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Laura Isensee

Laura Isensee

Education Reporter

Laura Isensee covers education for Houston Public Media, including K-12 and higher education. Previously, she was a staff reporter at The Miami Herald and contributed to South Florida’s NPR affiliate. Her work has also appeared in The Dallas Morning News, Reuters and Clarín in Argentina. Laura has won awards for her work in print and radio, including best specialty/beat reporting from the Texas AP Broadcasters Association in 2014.

A native Houstonian, Laura graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she majored in Spanish and Plan II, a liberal arts honors program. She earned her master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Her radio stories have aired on national programs, such as NPR’s All Things Considered and Here & Now. She enjoys dancing, biking and exploring new places. You can follow her @lauraisensee on Twitter.

Support Comes From

Related

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Support Comes From

Education

It Took This Houston Family 2 Years And Legal Action To Gain Special Education For Their Son

Laura Isensee

Posted on January 22, 2021 · The Texas Education Agency is taking on new oversight of special education in HISD. But many Houston families who are still struggling to access services view the state’s role with skepticism, given the troubled track record at both the state and district levels.

Tags hisd houston independent school district special ed special education

Education News

Texas Education Agency Appoints 2 Conservators Over Special Ed In Houston

Laura Isensee

Posted on January 11, 2021 · Each of the two new conservators come with 40 years of experience in special education, and they'll have a broad scope of responsibilities.

Tags hisd special ed Texas Education Agency

Education News

Houston Schools Can Require Students Struggling Online To Return In Person

Laura Isensee

Posted on January 6, 2021 · The option to deny virtual instruction is a measure that the Texas Education Agency gave school districts last fall.

Tags COVID-19 face to face instruction greg abbott hisd houston independent school district online learning Texas Education Agency

Texas

Pandemic Has Child Care Providers in Texas ‘Hanging On By Their Fingernails’

Laura Isensee

Posted on December 20, 2020 · A recent survey found that over half of child care providers in Texas are putting supplies or other items on their personal credit cards or dipping into their own savings in order to stay open.

Tags child care coronavirus relief COVID early childhood education early education texas

Education News

HISD Continues To Shift COVID-19 Policies, As Teacher Angst Grows

Laura Isensee

Posted on December 16, 2020 · HISD has told principals that unless contact tracing shows a staff member is exposed to COVID-19 on campus, educator and school staff have to quarantine at home on their personal leave.

Tags COVID Grenita Lathan hisd houston independent school district

Education News

Report: Texas Schools Still Forcibly Restrain Students Too Often

Laura Isensee

Posted on December 8, 2020 · The advocacy group Disability Rights Texas examined statewide data and found that students with disabilities and Black students are physically restrained by educators at disproportionately high rates.

Tags Disability Rights Texas restraints special education tea Texas Education Agency

Education News

Texas High School Students To Return To Campus For State’s End-Of-Course Exams

Laura Isensee

Posted on December 7, 2020 · The pandemic has upended school as most kids and teachers know it in Texas. But one part of the school year could proceed as normal: standardized testing, also known as STAAR.

Tags COVID COVID-19 education Mike Morath STAAR exam STAAR Test Texas Education Agency

Education News

NAACP Leaders Call Vote Against Interim Houston ISD Superintendent ‘Racially Polarized’

Laura Isensee

Posted on November 18, 2020 · Last week, the HISD board rejected naming Grenita Lathan as the permanent superintendent and instead voted to resume a national search.

Tags Grenita Lathan hisd naacp

Education News

Fort Bend Superintendent To Resign December 2021

Laura Isensee

Posted on November 16, 2020 · Dupre's resignation comes just a few weeks after the Fort Bend school board voted to extend his current contract for an extra year, through April 2024.

Tags Charles Dupre fort bend

Education News

Houston Students Push Teachers, State Board To Adopt Anti-Racist Curriculum

Laura Isensee

Posted on November 16, 2020 · Texas students have lobbied the State Board of Education and now are pressing school districts in Greater Houston to teach what they call an anti-racist curriculum.

Tags anti-racism curriculum Texas Board of Education

Education News

Houston School Board Resumes National Search For Superintendent, Passing On Interim Leader

Laura Isensee

Posted on November 12, 2020 · Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan has led HISD's 280 schools since the spring of 2018, weathering natural disasters, a potential state takeover and the pandemic during that time.

Tags Grenita Lathan HISD hisd school leadership superintendent

Education News

Feds Ask Texas Education Agency For More Proof On Fixing Special Education

Laura Isensee

Posted on November 5, 2020 · The request comes nearly three years after the feds slammed Texas for failing to provide services to all children with disabilities.

Tags Mike Morath special ed special education Texas Education Agency U.S. Department of Education

Election 2020

Election Day 2020: Cornyn, Crenshaw Fend Off Challenges; Houston-Area Incumbents Keep Their Seats

Elizabeth Trovall / Lucio Vasquez / Paul DeBenedetto / Laura Isensee / Mai-Ann Nguyen, HPM Intern / Cristobella Durrette, HPM Intern / Grace Hatfield, HPM Intern

Posted on November 3, 2020 · Houston Public Media is following the news as it happens on Election Day.

Tags 2020 election Chris Hollins COVID-19 drive-thru voting election election day steve hotze voter turnout voting

Education News

HISD Again Changes School Closure Protocols After Reaching Critical Limit

Laura Isensee

Posted on October 26, 2020 · The rise in COVID positivity rates and changes in HISD's reopening plan come just a week after Houston classrooms reopened for in-person learning.

Tags COVID hisd reopening

Education News

Houston Teachers Stage Sick-Out Protest To Demand Better COVID-19 Protocols

Laura Isensee

Posted on October 22, 2020 · Among their demands are capping class sizes at 15 students with six feet of social distancing required, and serving meals outside or in large, well-ventilated areas.

Tags hisd houston independent school district

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