Houston Independent School District
Houston Independent School District is one of the largest public school districts in the United States. The district serves more than 200,000 students at 279 schools and 276 campuses in the city of Houston, Texas. It also has a number of alternative learning programs for its students. In addition, the district is one of the leaders in raising educational standards in the state. Houston ISD
In addition, Houston ISD has a large number of schools that focus on career and technical academies. This means that students are able to earn college credit while in high school. In addition to these schools, the district has a school for visual and performing arts, as well as a college prep academy.
HISD also boasts a diverse student population. Over 90% of its students are minorities. Some of the minority groups that the school district serves include Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians. There is also a large percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the district.
The student-to-teacher ratio in the district is higher than the state average. For example, a recent report shows that the average teacher has 10 years of experience, while the average ACT score for the Class of 2020 is 23.6.
Houston Independent School District was founded in the 1920s. Today, it serves most of the city of Houston. However, it does have some locations outside of the city.
During the middle of the 20th century, discrimination was a common issue in schools in the area. Often, white students were separated from black and Mexican American students. Eventually, the Houston school system integrated all of its students. A series of protests took place to ensure that all people were treated fairly in the school system.
The Mexican American community began to boycott discrimination practices in the area. Later, in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that schools could not discriminate against students based on race.
Several trustees criticized the board's actions. After a series of protests, the board appointed a new superintendent. But the former superintendent, Rod Paige, left for Washington, D.C., leaving Kaye Stripling to take over. She wasn't opposed to the board's decision, but she said the board was unable to serve its students.
On April 8, 2019, the Texas Education Agency announced that it was going to try to replace the local, elected school board with a state-appointed one. However, HISD filed a lawsuit to prevent the takeover. TEA's arguments included that the board's actions were unjustified and that the agency was not acting in the best interest of its students.
The lawsuit is currently pending before the Supreme Court of Texas. The court is expected to weigh the case between December and July. While the takeover is on hold, TEA has tried to stall the hiring of a new superintendent.
As of the end of the 2019-2020 school year, the Texas Education Agency awarded Houston ISD a "B" grade, meaning that the district has been rated as being above average for its academic performance. However, the TEA also cited illegal, unethical behaviors on the part of the HISD school board.
