About
Nothing is more critical to student success than the teacher in his or her classroom. That’s why HISD launched the Effective Teachers Initiative (ETI), a multi-year program devoted to the goal of having an effective teacher in every HISD classroom so that every HISD student is set up for success.
“Under the direction of Superintendent Terry Grier and a forward-looking board of education, HISD is at the forefront of important educational reforms nationwide.”
- Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of Great City Schools
- Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of Great City Schools
Since 2010—when the Board of Education selected the Effective Teachers Initiative as the first of five core priorities within HISD’s Strategic Direction—our district has been transforming the way we recruit and select new teachers, provide teachers with the professional support and development they need, and recognize our most effective teachers through expanded career and compensation opportunities.
Years of research have proven that nothing we can do for our students matters more. Teachers are the most powerful school-based factor in a student’s academic success or failure, and great teachers increase their students’ chances of attending college, earning higher salaries, and can change the trajectories of their students’ lives.
The Effective Teachers Initiative is our way of making sure that all students in HISD have great teachers who prepare them to succeed in college and in the workplace. Each one of Houston’s 203,000 students deserves no less.
Four key strategies for achieving our vision of an effective teacher in every classroom:
- Smart recruitment and staffing: Attracting and hiring the best teachers from across the state and across the country to teach in HISD.
- Useful appraisals: Providing teachers with regular, valuable feedback aligned with HISD’s standards for effective teaching—and providing principals with the information they need to build the strongest team of teachers for their school.
- Individualized support: Giving teachers the kind of support they need to do their best work.
- New career pathways and differentiated compensation: Recognizing, retaining, and rewarding our most effective teachers.
HISD by the numbers
Student Enrollment: 203,066
Hispanic: 62%
Hispanic: 62%
African American: 25%
White: 8%
Asian: 3%
At risk: 62%
Economically disadvantaged: 80%
Bilingual: 21%%
English as a Second Language: 6%
Special education: 8%
Number of schools: 279 279
Number of teachers: 11,340
Operating Budget: $1.58 billion
