Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier used his fourth State of the Schools address Friday to thank voters for overwhelmingly supporting the district’s work to build modern, safe schools, and unveiled a plan to give students the technology they need to become graduates who contribute to Houston’s prosperity.

 “We’re here today to see the beginning of the future of education.  No longer can we think about education in the manner in which we experienced it.  It’s a whole new world and we are part of leading it,” Dr. Grier told a capacity crowd of 2,000-plus inside the Hilton Americas Hotel.

HISD student achievement reached record levels in 2012, and the district was rewarded by being named a finalist for the Broad Prize for Urban Education for the first time in a decade.  Those achievements include:

• A 45 percent increase in the number of college-level Advanced Placement exams passed by HISD students since 2009
• The highest graduation rate and lowest dropout rate ever for HISD under the modern accountability system
• A $130 million increase in college scholarship offers to HISD students since 2009
• Hundreds more HISD students scoring at the college-ready level on the SAT
• Students in HISD’s Apollo 20 school turnaround program are progressing at the same rate academically as students in America’s best charter schools. Lessons from Apollo 20 are being implemented in schools across HISD.

“There is more to be done,” Dr. Grier said. “Our focus is on becoming great all over. It’s a powerful mindset that’s being embedded in every facet of our district.”

Board of Education President Anna Eastman told the crowd the district must do its part to increase the number of Texas children earning college degrees and certifications.  Only 22 percent of the state’s eighth graders currently do so, she said.

“I’m pretty sure we can agree that we want more for our schoolchildren,” Eastman said. “Quite simply, I believe this will ultimately be achieved by remaining true to key elements in this and former boards’ Beliefs and Visions: Schools must be empowered to develop and implement the methods that best achieve their unique and individual instructional goals.”

Four of HISD’s inspiring high school students shared with the audience their experiences in Houston schools.  Those speakers were: Liliana Martinez (Chavez High School), Darius Lewis (Kashmere High School), Phillip Omrow (Scarborough High School), and Stanley Sandoval (Long Academy).

Building and equipping 21^st Century schools

HISD is already in the process of hiring architects and engineers for the dozens of school building projects worth $1.89 billion that Houston voters approved in November.  Those projects include new campuses for 20 high schools, Dr. Grier said.

“When we’re finished building, Houston will be the only urban school district in America in which every neighborhood high school is less than 20 years old,” Dr. Grier said. “When you combine these state-of-the-art buildings with great educators, we’ll have schools primed for greatness.  Classroom spaces designed to encourage collaboration and creativity, with teachers facilitating, not just lecturing.”

With new schools, more HISD classrooms will finally have the capacity to accommodate modern technology that teachers need to reach their students, Dr. Grier said.  The superintendent announced that the district is putting a plan together to eventually provide laptop computers that students in grades 3-12 can take home.

“I’m proud today to announce that we are working on a far-reaching plan that will close the digital divide that exists in our schools and community,” Dr. Grier said. “With anytime-anywhere learning our students would have the world at their fingertips.  We’ll make sure they learn the skills that complement technology so they aren’t replaced by technology.”

The non-profit HISD Foundation, which helped raise $16.8 million to fund Apollo 20, has committed to help raise money for the new HISD laptop initiative, Dr. Grier said.

Strengthening and expanding school choice options

In 2012, HISD expanded its portfolio of school choice options with programs tailored to meeting students’ 21^st Century needs, Dr. Grier said.

“Students in the career academies at six neighborhood schools will graduate high school with an associate’s degree from Houston Community College, relevant job training, and professional certifications,” Dr. Grier said. “Students should expect that the professional certifications they receive from our schools will match employers’ needs – today and tomorrow.  Employers should expect HISD graduates to have the skill sets and attitudes to meet their standards.”

HISD plans to build on the success of these career and technical education programs by implementing the same practices at high schools across the district, Dr. Grier said.

The superintendent also announced plans to begin developing a new magnet high school focused on energy and technology, and a middle school version of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

“We’re opening as many doors as possible for our students, giving them options and opportunities.  Whether students choose a path to college or a career, we’re making sure that they’re prepared,” Dr. Grier said.

