Education

Closing local achievement gaps begins with closing spending gaps in Houston, Harris County

Academic achievement gaps cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars each year, according to estimates by McKinsey and Co. Yet we have not made significant progress toward closing these gaps since we began measuring them in 1969 through the National Assessment of Educational Progress, despite significant developments in teaching and learning.

Newcomer Schools in Houston ISD: Examining Student Enrollment and Outcomes (Briefs 1-6)

This series focuses on newcomer programs in Houston ISD serving English learner (EL) students who have recently immigrated to the United States.

Houston has the jobs, but employers must be willing to take a chance

There should be plenty of jobs available in the Greater Houston region this year, but is the area producing enough work-ready people to fill them?

10 in 2023: Top stories from the Urban Edge

Housing costs, the economy, increasing demands on income and concerns about the environment weighed on the minds of Urban Edge readers in 2023.

Houston ISD centralizing wraparound support services for students and their families at new Sunrise Centers

The Houston Independent School District bolstered its wraparound services with the opening of seven Sunrise Centers, which assist with a variety of noninstructional needs, including after-school care, clothing, enrichment activities, food, health care, school supplies and other resources.

Kinder Institute Forum: Robert L. Santos

Robert L. Santos, director of the U.S. Census Bureau, will discuss leveraging data to advance equity and diversity, lessons learned from the 2020 census, and plans to reach historically undercounted communities in 2030. 

When students change schools, how often is the cost of housing to blame?

Tens of thousands of students in the Houston area change schools during the school year or over the summer, which poses a variety of problems for academic achievement, according to the Kinder Institute’s Houston Education Research Consortium. In some cases, students are not moving schools for academic reasons, but because of housing needs — their families are facing eviction or in search of more affordable rent.

Switching Schools: Student Mobility Across the Houston Region

This program will highlight historic patterns of significant student mobility, what it means for student outcomes and strategies for supporting students.

Across Houston, career and technical education is working. But could it work better?

“Career and technical education,” or CTE, tends to conjure up the image of students receiving hands-on training in high-wage technical occupations such as welding or HVAC repair. These programs do indeed provide the skills and experience to succeed in such fields, but today’s CTE offerings go far beyond the vocational training of previous decades.

College and Workforce Outcomes of CTE Graduates in Houston

This series of briefs looked at CTE graduates' postsecondary education and workforce outcomes.

National report highlights the roles of education and research in undoing the cycle of poverty

Over 1 in 3 children born around 1980 in the U.S. who grew up in households with incomes near or below the poverty line remained in low-income households when they were in their 30s. This is intergenerational poverty, and it carries profound impacts on the ability of individuals, families and communities to prosper.

Examining Equitable Access to Health Resources, Support Staff and Technology Across HISD

This series of briefs examines whether HISD students across campuses have equitable access to health resources, support staff and technology.

As districts confront staffing shortages, centering equity can make a huge difference

Teachers are the most important resource in a school campus, and ensuring students have access to highly qualified teachers is essential. Unfortunately for PK-12 students in Texas, too many teachers have been leaving the profession and too few highly trained and experienced teachers are taking their place. At the same time, some schools have greater access to highly qualified teachers than others, which poses an obstacle to closing achievement gaps.

Equity in the Classroom: Teacher Qualifications and Student Outcomes in HISD (Briefs 1-3)

This series of briefs focuses on teacher qualifications and student outcomes in the Houston Independent School District.

Understanding the Effect of HISD’s EMERGE Program on Student Outcomes

This brief examines the impact of the EMERGE program on the likelihood of participating students applying to and enrolling in selective colleges.