Education News

From Wikipedia

HISD Bellaire and Lamar school renovation plans move forward

Education News, Houston Schools, Schools April 22, 2014 at 9:42 pm

The process to reconstruct Lamar and Bellaire high schools with proceeds from the Houston Public School District’s 2012 Bond Issue is proceeding smoothly. “Plans are currently on schedule,” HISD Spokesperson Sheleah Reed wrote in an e-mail to Thesis on April 17. Project Advisory Teams (PATs), made up of students, parents,Read More

Types of Texas High School Diplomas – Distinguished vs. Recommended

Types of Texas High School Diplomas – Distinguished vs. Recommended

Update: This article describes the graduation requirements applicable to students graduating in 2017 or before. For more information on the new Foundation High School graduation requirements, which are applicable to all students matriculating after 2014 and available on an opt-in basis to students graduating in 2015-2017, see our comprehensive guideRead More

HISD continues attempts to green district

HISD continues attempts to green district

Education News, Houston Schools April 15, 2014 at 12:07 pm

As of April 1, Berry Elementary School became the latest campus of the Houston Independent School District to attain coveted LEED silver status for the environmentally friendly features in the school, which was reconstructed using $14.9 million from the district’s 2007 bond issue. Berry, which opened in 2011, is aRead More

What’s driving application increases to elite colleges?

What’s driving application increases to elite colleges?

College, Education News March 31, 2014 at 5:45 pm

Last month, Rice University reported that its total applications for its incoming freshman class had reached an all-time record of 17,715 – which represents an increase of 15 percent over 2013. The number of applications has roughly doubled since 2007, the college reported in a press release. Rice is seekingRead More

IB expands in Houston

IB expands in Houston

Education News, Houston Schools, International February 26, 2014 at 9:47 pm

The internationalization of Houston schools continues its rapid pace, both in the number of existing schools that are offering International Baccalaureate curriculum and in new schools that are under construction dedicated to the concept. Currently there are 10 high schools in the Houston area that offer an IB program, upRead More

Putting “failing schools” in context

Putting “failing schools” in context

At the beginning of January, the Texas Education Agency issued its new statewide summary of schools that failed to meet state standards for 2013 and whose students are eligible to seek transfer under the state Public Education Grant program. The feature of the summary that grabbed the most headlines wasRead More

Rice to host Duke TIP summer program

Rice to host Duke TIP summer program

Education News, Standardized Tests February 4, 2014 at 2:30 pm

The preeminent camp for smart kids is coming to Rice University beginning this summer. Duke’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) announced that it has partnered with Rice to offer its prestigious 3-week “Academy” Summer Studies Program beginning June 8, 2014. The residential enrichment program will host 325 high-achieving 8, 9, andRead More

SOTU outlines modest ed plans

SOTU outlines modest ed plans

Collegiate, Education News, National K-12 January 30, 2014 at 1:35 pm

During his fifth State-of-the-Union address on Jan. 28, President Obama announced no major new educational initiatives. Instead, he spent the modest amount of time he dedicated to education highlighting and defending his existing record on education, Obama also announced several modest expansions of existing programs and encouraged Congress to takeRead More

DISD pay grade to include student performance and evaluations

DISD pay grade to include student performance and evaluations

Education News November 5, 2013 at 9:30 am

Just two weeks after the Dallas Morning News reported that Texas had scrapped student performance-based merit pay for teachers, it appears that standardized test results will now, in part, determine teachers’ salaries in the Dallas ISD.  Previously, teachers were eligible for pay hikes based solely on seniority; as David LeeRead More

Alternatives to STAAR-based assessments discussed

Alternatives to STAAR-based assessments discussed

Education News October 26, 2013 at 3:59 pm

On October 17th, twenty-three school districts participating in the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium met to discuss alternatives to existing evaluation systems which consortium-members claim are too dependent on results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test.  The STAAR test is an annual assessment for TexasRead More

State aid cuts exacerbate public college tuition hikes

State aid cuts exacerbate public college tuition hikes

College, Collegiate, Education News October 21, 2013 at 6:22 pm

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and rapidly increasing tuition costs –or at least that’s probably how many college students and their parents feel.  According to long-term data gathered by the College Board Annual Survey of Colleges and the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), college tuition costsRead More