CASE Officially Launches

The Coalition for Advancing Student Excellence (CASE) has officially launched!

CASE is a collective of Houstonians committed to ensuring that every student within Houston Independent School District (HISD) has the opportunity to receive a high-quality education. CASE emerged in response to the urgent need for a renewed focus on the fundamental goal of fostering an environment where all students can learn and thrive.

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Coalition for Advancing Student Excellence launches

ICYMI: The Houston Chronicle previewed the Coalition of Advancing Student Excellence, which will serve as a voice focused on quality instruction, best-in-class teachers, and future-focused leadership.

Why it Matters: Reforms with a proven track record of success are necessary for every HISD student to receive a high-quality education.

What they’re saying: CASE spokesperson, Max Moll, was quoted in the Chronicle story stating that “CASE plans to aggressively support measures that they deem are good for HISD students while providing constructive feedback to district leadership as needed.

Moll goes on to say, "we’re going to use our voice to champion much-needed reforms at the district that are going to improve student outcomes. Our hope is to be a new voice in an environment that there are tons of voices, but we want to make sure we’re refocusing folks on what I think everybody wants, which is improved outcomes for students and an improved school district."

What’s Next: CASE will be focused on promoting necessary changes to move away from the status quo that wasn’t serving students. The organization will also support the district’s ability to build around the unique needs of each neighborhood, campus, and student.

Message that Matters: HISD is now a District of Innovation

Catch up Quick: On December 14, 2023, the HISD Board of Managers unanimously voted to become a District of Innovation (DOI).

Go Deeper: DOI status encourages and incentivizes school districts to adapt to meet the unique needs of their students. The adaptations grant relief from restrictions and regulations that limit the ability to tackle challenges unique to a specific community. Districts select from a range of exemptions, including: 

By the numbers: In the state of Texas there are 1,019 ISDs, and 965 of those are DOIs (89.2%). 

Bottom Line: DOI status is the necessary first step to implementing needed reforms that put students first. Adoption of DOI would likely not have taken place without the strong leadership from members of the Board of Managers who unanimously approved the measure.

Setting the Record Straight: Convocations are common practice

Setting the Record Straight: HISD, like almost every other school district in the region, spends money each year to produce a teacher convocation. These events are important to celebrate teachers, build a culture of high performance, and mark the beginning of a new school year.

The bottom line: Despite the sensational story in the Houston Chronicle earlier this week about HISD’s convocation, these kinds of events are commonplace and, yes, cost money to produce. Now let’s get back to focusing on teachers and students.

Join CASE: Do you believe in quality instruction, improving student outcomes and uplifting teachers? Join CASE today!

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