Supporting great teachers

HISD’s commitment to placing a quality teacher in every classroom is the primary driver behind the strong gains in student achievement, Dr. Grier said.  He called on state lawmakers to restore school funding to a level that will allow Houston and other school districts to recruit and retain the great teachers that students need.

“We also know that the impact our teachers make to our community is not consistent with how they’re paid.  Hear me on this – this must change,” Dr. Grier said. “It’s time for the Texas Legislature to meet its constitutional obligation and adequately fund public education and the teachers who make our schools, and more importantly our kids, great.”

The superintendent concluded his remarks by thanking Houston residents for their strong support of public schools.

“HISD is moving in the direction of becoming great all over, and we’re moving fast,” Dr. Grier said. “I am confident that with the continued strong support of our school board, parents, and community, we will transform education and make Houston an international example of what is possible.  That’s what it will take to become great all over.”

Complete transcripts of the remarks delivered at the 2013 State of the Schools luncheon are posted online at www.houstonisd.org/stateoftheschools. The website also features photos and video of the event, and a link to the HISD 2012 Annual Report: Becoming Great All Over.

Chevron was the 2013 State of the Schools luncheon’s presenting sponsor, and Thompson & Horton LLP was the scholar sponsor.  Valedictorian sponsors were Andrews and Kurth LLP, ARAMARK Education, Bay-IBI Group Architects, ESPA Corp., Mercer U.S., Morganti, NATEX Architects, and Smart Financial Credit Union.  Proceeds from the event benefit the non-profit HISD Foundation.

What: Superintendent Terry Grier will deliver his fourth HISD State of the Schools address to a sold-out ballroom crowd at the Hilton Americas Hotel.  Dr. Grier’s speech will address the district’s plans for building 21^st Century schools across the city while aggressively incorporating technology into classrooms to enhance student learning.  Dr. Grier will also address plans for building on the strong academic progress happening in schools in neighborhoods across the city, which made HISD a finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education in 2012.  The event will also feature an address from Board of Education President Anna Eastman.

Seating for news media covering Friday’s sold-out event will be provided.  Meals, however, will not be available for reporters.  Those who are unable to attend State of the Schools may follow live on Twitter (@HoustonISD or in Spanish: @HISDEspanol).  Photos, transcripts, and video of the event will be posted at houstonisd.org afterward. Also, the district will post its 2012 Annual Report: Becoming Great All Over in a digital format following the event.

Chevron is the presenting sponsor for the 2013 HISD State of Schools.

When: Friday; Feb. 1, 2013, 11:30 a.m.

Where: Hilton Americas Hotel (1600 Lamar), fourth floor ballroom

At the start of the 2012-13 school year, Superintendent Erroll Davis delivered a state-of-the-district address to speak candidly about our challenges and new work to build a culture of excellence system wide. Now, our K-12 regional executive directors and school principals will hold their own forums to provide an update on the state of the schools in each cluster. APS leaders will discuss the academic offerings in our schools and answer questions from parents, students, employees and partners. Listed below is the schedule of cluster meetings:

South Region

·        Carver Cluster: February 19 – Price MS – 6 p.m.

·        South Atlanta Cluster: January 31 – Long MS – 6 p.m.

North Region

·        North Atlanta Cluster: January 23 – Jackson ES PRIMARY CAMPUS of Warren Jackson Elementary, located at 4191 Northside Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30342.  NOON

·        Douglass Cluster: February 21 – Coretta Scott King YWLA – 6 p.m.

East Region

·        Maynard Jackson Cluster: January 24 – Maynard Jackson HS – 6:30 p.m.

·        Grady Cluster: February 7 – Grady HS – 6:30 p.m.

West Region

·        Mays Cluster: February 6 – Mays HS – 6:30 p.m.

·        Therrell Cluster: February 13 – Therrell HS – 6:30 p.m.

·        Washington Cluster: February 28 – Washington HS – 6:30 p.m.

