teach about nutrition, as well as the foundations of biology, in a hands-on and student-centered way. And for young students especially, they can also serve as resources for personal growth – by caring for a garden faithfully andRead More

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Discover15 A Great Reading Tool for Any Family

Health & Science, Recommendations March 24, 2015 at 8:30 am

In honor of National Reading Awareness Month, HISD and a coalition of Houston-based organizations (led by the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation) have embarked upon the #Discover15 campaign to encourage parents to read aloud with their children. The initiative is designed to help parents find time in their busy schedulesRead More

Why Cramming Doesn’t Work

Why Cramming Doesn’t Work

Recommendations, Study Skills March 23, 2015 at 8:30 am

Thursday night, 9pm. A high school student finishes up dinner and sits down at the computer to check social media before going to bed. They notice a few status updates by friends complaining about the test that they have to take tomorrow. “Hmm, Alex and I have almost every classRead More

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Spotlight: Houston’s Top Montessori Schools

Houston Schools, Schools March 20, 2015 at 8:30 am

On Wednesday, we wrote about how play can be used for learning and the efforts of Ashoka and the LEGO Foundation to encourage innovation in that area. The Re-Imagine Learning Challenge brought forth some great new ideas; however, the general concept of learning through play is not new in and ofRead More

Colin Powell to Speak at Rice University Commencement

Colin Powell to Speak at Rice University Commencement

Education News March 19, 2015 at 3:20 pm

Former US Secretary of State and four-star Army general Colin Powell will speak at Rice University’s commencement address on Saturday, May 16th at 8:30am. “We are deeply honored to have such a respected national leader and extraordinary public servant as our commencement speaker,” Rice President David Leebron said. “We choseRead More

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“Re-Imagine Learning” with Creative Play

Best of the Web, Health & Science March 18, 2015 at 8:30 am

The past 15 years have seen American elementary schools cutting back on recess and increasingly focusing on assessments. On paper, less time for play and more time for academics looks great – but is it really? We must remember that for young children, play is important. Studies have shown that playRead More

Op-Ed: Why Parents and Students Shouldn’t Stress Over College Admissions

Op-Ed: Why Parents and Students Shouldn’t Stress Over College Admissions

Best of the Web, College, Opinion March 16, 2015 at 5:48 pm

Here at Thesis, we’ve written a lot about college admissions – from our advice on the early stages of planning to this weekend’s piece about visiting prospective colleges. It’s something parents and students think about a lot – as well they should, because sending a child to college is aRead More

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How to Make the Most of a College Visit

College, Resources for Parents March 14, 2015 at 12:45 pm

The upcoming week is spring break for many Houston schools. And for many juniors and seniors, this means more than just a reprieve from homework. Spring break is a popular time for college visits, as juniors consider where to apply and seniors consider where to accept an offer of admission.Read More

Curriculet and USA Today Partner to Mix Current Events and Literacy

Curriculet and USA Today Partner to Mix Current Events and Literacy

Education News, Technology March 13, 2015 at 6:33 pm

One of the most prevalent concerns in the modern American education system is literacy. Studies show that while most students can understand the face value of written words by third grade, only about one third of middle schoolers can truly comprehend written texts. A variety of strategic plans, teaching strategies,Read More

College Rankings: How Much Do They Really Matter?

College Rankings: How Much Do They Really Matter?

College March 12, 2015 at 2:00 pm

Back during my glory days of junior high, I honestly believed that Britney Spears was the single most talented woman on the planet (C’mon, it was the 90s, okay?). But I was constantly challenged by my best friend at the time, who happened to be partial towards fellow pop songstressRead More

MFAH Provides Some Family Fun with Spring Break at Bayou Bend

MFAH Provides Some Family Fun with Spring Break at Bayou Bend

Community Events, Travel & Culture March 11, 2015 at 4:09 pm

Spring break is upon us. Several Houston private schools are on break this week, and many more will be on break next week; HISD spring break is next week, too. For students, this means a week of relaxation and no homework, but for parents, spring break can be a littleRead More

For Houston School Survey

Public School Teacher on Why He’s Sending His Daughter to Private School

Best of the Web, Private Schools March 9, 2015 at 8:30 am

Thesis, along with its sister site The Houston School Survey, features both public and private schools. We know that both have their advantages and disadvantages, and when it comes to school choice, every family has different needs. Last week, The Atlantic published a truly unique op-ed on the pros andRead More

There’s Still Time to Apply for These Scholarships, Part 3: Local Edition

There’s Still Time to Apply for These Scholarships, Part 3: Local Edition

College, Community Events March 6, 2015 at 5:34 pm

Parts 1 and 2 of our feature on spring-deadline scholarships listed regional and national scholarship competitions. But of course, there are Houston-specific scholarships, too. The application deadline for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarships may have come and gone, but there are still a few local scholarships with plenty ofRead More

Teach for America Losing Ground in Recruiting

Teach for America Losing Ground in Recruiting

Best of the Web, National K-12 March 5, 2015 at 4:10 pm

Teach for America, or TFA, is a program which recruits high-achieving college graduates to teach for two years in low-performing or underserved public schools. Some Houstonians may know it as an organization whose alumni went on to found Houston’s YES Prep and KIPP charter schools. Many others may know TFARead More

HSPVA Principal Attends “Closing the Excellence Gap” Summit

HSPVA Principal Attends “Closing the Excellence Gap” Summit

HISD March 4, 2015 at 8:30 am

Last month, HSPVA principal R. Scott Allen was among those chosen to attend the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s first annual “Closing the Excellence Gap” education summit. At the summit, more than 100 high school principals met with education researchers, Department of Education officials, and other experts and interested parties. TheRead More