HISD head vows to make district best in the nation

State of the Schools speech

Vilas Bhuchar, Feb 25, 10.

Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier vowed to eliminate ineffective programs and teachers and to push all high school students to take college-level courses in an effort to become “the nation’s premier school district,” according to the Houston Chronicle.

Grier, in his first State of the Schools speech since taking over HISD five months ago, told a crowd of about 2,000 educators, business leaders, and parents that HISD should be one of the best districts in the nation, according to the story:

“I believe there’s absolutely no city better positioned for success than Houston. So the question should be, ‘Why not Houston?’ Why should Houston not be the first city in America to close the achievement gap? Why could we not be the first city to not have a dropout rate?’ ”

To make this happen, Grier said teachers and principals will be hired based on a more standardized interview process rather than on who they know; furthermore, he expressed support for the district’s new policy, approved by the school board this month, that will allow the firing of teachers whose students don’t improve on standardized tests, the story notes:

“They cannot remain members of Team HISD,” Grier said, reiterating the district’s new slogan.

Speaking to teachers directly, Grier tried to reassure them. “Ultimately,” he said, “this is really about treating you and your colleagues with the respect and the professionalism you deserve.”

Grier also wants all high school students to be encouraged to take at least one college-level Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course and even suggested that some passing students could be rewarded with prizes, such as laptops or college scholarships, if Grier can find donors, according to the story.

Finally, Houston Mayor Annise Parker praised Grier’s desire to work with city leaders and make HISD one of the best in the nation, the story said:

“I applaud that Dr. Grier set the bar really high,” she said. “It’s going to be a challenge to achieve those goals even in the best of circumstances. But the cost of failure is much higher.”

Full story

HISD has posted video of the event, but only in .wmv format. If you are not using a mac computer, you might have to install Flip for Mac to watch this video.

From HISD’s page on the State of the District speech:

The 2009 State of the Schools Annual Report (.pdf) gives an overview of HISD’s accomplishments in 2009, its goals for this year, and the things we will be doing to achieve them.

Video of Superintendent of Schools Terry B. Grier’s address is available online here (.wmv).

Transcript of Dr. Grier’s speech is available online here (.pdf)

Video of speech by Board President Greg Meyers is available online here (.wmv).

You can view the 2010 HISD State of the Schools on HISD TV (Comcast channel 18) at the following times:

Story on HISD News Today:
Friday, February 19: 6:30 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 20: 8:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.; 6:30 p.m.; and 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 21: 8:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.; 6:30 p.m.; and 8:30 p.m.
Monday, February 22: 8:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.

February—Complete State of the Schools Program:
Wednesday, February 24: 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 27: 4:00 p.m.

March—Complete State of the Schools Program:
Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m.
Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
Saturdays at 1:00 p.m.
Sundays at 5:00 p.m.

(Photo credit: lumaxart)

Comments

Ray Lawrence said:

I sincerely hope that Dr. Grier is not trying to channel every student into a college prep curriculum. Many high school students are not suited to academics but may be good with their hands and have aptitude for vocational trades and crafts. A major concern on the part of many American industrial companies is that significant percentages of their skilled workforces are approaching retirement with insufficient numbers of high school and tech school graduates available to replace them. As a consequence, our entire economy - particularly the export sector - may be adversely affected. What is needed for these types of students is a dual education system, similar to Germany’s, in which vocational students in many fields attend class certain days of the week and work as intern apprentices in participating companies and service organizations to obtain real-life on the job training the other days of the week. Once they get their diplomas, these students can progress to good paying jobs in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, up to 50% of their counterparts that are pushed into college wind up flunking out their Freshman years and wind up working at McDonalds or in other low paying jobs.

Posted on Mar 03, 10 at 2:24 pm

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