West Manor student, James Bond, introduces APS Superintendent, Erroll B. Davis, Jr. at 2012-13 APS State of the Schools address

In an address to hundreds of APS stakeholders last Tuesday, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) superintendent, Erroll B. Davis, Jr., announced that after enduring a tumultuous year of challenges, APS has embarked on the new academic year as a more stable district refocused on “the real work of educating children.”

The superintendent stressed that moving forward APS will focus intently on four key areas:  excellence, equity, ethics and engagement.

Davis made the statements at the Carter Center during the 2012 APS State of the Schools (SOS) address. During the annual address, the superintendent informs the business community, metro area leaders, APS partners, volunteers and parents about the current condition of the school district, highlights accomplishments from the previous school year and outlines the district’s goals and priorities moving forward.   The forum also gives attendees an opportunity to ask the superintendent questions during a brief question and answer period following the SOS speech. 

In his speech, Davis acknowledged special guests sitting in the audience, which included new APS principals and the longest serving principal in the district, Cascade Elementary School principal Dr. Alfonso Jessie, who has served generations of APS students since 1966.

Davis also recognized high school counseling coordinator, LaVerne Ware.  He indicated that under Ware’s leadership APS ranks third in the nation for grooming the highest number of Gates Millennium Scholars, and second among U.S. school districts with the most African American Gates Scholars. 

 Other APS 2011-12 achievements mentioned include delivering more growth on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the nation’s report card) than any other participating urban school district, and graduating almost 2,100 students who earned more than $86 million in college scholarship offers. 

Davis addresses stakeholders attending the SOS event

 When speaking about the school system’s challenges, Davis did not shy away from the multiple hot-button issues that made national headlines.  He addressed them individually, and thanked the citizens of Atlanta for their support, outspokenness and passionate engagement during the difficult times.

 “As community and business leaders, parents, board members, students and APS employees and citizens, we came through it together,” Davis said.  “We are stabilizing this school system, and we have begun to refocus on the real work of educating children—with honor, integrity, focus and transparency.”

And in the spirit of transparency, Davis revealed that over the past year, district leaders have made some “stunning discoveries” with respect to student performance.  According to Davis, about 80% of APS schools need intensive support.

But there is good news.  Davis said that APS is on the right path and poised to succeed.  The formula for success will concentrate heavily on emphasizing excellence throughout the district, offering more opportunities for stakeholder engagement, restoring and maintaining an ethical culture and ensuring a more equitable distribution of district resources.

Before closing, the superintendent reminded attendees that the APS community worked together to make last year’s achievements possible, and that same sense of unity can produce even greater results in the future.

“Together, we achieved these things, Atlanta!  And we are capable of so much more,” Davis said.   

Davis responds to questions from the audience following his SOS speech.

Click on the link below to view State of the Schools multimedia (full video, special video presentation, speech audio and speech transcript).

http://www.apsk12.org/media/SOS2012_Portal/SOS_PORTAL.html

And while HISD lays claim to some of the top-performing schools in the nation, Dr. Grier said, too many of Houston’s neighborhood schools are not improving fast enough.

“We’re proud of the schools that reliably produce graduates prepared to excel in college and in the workplace. But we also know that too many of our schools don’t fit into that category,” Dr. Grier told the crowd of community leaders, educators, and business organizations. “We must be able to look every parent in the eye and tell them we’d be proud to send our own children to any school in Houston. That’s the kind of consistency I’m talking about.”

Dr. Grier was introduced to the audience by George Smith Jr., a senior enrolled in the aviation magnet program at Sterling High School. Smith just earned his pilot’s license last week.

“I look forward to a future where I am doing what many of you here today are doing, which is altering the lives of many youth and preparing them for a successful future,” Smith said. He thanked Dr. Grier “on behalf of the students at Sterling and all the students in HISD for making sure we have a chance at getting the best education at whichever school we attend.”

