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.
PERSPECTIVES:
EDUCATION | SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISPARITY
Third Ward residents have recently gained increased access to grocery stores, health care, public transit and other necessities, thanks to an electric vehicle shuttle service that transports residents at no cost. It is part of a 12-week pilot program that could help close a critical transportation gap in Houston communities facing transit disadvantages and low vehicle ownership.
FEATURES:
TRANSPORTATION | SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISPARITY
Following a three-phase, 18-month project, Harris County Public Health has released a community action plan for Settegast, a historically Black neighborhood in northeast Houston with the lowest life expectancy in Harris County, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s U.S. Small-Area Life Expectancy Estimates Project.
FEATURES:
PUBLIC HEALTH | SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISPARITY
According to the United Way of Greater Houston, more than 1 million households in the Greater Houston area are considered asset-limited, income-constrained and employed (ALICE) or are below the federal poverty level. These households — as many as 8 in 10 in some neighborhoods — are unable to afford basic necessities.
DATA:
DEMOGRAPHICS | SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISPARITY
In partnership with 16 nonprofit partner organizations, the 27 fellows in the 2022-2023 Community Bridges cohort grappled with urban inequality and poverty issues within Greater Houston communities.
