By Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles attended the Houston City Council economic development meeting on June 18 to give a presentation on the district’s progress and the New Education System.
Miles highlighted the much improved STAAR test scores and other aspects of the performance of the NES schools.
If Houston ISD continues to see improved STAAR scores like it did this school year, the district could return to being governed by elected officials in the next two years, Miles said.
“I’m invested in Houston, but at the end of the day, I’m trying to work myself out of a job,” Miles said. “We want to return the district to an elected board.”
However, Miles said there are three main criteria for the Texas Education Agency to end the state’s revamping of HISD that must be achieved first:
- No schools with multiple years of a D or F status
- Compliance with state special education standards
- Development of a more effective administrative structure
Miles said that, ultimately, the decision about when the transition would happen is up to the TEA’s Commissioner Mike Morath.
What is NES?
Miles’s presentation titled Destination 2035 – A New Education System showed the council what the new model entails, and laid out short-term and long-term goals.
The program was launched at historically underperforming campuses across HISD in the fall of 2023 and was designed to dramatically improve those school in the following ways:
- Improve how students do in school
- Close gaps in student achievement
- Make sure students are ready for life after graduation
The plan seeks to make this the last generation of children that will go through public education before the skills gap is closed for the next 30 years.
Miles explains why NES is needed
Miles assured the audience, which included Mayor John Whitmire and other government officials as well as council members, that accountability is key to the program’s success and that his administration is fully committed to the new program.
Miles said that HISD has not had a “rigorous” evaluation system for teachers and principals in 20 years, and that the achievement gap was therefore allowed to remain.
“I can’t tell you in the past what they used for effective principals, what made principal of the year; that’s a different criteria,” he said.
What’s next?
City council members said they support Miles’ efforts and will set a date for a future meeting to discuss further progress.
