House Bill 5 and High School Endorsements: How Do They Align to College Admissions?
This policy brief describes the Texas high school graduation requirements put into effect through the passage of House Bill 5 in 2013. The brief contends the introduction of academic endorsements, similar to college majors, may create clearer paths to selective college enrollment for students studying STEM.
Long-term English Learners (LTELs): Predictors, Patterns, & Outcomes, Defining LTEL (Part 1)
This is the first in a series of briefs the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) will release on long-term English learners (LTELs).
Pre-K Preferences: How and Why HISD Parents Choose Pre-K Programs (Part 3)
The aims of this study are to identify characteristics that drive pre-k enrollment, understand where parents receive their information about HISD pre-k options, and understand parental beliefs about which program characteristics are most important.
Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Texas Workforce
Motivated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s 60×30TX strategic plan, this project examined the path to and through college and into the workforce for students in the Houston area and state of Texas.
Will tuition-free college increase college graduation rates?
This study determined the optimal tuition subsidy necessary to increase two- and four-year college graduation in Texas. The study also estimated the per pupil and total cost of potential subsidies, and compared how they might affect college graduation rates.
School-to-Work Linkages in Texas
This report examined school-to-work linkages among bachelor’s degree holders in the state of Texas. Linkage is a measure of how closely connected college majors are to specific occupations in the labor market.
Cycle 1 of HISD’s College Success Initiative and Students’ Preparation for and Enrollment in College
This study examines the relationship between Cycle 1 of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) College Success Initiative and students’ preparation for, enrollment in, and persistence in college.
Transitioning to College and Work: Labor Market Analyses in Houston and Texas (Part 3)
Part 3 of the Houston Longitudinal Study on the Transition to College and Work (HLS) examined supply and demand for labor in the Houston area and Texas; in-demand occupations and skills in the Houston area; and early career wages and unemployment receipt among high school graduates from the Houston IndependentSchool District (HISD).
Transitioning to College and Work: A Study of Potential Enrollment Indicators (Part 2)
Part 2 of the Houston Longitudinal Study on the Transition to College and Work (HLS) examined potential indicators of college enrollment school and district staff might use to identify and support students at risk of not attending college.
Summer Melt and Free Application for Federal Student Aid Verification
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) verification and its role in summer melt is examined in this brief.
The incomparability of campus-specific Benchmark Running Records
The purpose of this methodological brief is to examine the comparability of literacy Benchmark Running Records utilized by campuses in HISD.
Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2020 Results
For close to four decades, the Kinder Houston Area Survey has been tracking the changing attitudes and experiences of Houstonians.
This report finds that gaps in four-year college outcomes by English learner status are large, but are entirely explained by differences in sociodemographic, academic and school characteristics.
Examining Complexity in Student Homelessness: The Educational Outcomes of HISD’s Homeless Students
In this report, researchers examined the educational outcomes of Houston Independent School District (HISD) students who are homeless from 2012-13 to 2016-17, the years immediately preceding Hurricane Harvey.
Strategies for Increasing Access to HISD Pre-K Programs (Part 2)
This is the second in a series of briefs examining student access to Houston ISD pre-kindergarten programs. The study finds that among 2018-19 kindergarteners in HISD who did not attend HISD pre-k, about two-thirds of students likely qualified for enrollment.
Making the case for increasing funding for Texas schools that need it most
Seventy percent of Houstonians believe schools need “significantly more” money to provide a quality education to students, a sentiment that has grown stronger since the Kinder Houston Area Survey began asking this question in the early 1990s.
How public pre-K sets Houston’s students on a path to success
In 2023-24, over 50,000 children attended public prekindergarten in the Houston area, bringing overall enrollment near to pre-pandemic levels.
New research highlights potential responses to student homelessness caused by natural disasters
Hurricane Harvey rendered some 24,000 students in Houston Independent School District to be listed as homeless. The storm brought the district's overall total to more than 29,000 homeless students in the subsequent year, according to new research from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s Houston Education Research Consortium.
Guidance counselors could help close gender gap in Texas high school STEM participation
In the labor force and in postsecondary education, women lag behind their male counterparts when it comes to careers and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Leading education scholar points to research-practice partnerships as a remedy to inequality
With a broad mission of supporting research to improve the lives of young people, William T. Grant Foundation President Adam Gamoran understands his organization has a distinctive niche.
Rice University
Kraft Hall
6100 Main Street, Suite 305
Houston, TX 77005-1892
