
Houston Matters
Outsiders’ views of Texas (Sept. 22, 2023)
Posted on · On Friday's show: Have outsiders' views of Texas and Texans changed since the animated series "King of the Hill" left an impression?
Posted on · On Friday's show: Have outsiders' views of Texas and Texans changed since the animated series "King of the Hill" left an impression?
Posted on · The Houston Matters panel of non-experts weighs in on stories from the week’s news and decides if they’re good, bad, or ugly.
Posted on · Parents and teachers continue to speak out against reforms and turnover in Houston’s public school system. The protests intensified this week as the state-appointed leaders of Houston ISD removed more teachers from their schools. The debate over these types of reforms is not new — even in Houston.
Posted on · On Friday, an administrator told teachers at Cage Elementary and Project Chrysalis Middle schools to affirm their commitment to the new reform program by the end of the weekend or be reassigned. Monday morning, about thirty protestors gathered in front of the campus to speak out against the directive.
Posted on · The state-appointed leaders of Houston’s public school system say they can’t comply with a new law requiring police officers at every campus, and they’re seeking exemptions for that and other state laws. During the Thursday board meeting, they also geared up for expected school closures in the coming years by approving a policy that allows staffers from those schools to be terminated.
Posted on · The union originally filed the lawsuit against the district because it said HISD’s proposed system violated state law, which requires input from teachers and community members. The union said the policy was done behind closed doors.
Posted on · Houston ISD’s state-appointed Board of Managers approved Superintendent Mike Miles’ request to seek a longer school year — a proposal that had previously been rejected. District leadership also tweaked how educators are evaluated in response to a union lawsuit, and a group of protesters interrupted the meeting every four minutes.
Posted on · On Friday's show: We consider recent examples of how technology may help but also hinder us and learn about efforts to teach the next generation of engineers here in Houston the importance of ethical development of technology.
Posted on · Several attendees reported having felt unable to express their concerns to school administrators because of a language barrier. Others said they had heard of some families and students experiencing racism from school employees. Overall, 62 percent of students in HISD are Latino.
Posted on · At the event attendees expressed concern regarding special education, dual-language programs and recently implemented reforms at the district’s New Education System schools.
Posted on · On Friday's show: The head of the Houston Federation of Teachers explains why her organization is suing over HISD’s plan to tie teacher pay, in part, to test scores. And we learn why a few hundred particle physicists are descending on Houston next week.
Posted on · For students in 85 Houston ISD schools, this first week of classes was different than previous years. That’s because a third of the district is undergoing reforms at the direction of state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles.
Posted on · On Thursday's show: What is now Tropical Storm Idalia continues to roll through the southeast’s Atlantic coast, Houstonians are poised to help folks in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
Posted on · The TEA took over, hired a board of managers and a superintendent, and now a summer of change is put to the test.
Posted on · On Monday's show: Today is the first day of classes at Houston ISD under state control. We discuss a new school year of change.