HISD has undertaken several initiatives in recent years that aim to correct the problem of uneven performance among the district’s schools. Those initiatives are paying dividends, Dr. Grier said. For example:

• Efforts to improve the quality of teachers in every classroom have resulted in more than 90 percent of the district’s high-performing teachers returning to work each year, while less than half of the low-performing teachers return.
• Expanding access to college-level Advanced Placement courses at every HISD high school has led to a 35 percent jump the number of AP exams passed by Houston students.
• The Apollo 20 school turnaround program is producing results on par with the nation’s top charter schools.

HISD schools are also becoming safer. Since 2007, the number of crimes reported on Houston school campuses is down 9 percent.

All of this, Dr. Grier said, is a testament to the courage and hard work of HISD’s principals, teachers and staff at a time when the Texas Legislature has cut funding to Houston schools by about $120 million in just a two-year period. Those cuts have left HISD with 835 fewer teachers this school year and forced students to go without field trips, school nurses, librarians, art teachers, and P.E. coaches, Dr. Grier said.

“There is no other way to put it: 2011 tested you in ways you haven’t been tested before,” Dr. Grier said directly to HISD’s employees. “You didn’t let the state’s failure to adequately fund education distract you from your noble work. Instead, you rose up and led our students to unprecedented achievement.  I know everyone here joins me in applauding your courage in the face of so many challenges.”

HISD Trustee Michael Lunceford, 2012’s Board of Education president, said the district will continue fighting for the financial resources Houston schools need to prepare the city’s next generation of leaders. He called on the Texas Legislature to meet its constitutional obligation to provide all children with

“We want to partner with the Legislature to find reasonable solutions,” Lunceford said. “And we need them to partner with us.”

Despite weakening state support, HISD is moving forward on plans to bring consistently high academic achievement to every school, Dr. Grier said. Later this year, HISD will open its first Mandarin Chinese Immersion Language magnet school in Bellaire. On top of that, six Houston high schools that have had trouble attracting students from their own neighborhoods will soon offer career and technical education programs that offer valuable professional certificates in some of Houston’s most in-demand industries. Graduates of these programs at Booker T. Washington, Sterling, Furr, Kashmere, Scarborough and Long will leave high school with associate’s degrees from Houston Community College and poised to succeed at a four-year university, or to move directly into a high-paying career.

 Dr. Grier said these programs are being offered in direct response to demand from parents and students he has met while conducting Community Conversations at schools across Houston.

“I heard a common refrain: Keep our great magnet schools great. But do something now to improve our neighborhood schools,” Dr. Grier said. “Act now to give every child the tools to thrive in college and get a good job.”

Dr. Grier called on the community to continue supporting Houston schools the way they did in 2007, when voters approved an $805 million bond referendum to rebuild the district’s school buildings. Since then HISD has opened 16 new campuses and will soon open eight more. More than 100 schools have undergone significant upgrades as well. These projects are being completed on time and on budget, Dr. Grier said.

“I can tell you no other community shares Houston’s single-minded focus on doing right by all children,” Dr. Grier said. “A year ago, I said Houston ISD’s students were poised for greatness, if we would all pull together in a single direction. When every student’s success drives every decision we make, every school in our city flourishes. We have by no means accomplished all we must do. But we are making great progress.”

Complete transcripts of the remarks delivered at the 2012 State of the Schools luncheon are posted online at www.houstonisd.org/stateoftheschools. The website also features photos and video of the event, and a link to the HISD 2011 Annual Report: Driving Innovation. Transforming Education.

Chevron was the 2012 State of the Schools luncheon’s presenting partner, and ARAMARK was the event’s title sponsor. Proceeds from the event benefit the non-profit HISD Foundation.

Thank you for the opportunity to be here this afternoon. I’m a senior in the aviation magnet program at Sterling High School. And, I am very happy to tell you that as of February 25^th, I am a licensed pilot!

I transferred from the Aldine school district to attend Sterling High School as a sophomore because I wanted to be in the aviation program. It’s the best decision I ever made.

It’s been an incredible experience, and I’m proof that HISD offers a great education for anyone willing to take advantage of it. I placed all my pride into my new school and strived for excellence, as I was not just representing myself and my family, but I was also representing my school and my district. I have taken AP and dual-credit courses and with much hard work, I’m proud to tell you that I am the salutatorian of my graduating class.

