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In March, the district held a two-day conference aimed at counteracting the persistent negative publicity surrounding Superintendent Mike Miles and the state takeover of Houston Independent School District (HISD). This event gathered superintendents, chief academic officers, policy analysts, nonprofit executives, and civic leaders to elaborate on Miles’ vision for “wholescale systemic reform.” His strategy includes reorganizing central office supports, revamping budgeting, transportation, and operations, expanding professional development for teachers, and creating a “Principal Academy” to cultivate leadership aligned with the New Educational System (NES).
Miles diverges from the traditional merit pay approach for high-performing teachers, favoring instead a “hospital model” for differentiated pay based on roles. He draws a parallel to the medical field, explaining that specialists like brain or heart surgeons earn more than general practitioners due to their specialized skills. Likewise, a skilled third-grade reading teacher, he argues, is more valuable than an electives teacher, a stance he candidly shared with the conference attendees.
Under NES, starting salaries reflect this model. Electives teachers in elementary schools start at $64,000, while a first-year third-grade English language arts teacher earns $83,000, and special education teachers can start at $86,000. High school math and English teachers’ starting salaries can go up to $90,000, and NES teachers receive an additional $10,000 stipend. Monica Zdrojewski, Miles’s deputy chief of staff, indicates that this mirrors shifts seen in Dallas, where Miles previously served. Performance pay tied to a teacher-evaluation system also allows NES teachers to potentially earn more.
The staffing model also reduces emphasis on a master’s degree as a teaching gateway. The significant cost in NES schools is attributed to hiring numerous “teacher apprentices” and “learning coaches”—one apprentice per 100 students and one coach per 75 students. These apprentices frequently cover for regular teachers, ensuring consistent high-quality instruction. Miles emphasizes that the model ensures continuous, familiar instruction for students, which he sees as crucial to maintaining educational quality.
Significant changes to curriculum and instruction under NES are a primary source of friction. For the 2023–24 school year, 28 low-performing HISD schools adopted the NES model, with another 57 schools doing so voluntarily. An additional 45 schools are expected to join in 2024–25, potentially involving nearly half of HISD’s 274 schools. Concerns on social media suggest an eventual district-wide adoption, but officials assert that high-performing and magnet schools will retain their autonomy.
According to Sandi Massey, Houston ISD’s chief of leadership and professional development, the primary aim is to improve instruction quality, a critical factor in raising student achievement. Massey, who has worked with Miles in prior roles, underscores a unified vision known as the “Commander’s Intent,” a concept adapted from military planning to ensure strategic clarity and adaptability.
In NES schools, lessons are centrally designed and provided, though teachers can customize the delivery while adhering to core objectives and standards. Instruction begins with 45 minutes of direct teaching, followed by a “demonstration of learning” (DOL) mini-assessment, which offers immediate feedback on students’ understanding. Based on DOL results, students are grouped by skill level for further instruction, a strategy referred to as LSAE (Learners, Securing, Accelerated, Enrichment).
NES lessons incorporate structured teacher moves, such as stopping every four minutes for “multiple response strategies” (MRS) like table talks or think-pair-share activities to keep students engaged and ensure understanding. These strategies, which have faced some criticism, are designed to provide frequent checks on student comprehension.
Massey notes that discipline issues have declined in NES schools, attributing this to the fast-paced nature of lessons that keep students focused. Miles adds that reduced disciplinary incidents were achieved without extensive external programs or consultants.
The overarching goal, according to both Miles and Massey, is to deliver high-quality instruction to every student daily. The structured architecture of NES lessons, which includes frequent assessments and differentiated instruction, seeks to ensure consistent, effective teaching across HISD’s most challenging schools. While some teachers may resist centrally produced curricula, the approach aims to standardize learning experiences and avoid instructional gaps, crucial for the district’s mobile, low-income student population.
Though differentiated instruction is widely accepted as beneficial, it is often challenging to implement consistently. The LSAE system embeds this practice into the school culture, making it integral rather than optional. When asked if the objective is to ensure a base level of instructional competence, particularly in low-performing schools, Miles acknowledges that while the methods may not be entirely new, their systematic implementation is what makes the difference.
Miles concludes that he’s not merely promoting innovation but advocating for a comprehensive systemic overhaul.
Source
www.educationnext.org