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In Houston, Texas, thousands of students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) are returning to school after spring break amidst uncertainty surrounding the status of some principals within the district.
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday to offer an update on the performance scores of principals within the district.
Last week, over 100 principals in HISD received notices indicating that they could face termination if their school’s performance scores fail to improve. This accounts for nearly half of the district’s principals.
The decision to issue these notices came after Superintendent Miles received the results of mid-year proficiency screenings, which assessed both the “quality of instruction” and “student achievement.” These screenings included classroom observations conducted by an independent review team and assessments such as the mid-year Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and interim State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results.
A second assessment is scheduled in the coming weeks, and principals on the list must achieve higher scores to retain their positions. The lowest-scoring 10% of principals will face automatic removal.
HISD provided a statement indicating that 120 principals were informed of their progress and were encouraged to continue working hard to meet performance expectations.
This development follows a trend of increased principal turnover within HISD under Superintendent Miles’s leadership. Some have raised concerns about the potential impact of further vacancies on the district’s ability to provide quality education.
Ruth Kravetz, who leads Community Voices for Public Education, has expressed concerns about the atmosphere of fear among principals and teachers within the district. She questions whether some principals are facing retaliation for not participating in HISD’s New Education System (NES) reform program.
Kravetz believes that Superintendent Miles has implemented an opaque and flawed principal evaluation system, leading to confusion and anxiety among educators. She argues that such an environment is detrimental to students’ academic outcomes and overall well-being.