Articles by: Sarah Craig

For Houston School Survey

Serenity-Focused Summer Assignment from an Italian Schoolteacher

Best of the Web June 17, 2015 at 4:08 pm

If your child is in high school, he or she may have summer assignments in one or more classes. These can be a major source of stress, casting a gloomy cloud over students’ cherished annual time of relaxation. This year, Italian high school teacher Cesare Catà gave out a summerRead More

Image courtesy of CanStockPhoto.

Fee Waived for Retesting after June 6 SAT Marred by Printing Error

SAT & ACT June 16, 2015 at 5:44 pm

Did your teen take the SAT on June 6? If so, he or she may want to take it again. The version of the standardized exam proctored on June 6 contained a printing error regarding time allotment which impacted the administration of multiple sections of the test. When this came toRead More

Poll Finds Half of Parents View College Application Process Unfavorably

Poll Finds Half of Parents View College Application Process Unfavorably

Applying to Colleges, College June 10, 2015 at 4:27 pm

If your child is a rising junior or senior, odds are good that you’ve started thinking about college applications. And according to a recent poll released by the Robert Morris University Polling Institute, if you’re not happy with the college application process, you’re not alone. The poll, which focused onRead More

Chavez High School Wins National Vocabulary Competition

Chavez High School Wins National Vocabulary Competition

Community Events, HISD June 5, 2015 at 7:30 am

Tis the season for championship academic competitions. And while not as well known as UIL or quiz bowl, the inaugural Vocabulary.com  Vocabulary Bowl was notable this year for crowning a champion from Houston. Chavez High School students won the national championship with a collective total of 303, 387 points amassedRead More

Op-Ed: On Not Shielding Our Children From “Real” Books

Op-Ed: On Not Shielding Our Children From “Real” Books

Best of the Web, Goods for Teens June 1, 2015 at 5:01 pm

When I was little, my mother would sometimes pre-read books before allowing me to have them. If she was concerned that content or themes might be too adult, she’d look for herself and see. She meant well; she wanted to protect me from growing up too fast and learning thingsRead More

Image courtesy of CanStockPhoto.

Gender Biases in Choosing Tech for Kids

In this day and age, children start using digital devices early on and grow up with technology. But how do we decide which devices our children will use? A recent study from PlayScience asked that very question, and some of the answers it found were unsettling. In addition to devices’Read More

Op-Ed: Dress Codes are Sexist

Op-Ed: Dress Codes are Sexist

Opinion, Travel & Culture May 27, 2015 at 7:30 am

Dress codes in schools make sense – they set out concrete guidelines to keep students decent and at least somewhat professionally dressed. In theory, they can help to set students on an equal footing and reduce the disparity in dress between the economically disadvantaged and the well-off. Some administrators alsoRead More

Governor Greg Abbott. Image courtesy of the Texas Tribune.

Abbott-Backed PreK Bill Poised to Become Law

Policy, Research, & Analysis, PreK May 25, 2015 at 10:03 am

  Last week, after two months of back-and-forth, House Bill 4 won its final passage in the Texas legislature. The bill, which provides state funding for public prekindergarten programs, is now ready to be signed into law. In its finalized form, House Bill 4 provides for $130 million in grantsRead More

Picture Provided Courtesy of Ky Wilson.

New Report Suggests Causes, Solutions for Graduation Rate Gaps

National K-12, Policy, Research, & Analysis May 22, 2015 at 7:30 am

The sixth annual Building a Grad Nation report, released last week, showcases an encouraging trend. According to the most recent data, the United States is still on track to achieve a 90% high school graduation rate by 2020. The 2013 graduation rate of 81.4% was a record high. More importantly,Read More

Competency-Based Grading is Growing Trend Nationwide

Competency-Based Grading is Growing Trend Nationwide

Education News May 19, 2015 at 7:30 am

The equivalence of ages with grade levels is a fairly ingrained tradition in American education. If a friend tells you her son is five years old, it’s reasonable to assume that the child is in kindergarten; and if a teenager has just gotten her driver’s license, it’s a safe betRead More

The T.H. Rogers team shows off their state championship placard. Image courtesy of HISD News Blog.

Houston Schools Place Well in State and National Quiz Bowl Rankings

Community Events, Houston Schools May 18, 2015 at 7:30 am

As the academic year draws to a close, so too does the season for academic competitions. The Private Schools Interscholastic Association State Meet was held in late April; its public school counterpart, the UIL Academic Competition, will have its state meet next week. And the week after that, the NationalRead More

In-School Bullying on the Decline Nationwide, Survey Says

In-School Bullying on the Decline Nationwide, Survey Says

Best of the Web May 15, 2015 at 7:30 am

Bullying is an eternal problem in schools; teachers have a limited scope for controlling students’ social hierarchies and practices. While teachers may discipline students who display harmful social behavior, or act as resources for students who have been the targets of this harmful behavior, it would be nigh impossible toRead More

Image courtesy of DepositPhotos.

Arts Access Initiative To Expand Programs In 11 HISD Schools

HISD, Travel & Culture May 14, 2015 at 7:30 am

Earlier this week, HISD announced the first concrete programs created under the Arts Access Initiative. The initiative, which is organized by the local nonprofit Young Audiences of Houston, focuses on creating opportunities for arts education in Houston’s public schools. In 2013-2014, the initiative conducted preliminary research in HISD K-8 schools. InformedRead More

Texas High School Graduation Requirements, Explained

Texas High School Graduation Requirements, Explained

Education News, Resources for Parents May 12, 2015 at 7:30 am

Later this month and early next month, the class of 2015 will be graduating from high schools all over Texas. They will be one of the last classes to graduate under the existing graduation requirements. Students entering high school in 2014 and following years will graduate under the requirements ofRead More

Image courtesy of canstockphoto.com.

Research Roundup: E-Reading and Literacy

From Curriculet’s student-centered e-edition of USA Today to HISD’s partnership with MyON, schools are increasingly using screen-based tools to help students build literacy. And at home, parents can use e-books and tablet apps for the same purpose. A recent article on Education Week highlights some of the latest research onRead More

A Thank-You to Teachers who Challenge their Students

A Thank-You to Teachers who Challenge their Students

Opinion, Travel & Culture May 8, 2015 at 4:34 pm

Mr. Gallo’s AP European History class was legendary. I heard about it even before my freshman year, from older friends who were preparing to take it in the fall. They told me about the infamous summer assignment and the sheer volume of work which it entailed – extensive textbook readingRead More