Time to act
Students in struggling Houston schools deserve action from leaders, not excuses.
On a report card, an “F” means failure. Not passing. No mastery of subject. With a grade like that, a student might have to retake a test, repeat the course or redo the school year.
Under the new state academic accountability system, an “F” meant the ninth year of falling below standards for Kashmere High School, a ranking that in another year might have triggered state sanctions such as a forced campus closure or replacement of the locally elected school board.
But thanks to a Hurricane Harvey waiver, Kashmere — a 725-student school in a high poverty neighborhood that got a 49, among the lowest rated schools in the state — got a oneyear reprieve.
So did Houston ISD, which faced a state takeover if 10 chronically failing campuses did not show improvement. Under the new ratings, four of the schools met standards. Of the six that received Harvey waivers, two met standard anyway, but four, including Kashmere, did not meet standard and were “not rated.” the other six
That merits a sigh of relief, but celebration is premature. Yes, there were glimmers of hope in HISD, where 91 percent of campuses — or 251 out of 275 schools — met state standards. The five schools that feed into Kashmere have also shown improvement.
But at the more than two dozen schools that fell short, students are being robbed of a path to a better future.At Kashmere, students already grappling with inter-generational poverty (87 percent are considered economically disadvantaged), also had to contend with the fallout from Harvey, which left about one in five homeless.
As we have noted before, two cohorts of students — freshmen through seniors — have graduated from Kashmere during cycles of state-mandated turnaround plans, teacher and administrator turnovers, and consistent failure to meet state standards.
In a recent Houston Chronicle story, state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, who chairs the Senate Education Committee asked: “How many kids have gone through four years of that high school and it wasn’t up to standard?”
We must keep asking that question — not just of Kashmere, but of all underperforming schools in HISD.Then we must ask: What are our leaders — on the local school board, and in Austin — doing to fix the problem?
Better funding is part of the solution, but not a magic wand — as Kashmere shows. Last year, HISD allocated an additional $1.8 million to Kashmere, with more expected this year. Yet, the campus still did not make the grade. The clocking is ticking. For HISD, the 2018-2019 school year starts Monday. Every day in the classroom is critical to student growth.
One of the most important steps the HISD school board can take right now is to name a permanent superintendent, a leader capable of guiding the district through a pivotal year and strong enough to initiate the kind of change needed to lift up failing campuses.
Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan’s performance so far gives us confidence. She brings a solid background as HISD chief academic officer and former superintendent of the Peoria (Ill.) school district. Despite her uncertain status, she is plowing ahead with initiatives that include both innovative and common sense ideas. She has promoted smart, respected educators who know the district. What she may lack in polish and political savvy, she seems to make up for in a genuine commitment to putting children first.
It’s understandable that the board wanted to hold off on the hiring decision until the specter of a state takeover had eased for a while.
But now it’s time to act. Whether board members opt to keep Lathan, or to launch a national search, which would cost nothing since former Superintendent Richard Carranza left so abruptly in March, trustees need to move quickly.
Without serious improvement by the end of the school year, state sanctions still loom. HISD leaders have another chance to show they can improve failing schools. They should approach that assignment like our future depends on it, because it does.
One of the most important steps the HISD school board can take right now is to name a permanent superintendent.