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Effective Teachers Initiative Update
I want to update you on the progress of our Effective Teachers Initiative, a core component of our Strategic Direction. Our goal is simple: ensuring that every HISD student learns from effective teachers every day. Years of research have shown that this is the most important thing we can do for our students.
We're taking the first step this fall by designing a new teacher appraisal and development system. Appraisals should give our teachers meaningful, timely feedback on their performance in the classroom, and give our principals the information they need to help teachers do their best work. But an overwhelming number of teachers and principals told us last spring that our appraisal system does neither of those things. We can't give our students effective teachers if we don't have a clear understanding of our teachers' success in the classroom, so designing a better appraisal system is one of our top priorities.
We're committed to creating this new system with the help of our school communities—especially teachers and principals, who know better than anyone how we can improve our appraisals. Teachers, principals, parents, and other community members will have opportunities to share their ideas with us at every step of the design process—through school-based Shared Decision Making Committees (SDMCs) and our District Advisory Committee (DAC). Our Effective Teachers Initiative website will keep stakeholders informed throughout the process.
We've already benefitted from a tremendous amount of input from across the district. More than 250 SDMCs submitted recommendations with the help of their school communities during the first phase of the design process. Last week, more than 530 SDMC representatives—many of whom are teachers—convened to kick off the second phase. I hope you'll add your voice to the process by connecting with a member of your SDMC or visiting www.HISDeffectiveteachers.org.
I'm incredibly grateful for the time so many members of Team HISD have put into helping us build our new teacher appraisal and development system. With your help, I know we will create a truly valuable tool for our teachers and principals—one that helps us give all our students effective teachers.
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 Community Conversations Event Scheduled for November 9: Did you know that state funding for educational programs in HISD could potentially be cut? Come learn more about the district's 2011 state legislative agenda and the HISD operating budget at the HMWESC (4400 W. 18th Street), starting at
6:00 p.m.
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 Celebrate Parental Involvement Day at Northwest Mall November 11: This annual event allows HISD representatives to recognize parents for their commitment to public education and their support of the district. It will take place from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Northwest Mall, directly across the street from the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.
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 Magnet Program Review Process Now Under Way: HISD entered the last phase of its review of the district's Magnet programs in November of 2010, after the first two concluded in late October. A final report, including recommendations, is expected to be received from Magnet Schools of America by the end of the calendar year.
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 HISD Taking Applications for Bond Oversight Committee: Interested individuals can apply online for the three vacant seats on this committee. Members monitor HISD bond-funded construction projects and help interested Houstonians stay informed about new construction and renovation projects in the district. HISD welcomed new committee member D. V. Flores over the summer. The president and owner of PEC Corporation and a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Flores has more than 40 years of experience in the construction and engineering fields.
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 Meet November 2010 Employee of the Month Maria Bonilla: This graphic designer, who has been a member of Team HISD since 2001, also serves as the Virtual School Department's webmaster and student liaison, mentoring students enrolled in both the Virtual School and the High School Ahead Academy.
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 HISD Police Department Lieutenant Guadalupe Jiménez, who works in the Operations Bureau Division, was selected by the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) to represent that organization as part of a Texas Senior Law Enforcement Management delegation to Poland. The delegation is a product of the long-term collaboration effort between LEMIT, Sam Houston State University, and the Polish National Police. Lt. Jiménez became the district's first Hispanic female supervisor in 1992. She holds both bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Houston. She is also a graduate of the Sam Houston State University Leadership Command College.
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Almeda Elementary School celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a visit from actress, singer, and recording artist Irma Infante on October 21, coordinated by campus Literacy Coach Maria Herlinda Treviño. The entertainer is the daughter of the late Pedro Infante (a famous actor and singer) and the Mexican film actress Irma Dorantes. She promoted the importance of reading and writing every day. |
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 Bellaire High School's dance troupe eMotion won first place at the elite Tremaine dance competition on October 30, in the "large group contemporary" category at the Houston Galleria. Bellaire was the only public high school to compete at the event.
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 Berry Elementary School fourth-grader Krista Acosta became the thousandth child to receive a free refurbished computer from Comp-U-Dopt after she and 45 of her peers wrote essays explaining how home computers would enhance their education. Each computer comes with Linux-based educational tools, as well as word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and Internet capabilities. Children chosen to receive computers attend a two-hour "adoption" session with parents or guardians to learn software use and computer care.
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Brookline Elementary School held a Career Day for students on October 13 that featured visits from special guests such as State Representative Harold Dutton, State Representative Carol Alvarado, and HISD's own Board of Education member Manuel Rodríguez. |
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Burbank Elementary School held its eighth annual Literacy Night on October 27, and the theme this year was "Board the Bus to Success." Students and their parents "traveled" from one "bus stop" to another, exploring the various genres of literature highlighted at each booth. |
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Challenge Early High School students who obtained paid internships through the Genesys Works program were featured in the October 10 edition of The Phoenix, the campus's newsletter. |
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 Contemporary Learning Center teacher Alicia Jackson has been selected as the Outstanding Rookie Science Teacher of the Year by the Science Teacher Association of Texas. She will be recognized at the Conference of Advanced Science Teaching on November 11.
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 Empowerment South Early College High School's tenth-graders devoted five Saturdays this semester to working with St. John's High School senior Mollie Martin and some of her classmates on test-taking strategies as part of a unique partnership to conquer the PSAT college-readiness test. Afterwards, Empowerment students showed an average growth of 12 points on their practice tests.
