Research
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.

In this research brief, we focus on the profiles of the 2016-2017 cohort of EMERGE applicants.

Finishing What My Parents Started: College Aspirations among EMERGE Students
This brief describes findings from interviews with high-performing high school sophomores from low-socioeconomic backgrounds who applied and were accepted into EMERGE during spring 2018, before any exposure to EMERGE programming. The goal of this study was to understand how students develop college aspirations and search for postsecondary institutions.

Availability of and Equity in Access to HISD Pre-K Programs (Part 1)
This study attempts to identify the spatial distribution of HISD pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs across the district and better understand how program location may be associated with access and equity issues.

The Role of College Prep Course Offerings and Course-Taking in Long-Term Educational Outcomes
This study analyzes the distribution of college prep course offerings across Texas high schools and which school characteristics are associated with higher and lower numbers of college prep course offerings

The Effects of HISD Summer School
This study provides an assessment of the effectiveness of Houston ISD 2016 summer school, which the district offered both to retained students (which was required and needed for promotion) as well as promoted students (which was not required but available for summer enrichment).

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2019 Results
Through 38 years of Houston surveys, KHAS has tracked responses to the economic and demographic transformations of the Bayou City.
Harris County’s College Advising Needs
This Houston Education Research Consortium report assesses college advising needs in Pasadena, Galena Park, Sheldon, Humble, Aldine, Cypress-Fairbanks, Spring Branch, Alief and Katy ISD.
HISD's Decentralization Reform (Part 4: Funding)
This brief addresses Houston ISD's decentralization funding and is the final part of a larger study about HISD's decentralization.

HISD's Decentralization Reform (Part 3: Decentralization and Student Achievement)
This brief provides evidence on the relationship between HISD's decentralization reforms and student achievement.

Researchers found arts-learning experiences benefit students in terms of reductions in disciplinary infractions, increases in compassion for others and improvements in writing achievement.

Tracking Eighth-Graders' Postsecondary Outcomes in Harris County
Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) used the Houston Community Data Connections platform to track hundreds of thousands of Houston-area students' educational and professional careers for 17 years.

Predictors of School Discipline
This study examines the likelihood that a student will receive a school disciplinary action, such as in-school or out-of-school suspension.

HISD's Decentralization Reform (Part 2: Principal Survey)
This research brief looks at HISD principal attitudes and satisfaction within the current decentralized model.

Urban Edge
Education leader Ruth Simmons ponders what's next for diversity, equity and inclusion
With publicly-funded state universities eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion as part of the hiring process, and proposed legislation targeted at other DEI policies in higher education, private institutions have an opportunity—and an obligation—to respond, Ruth J. Simmons said at the Kinder Institute Forum on Wednesday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Researchers make the case for broader investments in high-quality pre-K in Texas
A high-quality prekindergarten education can significantly alter the trajectory of a child’s life, leaders from the Kinder Institute’s Houston Education Research Consortium told community members last week at a special presentation at the United Way of Greater Houston campus.

As evictions reach historic levels in Harris County, families in Houston ISD are bearing the brunt
On March 6, nine days before the Texas Education Agency confirmed its plans to take over the Houston Independent School District, officials received a presentation from researchers at Princeton University about a dilemma confronting families and students in the district: evictions.

State takeovers of school districts do not work. But there is something else that might
This week, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner warned that the state of Texas intends to take over Houston Independent School District as early as next week. As researchers who study education — and particularly education in Houston — we were asked: What would that mean for students?

When it comes to education outcomes, we get what we pay for
A lack of investment in education is holding back students in Houston and Texas, particularly those experiencing socioeconomic challenges, Kinder Institute Director Ruth N. López Turley said on Tuesday.

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