Mission

The Board of Education’s mission is to equitably educate the whole child so that every student graduates with the tools to reach their full potential.

Vision

Every child shall have equitable opportunities and equal access to an effective and personalized education in a nurturing and safe environment. Our students will graduate as critical thinkers and problem solvers; they will know and understand how to be successful in a global society.

Beliefs

• We believe that equity is a/the lens through which all policy decisions are made.
• We believe that there should be no achievement gap among socio-economic groups or children of ethnic diversity.
• We believe that the district must meet the needs of the whole child, providing wraparound services and social and emotional supports.
• We believe our classrooms/schools should be safe, vibrant, joyful spaces where students are guaranteed access to a challenging and deep educational experience.
• We believe that instruction should be customized/personalized to meet the learning needs for each individual child, including students with disabilities, gifted and talented students, and English Language Learners, so they have the support and opportunity they need to flourish.
• We believe that recruitment and retention of qualified and effective personnel are the keys to enhancing the quality of education and increasing student achievement.
• We believe that the community has a right to transparent operations across the district in all schools, departments, and divisions.
• We believe that meaningful engagement with the community is important in all major decision-making.

Theory of Action

• If the District creates a culture of support and the expectation that every child can succeed regardless of existing challenges; and
• If the District allocates resources equitably, through a weighted funding formula based on student characteristics and performance, that distributes all resources to meet differentiated student needs; and
• If the District offers equitable access to high-quality diverse school settings that meet the needs of its diverse community of students; and
• If the District defines and funds essential positions or functions that guarantee a basic standard for student health, safety, and well-being at every campus;

Then campuses will be able to accomplish the Board's student outcome goals while honoring the Board's constraints.

Goal 1

The percentage of 3rd grade students performing at or above grade level in reading as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on STAAR will increase 8 percentage points from 42% in spring 2019 to 50% in spring 2024.

Goal 2

The percentage of 3rd grade students performing at or above grade level in math as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on STAAR will increase 8 percentage points from 46% in spring 2019 to 54% in spring 2024.

Goal 3

The percentage of graduates that meet the criteria for CCMR as measured in Domain 1 of the state accountability system will increase 8 percentage points from 63% for 2017–18 graduates to 71% for 2022–2023 graduates reported in 2024.

Goal 4

The percentage of students receiving special education services reading at or above grade level as measured by the Meets Grade Level Standard on the STAAR 3–8 Reading and STAAR EOC English I and II assessments will increase 8 percentage points from 21% in spring 2019 to 29% in spring 2024.

Board’s Constraints for the Board

Constraint 1

The Board will not conduct its duties without including students, families, teachers, and community members (inclusive of those that speak languages other than English) in a manner that inspires broad community ownership of board policy.

Constraint 2

The Board will not support recommendations or policy that contribute to historic patterns of disproportionate discipline.

Constraint 3

The Board will not allow five years to pass without an Equity audit, an LBB review and a SPED review.

Constraint 4

The Board will not operate without an annual review of strengths and weaknesses and a plan for team building and Board professional development that includes anti-racist training.

Constraint 5

The Board will spend no less than 50% of its meeting time monitoring progress on student outcome goals – starting at zero today and will be 50% by the end of the second quarter of 2022.

Superintendent's Constraints

Constraint 1

The Superintendent will not allow the District to operate without a system to recruit/employ strong teachers, who meet the needs of students needing the most support.

Constraint 2

The Superintendent will not allow the District to operate without students having effective, school-based wraparound support systems.

Constraint 3

The Superintendent will not allow the District to operate without notifying parents/guardians at least once each 12 weeks about how to help their student, if the student is one or more grade level behind in literacy.

Constraint 4

The Superintendent will not allow the District to operate without students receiving special education services meeting IEP progress.

Constraint 5

The Superintendent shall not allow the District to operate without significantly increasing quality seats for early childhood education, including prekindergarten 3, prekindergarten 4, and kindergarten.

Download HISD’s Mission, Vision, Beliefs, Goals, and Constraints in English and other languages.