Houston Independent School District

Houston ISD is the largest district in Texas and seventh largest in the nation, serving over 280 schools and over 214,000 students in Houston, TX. Houston is considered the “Best City For Foodies,” according to the 2015 Travel and Leisure Magazine. In addition, they are also featured on Council For Community and Economic Research as the “Fourth-Lowest Overall Cost of Living” city with nearly 900 parks and 121 miles of hike and bike trails. From our 214,000 students, approximately 62 percent are Hispanic and 24 percent are African American with other ethnicities making up the remaining percentages. The student population is approximately 75 percent economically disadvantaged. Being such a large district, we hire between 1,500 and 2,200 new teachers each year. This reflects a 13.4 percent teacher turnover rate. Houston ISD has set a goal to become the best district in the nation, and the first step to achieving such an ambitious goal is to select an effective teacher for every classroom. Houston ISD has centralized its teacher selection process to ensure that every classroom has an effective instructional leader. We are a global district in a global city ensuring our students graduate ready for the world.

Houston ISD teachers are supported every step of the way as they guide our students’ journeys from pre-K to Global Graduate. Teachers new to the district are provided with an experienced teacher mentor, participate in a week-long first-year teacher training, attend elementary and secondary curriculum camps, and receive access to online and face-to-face trainings throughout the year. All teachers have access to Google Classroom, 360° Reports, and planning guides with sample lessons to teach in the classroom. They receive support from Department Specialists and have access to professional development offered weekly. 

HISD has developed the Career Pathways program, which breaks from the traditional teacher leadership model, to offer meaningful opportunities for our highest-performing teachers who desire to make an impact outside of the classroom and take on additional responsibilities. HISD’s Career Pathways program leverages the districts’ best teachers to provide embedded instructional support to peers and to improve student outcomes while building an enhanced pool of campus leaders in and out of the classroom. Through the program, these teacher leaders can become mentors, coordinators, content specialists and instructional coaches.

Teachers interested in future campus leadership positions can also participate in the School Leadership Academy. The School Leadership Academy is designed for aspiring leaders to participate in a year-long program designed to identify, train and support instructional leaders to meet the district's need for effective school leaders. The School Leadership Academy, a component of the District's "Grow Your Own" model, bridges the gap between the roles of a teacher leader and first-time campus administrator. HISD has designed a curriculum for the School Leadership Academy that focuses on the preparation of instructional leaders to address the unique needs of HISD schools and students with an emphasis on the HISD Leader Competencies.

At Houston ISD, we offer competitive compensation and a generous benefits package. First-year teachers’ starting salary is $52,530, the midpoint salary is $59,570 and the maximum is $74,360. Bilingual teachers receive an additional annual stipend of $4,000. Houston ISD employees are offered full medical benefits, life insurance, and ongoing professional support and development.

Houston ISD has a variety of pathways for potential candidates to become certified teachers. To make this possible we have created partnerships with University of Houston, University of St. Thomas, Texas Tech University, Houston Community College and Lone Star Community College. The district also has its own district Alternative Certification Program that provides candidates with a bachelor’s degree the opportunity to participate in a year-long program to become a certified teacher in the state of Texas.  

HISD has a partnership with the University of St. Thomas that targets non-teacher employees who are early college graduates and would like to serve specific needs of a growing English Language Learner (ELL) student population. Through this program, UST provides half-off tuition. Additionally, the District provides cohort supports, course facilitation at HISD facilities and certification preparation opportunities. The non-teacher employees in this program will earn a Bachelor of Art in Elementary Education at University of St. Thomas and, upon graduation, return to the HISD community for a minimum of three years as a classroom teacher.

HISD’s partnership with Texas Tech University is called TechTeach. It allows candidates with an associate degree in teaching to complete student teaching, certification and a bachelor’s degree within one year with a focus on elementary, bilingual, secondary math and secondary science critical shortage areas. Recruitment for this program focuses on HISD non-teacher employees and early college graduates. This partnership is in collaboration with TTU, HISD, Lone Star College System and Houston Community College. After graduating from Texas Tech, TechTeach participants will return to HISD to teach a minimum of two years.

All teacher candidates must complete a Houston ISD online application to obtain a teaching position. Each candidate goes through the full selection process, which includes acceptance into the teacher pool before engaging principals. Once candidates have completed our full selection process, principals will have access to a candidate’s application materials. To be considered as a candidate, they must hold a teacher certification or be in the process of pursuing a teacher certification. The teacher selection process includes four phases: online application, teacher pool review, campus selection consideration and finalize employment process.

Our goal in the Houston Independent School District is to create a pipeline to teaching for not only our students, but our employees as well. The Grow Your Own, GYO, efforts aim to create a diverse, effective teaching workforce that positively impacts student outcomes. To make this possible, we have created partnerships with University of Houston, University of St. Thomas, Texas Tech University, Houston Community College and Lone Star Community College. 

HISD creates a pipeline to teaching at Stephen F. Austin High School, a magnet school that focuses on the teaching profession. Through a partnership with Houston Community College, junior and senior students may enroll in dual-credit courses where they can earn both college and high school credit. Upon graduation, students are well prepared to enter the College of Education and begin making steps toward becoming a highly effective educator.

Through the school-based student organization, Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE), high school students are encouraged to learn about careers in education. TAFE assists them in exploring the teaching profession while promoting character, service and leadership skills necessary to become highly effective educators. 

Teach Forward Houston GYO program is a partnership developed between HISD and the University of Houston to provide graduating HISD students a pathway to teaching. The students will earn a Bachelor of Science in Teaching and Learning at the University of Houston and ultimately return to the HISD community for a minimum of four years as a classroom teacher and instructional leader on the front lines of education.