The opportunity to study at Sterling will open many doors for me. But the opportunity also touches even closer to my heart and passion. You see, my uncle was the first African-American male to graduate from Sterling with his pilot’s license. He has been working as an air traffic controller.

And as I carry on his legacy, I’m happy to tell you that I was the first student this school year to conduct a solo flight! I have worked many, many hours for this achievement and had to pass the FAA written and oral exams, and also meet the flight requirements.

I’ve also been working as a paid intern at ConocoPhillips Corporate Aviation Services. Most importantly, I’ve tried my best to be an influential role model and leader while at Sterling, and I hope I’ve had a positive effect on my peers.

My time at Sterling is helping to build the foundation for my future. Next year, I will be attending the University of North Texas to study aviation logistics. My goal is to become a corporate pilot, and eventually, a chief pilot of a corporation, where I would be in a management position. I look forward to a future where I am doing what many of you here today are doing, which is altering the lives of many youth and preparing them for a successful future.

Of course, I could not imagine all that I have accomplished without the support of my family, my classmates, and the support of all staff at Sterling High School.

People like my aviation instructor, Mr. Smith. He has been innovative, and open to trying different ways of teaching to make sure all of his students grasp lessons and are able to apply it to real-life situations. As students, I don’t think we thank our teachers enough, so Mr. Smith, I’m here to thank you for all that you do for us every day. And I would also like to thank our principal, Mr. Mitchell.

I’d especially like to say to Dr. Grier, thank you on behalf of the students at Sterling and all the students in HISD for making sure we have a chance at getting the best education, whatever school we attend. And with that, it is now my honor to introduce the superintendent of schools, Dr. Terry Grier.

Thank you.

Good morning! It’s an honor to stand before you today, as we take a look at the state of our schools — our achievements as well as our challenges.

I would like to recognize and welcome my fellow trustees on the Board of Education. Trustees, please stand as I introduce you.

First, our immediate past president, Paula Harris, who did an outstanding job of leading the Board in 2011. Thank you, Paula, for your dedication and hard work last year.

And our other board trustees:

• Manuel Rodríquez
• Anna Eastman
• Larry Marshall
• Harvin Moore
• Juliet Stipeche
• Greg Meyers

And our newly elected trustee, representing District II – Rhonda Skillern-Jones.

I’d like to welcome all of our business partners, community leaders, parents, teachers, staff and administrators. I’d also like to recognize the elected officials, former HISD board members, and education officials who have joined us here today. If you would please stand when I call your name:

Are there any other current or former elected officials here who I missed?

We want to make sure we recognize each one of you. We truly appreciate all that you do for our community.

And last – but certainly not least – it is my pleasure to introduce HISD’s 2011 Teachers of the Year – please stand, Mr. Michael Clark from Bellaire High School and Ms. Heather Gaines from Lovett Elementary.

On behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Education — and all of us in this room — thank you for your dedication and commitment to helping our students achieve and succeed.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an exciting time to be a part of HISD. It’s a rewarding time — and also, an extremely challenging time.

Last year, our district faced a dramatic budget crisis. Huge cuts in funding by the state forced us to cut $78 million from an already lean budget, and more cuts are anticipated in the next budget cycle.

I want to thank those of you – parents, HISD employees, and others – who stepped in to contact your legislators on behalf of Texas school children.

I also want to say thank you to those legislators who worked to save funding to public education. Some of you are here today — and we truly appreciate your support.

The reality is this: If the Texas Legislature continues on this path of cutting funds to public schools and pushing the responsibility of funding public education to local communities, there will be consequences, and they will impact everyone. We will get to the point where we are no longer competitive in educating a workforce that’s prepared for a knowledge-based economy. And we won’t be successful – as a district, a city, or a state — in attracting new businesses or recruiting employees and families that have other options on where they want to work and live.

The Texas Constitution of 1876 – still in effect today – demands that the legislature suitably provide for “the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” Because our lawmakers have not met this constitutionally mandated obligation, HISD has joined with a broad coalition of Texas school districts, to stand together and seek a judicial ruling to compel the Legislature to do its duty and adequately share in the funding of our schools.

