A new report shows Houston ISD is continuing to lose students and increase its number of uncertified teachers following its takeover by the Texas Education Agen
A new report shows Houston ISD is continuing to lose students and increase its number of uncertified teachers following its takeover by the Texas Education Agency in 2023. In an effort to improve performance among schools in the district, the TEA replaced the superintendent and elected board of trustees with an appointed "board of managers," as allowed by state law.
from the University of Houston found the state takeover of Houston ISD coincides with a quickening drop in enrollment year-over-year. Data collected by the University of Houston Research Center found that overall enrollment fell 3.1% in the 2023-24 school year and another 4% in the 2024-25 school year, the greatest enrollment drops since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers also found the number of uncertified teachers in Houston ISD also grew by over 1,900% since the takeover, from just 106 in 2022-23 to 2,122 in 2024-25. Meanwhile, the district lost over 9% of its teachers with standard certification. "If you're an optimist, you might look at this and say, this is what happens when we staff in innovative ways. We're able to tap into new pipelines of talent," said the report's co-author and assistant professor at the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs, Blake Heller. "If you're a pessimist, you might say that historically, right, the most effective teachers tend to be the more experienced teachers and the least effective teachers tend to be the least experienced teachers." Heller explained that the report describes trends at the school district and does not necessarily reflect outcomes for students. "I think time is going to tell whether or not this reform was effective in improving student outcomes and turning around these struggling schools," he said.The TEA is set to take over another round of districts, including Fort Worth ISD, in the coming school year. Austin ISD has emphasized its desire to retain local control of the district as it responds to state requirements and accountability grades. Three schools, including Dobie, Burnet, and Webb Middle Schools, have received four consecutive 'F' accountability grades from the state. If any receives a fifth, the district is at risk of a takeover. At a board meeting Thursday night, AISD Superintendent Matias Segura laid out a plan for the district to apply for a program through the TEA, which would allow the district to partner with an external charter program to operate the schools. If approved, the schools would then be exempt from TEA accountability grades for two years. Segura also noted the improvement in test scores at all three schools during the current school year. "I want to make sure we celebrate that. I don't know if we've seen these kinds of gains very often," said trustee Arati Singh.CBS Austin contacted the TEA for a response to the University of Houston's report. The agency has not responded as of Friday evening.Federal immigration enforcement operations were underway in Kyle and Buda Thursday, with local officials confirming the activity but emphasizing they were not iApproximately 30 Union Pacific train cars derailed early Thursday about five miles south of Giddings, the company said.The derailment occurred at about 6:30 a.mThe City of Austin is taking legal steps to get a bar on Sixth Street to take action in preventing criminal activity.The motion, obtained by CBS Austin, allegesAmerica is about to celebrate a milestone birthday. 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.To celebrate, the largest unA daycare employee in Minnesota confessed to suffocating an eleven-month-old boy to death and attempting to kill a four-month-old girl last fall.
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