High School Initiatives

Houston A+ Challenge is dedicated to helping to transform the area's high schools into personalized learning environments that give all students the knowledge and skills they need to graduate and succeed in college or the workplace. We do this through a number of initiatives:

Preparing to Dream
Preparing to Dream aims to improve postsecondary access and success among low-income and first-generation college students in the Houston region, by helping school districts use student data to transform policies and priorities. Houston A+ Challenge and the National College Access Network partner with vertical teams from five area districts -- Houston, Aldine, Spring Branch, Humble and Goose Creek -- on this Houston Endowment-funded initiative.

High School Redesign
Since 2001, Houston A+ Challenge has worked alongside teachers, principals, and district leaders throughout the region to develop new models of high school education for Houston's students. To read a brief history and outcomes of our work in this area, click here.

Currently, teams of educators from 10 high schools in four local districts (Aldine, Alief, Goose Creek and Humble) participate in the Houston A+ Challenge Regional Collaborative for High School Redesign. The primary goal of the collaborative is to improve student performance in high schools by transforming classroom practice and improving instruction at participating schools.

Teacher Externship
Our Teacher Externship Program has placed more than 400 secondary school teachers in one-week job shadowing immersion experiences since 2003. Teachers then develop and teach lessons based on their Externship experience. The goal? Improving connections between student learning in the classroom and the needs of the 21st century workforce.