Narrative Building in State Education Intervention: Framing the Takeover Attempt of Houston Independent School District

This case study uses the approach by the Texas government to attempt a state takeover of Houston Independent School District (HISD) to examine the impact of framing on awareness and acceptance of executive action. This work extends recent studies in Georgia and Massachusetts that find stakeholder relationships, the role of Republican governors, and assigning blame as key components of takeover analysis. Using framing analysis, this case study analyzes the impact that framing the takeover action and approach has on these relationships. These findings present an understanding of how narrative construction makes an executive action consistent with administrative and political power to gain acceptability.

The SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (SAS® EVAAS®) in the Houston Independent School District (HISD): Intended and Unintended Consequences

The SAS Educational Value-Added Assessment System (SAS® EVAAS®) is the most widely used value-added system in the country. It is also self-proclaimed as “the most robust and reliable” system available, with its greatest benefit to help educators improve their teaching practices. This study critically examined the effects of SAS® EVAAS® as experienced by teachers, in one of the largest, high-needs urban school districts in the nation – the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Using a multiple methods approach, this study critically analyzed retrospective quantitative and qualitative data to better comprehend and understand the evidence collected from four teachers whose contracts were not renewed in the summer of 2011, in part given their low SAS® EVAAS® scores. This study also suggests some intended and unintended effects that seem to be occurring as a result of SAS® EVAAS® implementation in HISD. In addition to issues with reliability, bias, teacher attribution, and validity, high-stakes use of SAS® EVAAS® in this district seems to be exacerbating unintended effects.

SoundOFF: A Shortage of Mathematics Teachers in Houston

The time had come to act. A shortage of teachers in a few teaching fields— specifically mathematics, science, bilingual education, and special education prompted the Houston Independent School District to go beyond traditional lockstep salary schedules to attract teachers in shortage fields. In a single year, all Texas universities were not certifying a sufficient number of mathematics teachers to fill the vacancies in this urban, predominantly minority district alone.