Charter schools are public schools that operate free from some government regulations in return for a commitment to achieve a set of student outcomes specified in their charter. Nearly 8,000 public charter schools enrolled 3.7 million students in the U.S. in 2020-21. In major cities, charter schools receive less funding per pupil compared to…

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Houston area, causing the homelessness of nearly 24,000 students in the Houston Independent School District (Houston ISD) alone. Additionally, nearly all Houston ISD schools sustained damage of some kind, resulting in school closures, campus relocations, and even the delaying of the start of classes for…

Students experiencing homelessness spend their nights in various settings, including shelters, with friends/families (doubled-up), motels/hotels, and unsheltered contexts. Yet there is limited quantitative research on how educational outcomes vary by residential context. We analyze data from over 400,000 students in Houston Independent School…

Project Explore targeted minority students in grades six through eight who attended 28 Houston Independent School District (HISD) middle schools during the 2019-2020 academic year. In 2019-2020, a total of 2,095 students were accepted for participation in the Project Explore program, and an additional 715 students were waitlisted for program…

As an independent school district, Houston Independent School District (HISD) contracted with four operators of seven External Performance Contract Campuses, or contract campuses. Houston ISD contract campuses receive funding through the district. HISD has implemented a comprehensive performance accountability and compliance monitoring system that…

The Study of Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) is an international effort led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Houston Independent School District (HISD) served as the only U.S. site for this study. Over 6,400 10-year-old and 15-year-old students from 119 HISD schools participated in the SSES in the fall…

The Study of Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) is an international effort led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Houston Independent School District (HISD) served as the only U.S. site for this study. Over 3,000 15-year-old students from 45 HISD campuses participated in the SSES in the fall of 2019. This…

English Language Learner (EL) students in the district's two main bilingual programs (Transitional and Dual Language) are instructed in both English and Spanish. The relative amount of instruction in each language depends on both program and grade level. In the Transitional bilingual program, students receive primary language instruction for…

The Improving Basic Programs effort in Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), is designed to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and achieve, at a minimum, proficiency…

Oral reading fluency was investigated as a predictor of standard scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III Broad Reading Cluster (BRC). Participants included first- through third-grade students (n = 1301) from elementary schools in and around Houston, Texas. Median words correct per minute scores from three oral reading passages were…

The Study of Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) is an international effort led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) serving as the only U.S. site. Over 6,000 10- and 15-year-old students from 119 HISD campuses were selected to participate in SSES in the fall of…

The Houston Independent School District offers two primary bilingual programs (transitional and dual language) for Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs). The relative amount of instruction in each language depends on both program and grade level. Students in the transitional bilingual program have the option of entering a "pre-exit…

Recurrent catastrophic weather events on the Texas Gulf Coast led to the need to explore how Hurricane Harvey affected PK-12 education in the geographical area. Consequently, changes in student demographic characteristics and academic outcomes were correlated with 2018-2019 NERD$ finance data for Houston ISD and surrounding school districts. The…

Greater utilization of certain Literacy by 3 classroom practices is associated with the increased likelihood of a campus exceeding district average growth in reading. Though the Literacy by 3 program has been in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) since the 2014-2015 school year, this study is the first to examine the relationship…

The Study of Social and Emotional Skills (SSES) is an international effort led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with Houston Independent School District (HISD) serving as the only U.S. site. Over 6,400 10-year-old and 15-year-old students from 119 HISD campuses participated in SSES in the fall of 2019. This…