Houston Education
Research Consortium

The Houston Education Research Consortium is a research-practice partnership between the Kinder Institute and eight Houston-area school districts to guide data-driven, equity-minded policy. HERC uses a jointly developed research agenda that involves both researchers and school district leaders working together on critical issues to improve educational equity. The research center follows a long-term, rather than project-based, collaboration to solve longstanding problems with a focus on informing decision-makers directly.

Our commitment to Houston ISD
As a new superintendent and Board of Managers are appointed to Houston ISD, Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research remains committed to informing district leadership in its efforts to improve student outcomes. Learn more.

Initiatives

The Equity Project

Student Mobility

Emergent Bilingual Students

Prekindergarten

Study on Social and Emotional Skills

Postsecondary Readiness

Wraparound Needs

Research

Parental Perspectives and Experiences From HISD's Parent University

This study looks at how parent participants feel about HISD's Parent University program and if it has motivated parental engagement and advocacy in the district.

BRIEF: June 9, 2025 EDUCATION

Aldine ISD: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills and Campus Discipline Outcomes

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s Houston Education Research Consortium partnered with Aldine ISD, an urban school district serving predominantly economically disadvantaged and minority students, to better understand how self-reported teacher and student SEL skills were associated with campus disciplinary practices.

BRIEF: May 2, 2025 EDUCATION

Sunrise Centers: Strengths, Challenges, and Recommendations to Enhance Family and Student Well-Being

This four-part series examines the first-year implementation of the Houston Independent School District’s (HISD) Sunrise Centers.

BRIEF: April 22, 2025 EDUCATION

Characteristics and Profiles of Pre-K Classrooms and Teachers in the Houston Region

This brief examines the characteristics of public pre-K teachers and classrooms in Houston-area school districts to better understand how well the programs align with research-based indicators that have been shown to produce positive student outcomes.

BRIEF: March 31, 2025 EDUCATION

Student Enrollment and Mobility During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Kinder Institute for Urban Research examined patterns of student mobility, specifically students changing schools or school districts, in Houston-area school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BRIEF: February 27, 2025 EDUCATION

Workforce Demand Dashboard

This dashboard connects localized workforce data to career and technical education (CTE) pathways in the Houston region to help improving the alignment between education, training, and workforce need.

DATA DASHBOARD: February 20, 2025 EDUCATION

Middle School Experiences and Exit: Perspectives From Parents

This study utilizes parent survey and interview data to study motivations behind middle school student mobility.

BRIEF: November 18, 2024 EDUCATION

Pre-K Enrollment and Early Elementary Outcomes

This series examines the influence of the passage of Texas House Bill 3 (HB3) and COVID-19 pandemic on public pre-K enrollment and attendance. It also looks at how participation in public pre-K programs is associated with early elementary outcomes such as kindergarten readiness, chronic absenteeism, and English proficiency.

BRIEF: November 11, 2024 EDUCATION

Hurricane Harvey and Student Homelessness (Briefs 1 and 2)

Brief 1 of this two-part series examines the characteristics of students who became homeless due to Hurricane Harvey. Brief 2 explores the educational outcomes of these students.