And, frankly, we expect to prevail.

But — during and after this litigation — we want to work with state officials to make this system better for all kids. The new state accountability system is currently raising academic standards to a much higher level of rigor — and HISD supports high standards for all our students.

However, at the same time these state standards are being raised, the state funding is being cut. We want to partner with the legislature to find reasonable solutions – and we need them to partner with us.

As we approach this coming budget cycle, we know that difficult decisions lie ahead. But our top priority remains — to protect the classroom – to ensure that each child has an effective teacher and the resources needed to reach his or her full potential.

Despite our funding issues, I am very proud and pleased that HISD is doing some of the most innovative, ambitious work in the country to ensure that all of our students get a quality education.

Our Houston Innovative Learning Zone – or “HILZ” program – is the beginning of a new era in career and technological education. The jobs in manufacturing are not merely manual labor anymore, but have evolved to be more technology driven; with a need for highly skilled workers.

There was an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal just Monday that addressed the lack of programs such as this in the public schools. The article said that 5% of the jobs in manufacturing go unfilled, simply because workers with the right skills cannot be found. That 5% represents over 600,000 jobs — unfilled – at a time when there is currently 9% unemployment. So I am excited about our new HILZ program, and hopefully, we can expand it at some point to include more schools in the district.

HISD has many outstanding teachers. And we’ve made great strides in our commitment to putting effective teachers in every classroom. Through our new teacher appraisal and development system, teachers receive more feedback, support, and professional development opportunities than ever before. We are also working on plans to help strong teachers advance their careers without leaving the classroom. This program would allow educators to grow professionally, increase their impact on students, and further their careers without pursuing traditional administrative jobs that take them away from teaching.

Leadership at each school is equally important, so we are also focused on making sure that each and every school has a great principal. Our new leadership development programs in conjunction with Rice University, the University of St. Thomas, and the University of Texas will also help us more effectively grow our own leaders within HISD.

I am very optimistic that we are on the right track. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re prepared to roll up our sleeves — and we approach it with a sincere commitment to quality education and a strong determination to do what is right for all HISD students.

Thank you for coming today. And thank you for your continued support of HISD.

I invite you now to enjoy your lunch and then we will be back shortly with more State of the Schools.

Let’s give a round of applause to the Pin Oak Middle School Orchestra. Weren’t they great?

Hello and welcome to the 2012 State of the Schools.

It is an honor to be here with Superintendent Terry Grier and to welcome my HISD colleagues, Board of Education trustees, elected officials, parents, students, and business and community leaders.

The State of the Schools is a time for all of us to come together and celebrate our accomplishments, as well as determine our next steps on where we still need to go and the best way to reach our destinations.

As I reflect on the many goals we have set for ourselves this year, I think about the students in class – working to understand concepts, asking questions, and seeing their faces once they understand the concept being presented.

I think about the lessons that my teachers plan for them. Every time I hear the phrase, “effective teachers in every classroom,” I think about my school community – how the teachers at Stevenson plan together; how they truly care about the students.

Even when my teachers tread into unfamiliar territory, they don’t shy away; we hold each other’s hands and go through it together – giving feedback and sharing ideas.

I have a teacher who stopped me and brought me into his classroom.

He has a class of second-language learners and teaches them 8th grade social studies.

He showed me his lesson and explained the strategy he was using to help students apply the terms they are learning.

The excitement that I heard in his voice, the passion for learning that he imparts to his students and the determination within him to do the best for his students is what it means to be an effective teacher in the classroom.

When I hear “effective leader in every building,” I think about my colleagues.

Mike Walker at Fondren Elementary and Jeanie Castano at Patterson Elementary who both work with their teachers and community to make sure that their students are well-prepared for the middle school transition.

Meilin Jao at Black Middle School, who works tirelessly to increase community involvement at Black.

Noelia Longoria at Ortiz Middle School and Javier Villarreal at Edison Middle School, who are working together to make sure their students receive opportunities that will open doors for them academically.