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Energized for Excellence Academy Middle School students participated in Texas Southern University's annual homecoming parade on October 29, as a part of the school's efforts to get children "energized" about the prospect of attending college and pursuing higher education. |
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Fonville Middle School teacher and aspiring author Christopher Wise has had three excerpts/adaptations from an unpublished novel, The Hard Way, featured in Cowboys and Indians magazine. The first, called "Strays," was in the October 2008 issue; the second, entitled "Brave, Clean, and Reverent," was in the January 2009 issue, while the third, dubbed "The Wheelie," was in the June 2009 issue. |
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 Lamar High School junior Samantha Gualandri (pictured with Assistant Fire Chief Rick Flannigan and Houston City Council Member Melissa Noriega) received a Neighborhood Hero Award from the Houston Fire Department for her efforts to support the Firefighters Protection Fund. She baked and sold enough cookies, corn on the cob, and chocolates to raise $400 for the charity, which assists firefighters in times of extreme illness or loss. Also recognized was Worthing alumnus Marquel Speed, who, along with a co-worker, evacuated nearby townhome residents when a fire caused by lightning broke out across the street from the Trotter Family YMCA in June.
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Lanier Middle School eighth-graders studying technology applications have created professional-grade virtual tour videos of their school to show off its attributes to parents and other potential students. The tours are available on the school's website, on YouTube, and on the campus blog. |
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 Milne Elementary School fifth-grader Valor Carter has been named the first Anti-Bully Hero award recipient through a new partnership between HISD, KPRC Local 2, and Houston Family Magazine. Valor was picked for telling an adult after he was physically assaulted by another student, even though he could have used his martial arts skills to fight back.
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 Oak Forest Elementary School saw hundreds of book characters venture off the pages to participate in a parade on October 29, when students, teachers, administrators, and parents dressed as their favorite children's book characters and marched around the school. Just a few of the famous figures who made an appearance were Fancy Nancy, Peter Pan, Little Red Riding Hood, Tom Sawyer, Jack and Annie, Matilda, Junie B. Jones, Nate the Great, and the Cat in the Hat.
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Pin Oak Middle School's Academic Squad earned the sweepstakes award (which is based on points) for the tenth consecutive time at the October 16 University Interscholastic League Academic and Speech tournament. In addition, the team took awards for Mathematics, Number Sense, Social Studies, Calculator, Maps/Graphs/Charts, Science Listening and Dictionary Skills. The 32-member team is led by teacher Bryan Bancroft. |
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 Roosevelt Elementary School had a very special visitor on October 14. Theodore Roosevelt (AKA Gib Young), for whom the school was named, spoke to fourth- and fifth-graders about his younger days in New York and later at Harvard University. He told tales about his time out west and the origin of the teddy bear. Mr. Roosevelt also talked about being the twenty-sixth president and the youngest president in the White House, and how his children and their pets kept the White House staff busy with their antics.
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 Sterling High School students got an understanding of the teamwork it requires to be a success when they received a visit from the Air Force Thunderbirds on October 22. The pilots (pictured with College Access Coordinator Arvela Cozart) were in town for the Wings Over Houston Air Show.
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T. H. Rogers held its largest chess tournament ever on October 23, with more than 450 competitors registered to participate. The contest, hosted by the Houston Chess Association, was a record for both the school and the organization, making it one of Houston's largest chess tournaments. |
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Walnut Bend Elementary School fourth-graders took part in a "poetry café" on October 29, during which students wore berets, sipped hot cocoa, and sat in a dim room while listening to their peers recite poems. The Poetry Café emphasizes the school's focus on literacy, including reading, writing, listening and speaking. |
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 Washington High School students in the High School for Engineering Professions gave up part of their summer break to clean out an unused auto machine shop and turn it into a research lab. Now they conduct experiments there—such as turning food scraps from the cafeteria into ketone fuels, designing a wind turbine to generate electricity for the school, and building a rocket that can reach an altitude of at least 100,000 feet—using equipment that can be found in many households (such as a washing machine converted into a centrifuge). The students presented some of their projects for visitors during an open house held on October 26.
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Westside High School's band was shown playing at Discovery Green on ABC's Good Morning America during the program's October 22 broadcast. The band received all "ones" (the highest possible rating) for the first time in the school's history during the University Interscholastic League competition on October 19. |
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 Whidby Elementary School hosted its inaugural Doctors Day outreach program on October 27, on which visiting medical professionals gave presentations about careers in medicine, first-aid techniques, and the tools typically used by doctors in each area of specialization.
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Woodson Middle School was the site of the Houston Police Department's 2010 kick-off ceremony for "Project PYRAMID" (Preparing Youth to Be Responsible, Accountable, Mature, Intellectual, and Disciplined) on November 2. A mentoring program launched in 2008 that's now active at Deady Middle School and Worthing High School as well, it was designed to reconnect Houston-area police officers with the communities they serve, reversing any negative perceptions young people might have about public servants. |
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Worthing High School graduation coach Craig Zeno will receive the 2010 Individual Crystal Star Award of Excellence in Dropout Recovery, Intervention, and Prevention from the National Dropout Prevention Network on November 16, during that organization's national conference in Philadelphia. Zeno was selected for his tireless efforts to get high-school dropouts back in class and on track to obtain their diplomas. |
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