Research

Social and Emotional Skills of Students in the Houston Independent School District (Briefs 2-5)

This series of briefs looks at how social and emotional skills are related to academic outcomes, absenteeism, and exclusionary discipline; the context of SSES skills; and the commonalities and differences between students’ self-ratings and teachers’ ratings of students’ SE skills.

Long-term English learners: How is timing of reclassification associated with middle and high school outcomes?

This brief examines the middle and high school outcomes of long-term English speakers in the Houston region, with a specific focus on how the timing of reclassification was associated with academic achievement and school engagement.

Equity in CTE Program Availability and Access

This study examined the availability and access to Career and Technical Education programs in HISD.

HISD Student Needs Survey: Fall 2021

HISD's 2021 student needs survey measured student needs across five categories: health, mental health, basic needs, home learning environment, and enrichment activities.

Problems with How Texas Measures Continuous Enrollment and Proposed Solutions: A Methodological Report

This report proposes alternative definitions for student continuous enrollment. It also looks at the relationship between continuous enrollment and performance.

Pre-K Choice and School Readiness in HISD (Part 4)

This brief serves as the fourth, and final, study in a series examining pre-K access for students in HISD.

The 2022 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

The third annual State of Housing report looks at the pandemic's impact on the local housing market. The report also sets new housing baselines on mortgage loan data, homelessness and other housing indicators.

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2022 Results

The 41st Kinder Houston Area Survey shares Houstonians’ views on the economy, crime, the pandemic and other issues related to the city’s demographic transformations.

Long-term English Learners (LTELs): What factors are associated with the likelihood of an English learner becoming a long-term English learner? (Part 3)

This research brief examines student, campus, and neighborhood characteristics that can be considered risk or protective factors for the likelihood of an English learner (EL) becoming an LTEL (long-term English learner).

Houston METRORail Human Factors Safety Analysis

Concern over METRORail light rail vehicles collisions with cars, pedestrians, and motorists led the Kinder Institute to fund Rice Human Factors researchers to conduct a safety analysis of the rail line.

Harris County Winter Storm Uri Resilience Assessment

This report provides a geographic analysis of damage caused by Winter Storm Uri and highlights the unmet needs it uncovered. This assessment also analyzed damages from COVID-19 and Hurricane Harvey to better understand how these crises compound on different communities and to identify where recovery efforts might make the biggest impact.

Property Tax Equity in Harris County

The purpose of this study is to estimate the extent to which property taxes paid by City of Houston residents, businesses, and property owners financially support County services provided in Harris County outside the City of Houston. In other words, do Houston city taxpayers subsidize services provided by Harris County outside the city?

Student Mobility in Texas and the Houston Area

This report is the culmination of a multi-year study on student mobility undertaken by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research's Houston Education Research Consortium in collaboration with 10 public school districts in the Houston area.

A Tale of Two Departments: Public Health in Harris County and the City of Houston

This report examines the possible service overlaps between the Harris County Department of Public Health and the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services. The report also identifies options to reduce overlaps and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the public health delivery system.

The Relationship Between School-Year Mobility and School Performance in the Houston Area

A study of 10 public school districts in the Houston area found that the higher the school-year mobility rate at a school, the lower its accountability performance.