Dan De León at Chavez HS also comes to mind – Dan continuously works to find ways to keep the connection and transitions between Ortiz MS and Stevenson MS to Chavez open and welcoming.

These are just a few examples of how effective leaders operate – constantly thinking about the next steps for their school community, how they can continue to make things better so that not one child is lost along the way.

We cannot forget the communities which our children come from that surround our schools.

It is important to keep them informed of all the changes – especially with a new state exam and the challenges that come with it.

Many of us meet with our parents on a monthly basis, talk with them when they pick up their children, talk with them on the phone, or as we see them in the parking lot.

Our parents do send us the best they have and, yes, it is up to us to work together to educate the children.

So as we come together today, I’m sure there are many wonderful stories that will come to mind that you can share with the colleagues at your table.

And let us all remember that we are all part of the same team working for the same goal – to give every child the best education possible.

The question then becomes, “What is the next step? What will it all look like a year from now, and how will we continue to work to make it even better for our students?” I’m confident that working together, we will continue to do great things for our students.

I’d like to give a shout out to table 114, my Stevenson colleagues, and Table 145, Centerpoint Energy. And a special recognition to my husband, Roscoe Farmer, who is in the audience supporting me.

Thank you.

Nearly 2,000 community and business leaders, educators, and elected officials are expected to attend HISD’s State of the School luncheon on March 1 at the Hilton Americas Hotel.  Superintendent Terry Grier will address the many accomplishments and progress HISD has made made toward preparing students for college and future careers. Among the year’s highlights:

• more students are earning college credit on Advanced Placement exams
• HISD’s graduation rate is at an all-time high, the dropout rate is at an all time low
• the Class of 2011 received a record $129.6 million in college scholarship offers

Although the luncheon is sold out, coverage of the event will be provided on the HISD News blog, HISD’s Twitter stream (@HoustonISD) and a live stream on abc13.com.

For more information, please click here to visit the Houston ISD website.

Chris Belcher, superintendent for the Columbia Public School System, will give a presentation explaining the upcoming bond issue at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at Smithton Middle School.

Belcher will update parents, staff members and the Parent Teacher Association about the issue and answer questions from those in attendance.

Go to the district’s Web site to see frequently asked questions about the proposed bond and a list of proposed projects the bond would fund.

Dr. Belcher will also give a presentation about the upcoming bond vote at the following places:

Thursday, March 4: Olivet Christian Church, 1991 S. Olivet Road, noon
Wednesday, March 10: Columbia Public Library, Friends Room, 100 W. Broadway *This presentation is part of an election forum that will cover more issues than the upcoming bond vote.
Thursday, March 11: The Chamber of Government Affairs, 300 S. Providence Road, 3:30

APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall expressed a hope to explore ways to reward quality teachers who want to stay in the classroom without having to promote them into administration positions as part of a “listen and learn” event with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (Ga.) on Monday morning at Tech High School.

“Human capital management strategies have to be implemented,” Dr. Hall said as Duncan nodded his head. “We’re going to have to look at how to incentivize the best and brightest to teach. We know what the best practices are [for teachers]. But now the question is how do we provide professional development, and give [teachers] the opportunity to lead and still teach. Our survey shows that 82 percent of our teachers said there were open to pay-for-performance. So it’s about effective leadership, and effective teachers, and wrapping that around our services to our students.” Hall made rewarding quality teachers a part of her State of the Schools speech back in August. (View the speech here.)

After the speech Duncan met with teachers, including 2008 APS Teacher of the Year Charon Kirkland of Carter G. Woodson Elementary School (pictured above, second row far right). Duncan later took questions from both the media and Tech High students, including student body president Alexis Johnson and sophomore Roderick Rhone, and posed for pictures with students and Tech High Principal Eliza A. Falco.

Hall spoke as part of a group of educators and community and business partners. Duncan and other education department officials have held similar Listening and Learning sessions across the country in recent months as Congress plans to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the cornerstone of the government’s involvement in elementary and secondary education.

Duncan later visited Grady High School. More on that in future Talk Up APS coverage.