In just some days after the Texas Training Company introduced former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles as the brand new Houston Impartial Faculty District superintendent, he spared no time making his rounds with the Houston media sharing his views about his plans throughout this transition.
The previous U.S Military veteran, diplomat and former CEO of the constitution faculty community Third Future Colleges, engaged the press with open-mindedness about management and the way forward for HISD.
Scholar achievement is the secret for Miles who rapidly imposed main modifications to HISD, launching the “New Training System” initiative to reconstitute 29 struggling campus, together with Kashmere, North Forest and Wheatley excessive faculties forcing workers to reapply for his or her jobs.
He says the pay-for-performance method plans to make sure improved instruction in Houston ISD faculties with probably the most want. The higher scholar outcomes, the extra lecturers can earn. He additionally plans to chop at the very least 200 jobs at HISD’s central administrative workplace to assist pay for greater trainer salaries at faculties with probably the most want.
Nonetheless, critics nonetheless increase issues about his reform methods, capacity to interact the suggestions of various stakeholders and his combative management popularity that precedes him from his previous tenure at Dallas ISD, in response to a Chronicle interview with Edward Turner, a seasoned Dallas training advocate.
The Defender spoke one-on-one in a quick interview with the interim HISD superintendent on what his priorities are to enhance scholar outcomes in predominately Black faculties.
Defender: What are the important thing priorities to enhance low-performing faculties within the district?
MIKE MILES: There are a number of issues we have to do. There are three buckets for exit technique. One is we are able to’t have any faculties with a number of years of D or F scores. The second is that we have now to unravel the particular training challenges that this district has been going through for a variety of years. And third, there must be stronger and simpler governance. However I bought a bigger precedence too, and that’s we have now to arrange all of our college students for the 12 months 2035 office and world. Proper now, we have now a district that could be a story of two cities. We’ve bought one group of youngsters who’re doing properly. We’ve numerous good faculties which can be successfully instructing their youngsters and getting ready their college students. Then we have now a overwhelming majority of faculties that aren’t doing as properly. The proficiency fee is simply too low and the achievement hole is simply too excessive. We’re going to have to verify each single one in every of our children get the sources and the kind of instruction and efficient instructing to verify all of our college students get a high quality training.
Defender: A serious concern for neighborhood members is the truth that their elected board members are changed. Will the neighborhood be capable of maintain you and the board of managers accountable if expectations are usually not met?
MILES: To begin with, I’m going to carry myself accountable. However the board of managers will maintain me accountable too. We’re going to have clear metrics and outcomes for nearly every part we do. We’ve 11 precedence work areas the place there are clear outcomes that we’re anticipating. On the finish of the day, if my staff and I can’t get it finished, then we must be gone.
Defender: The neighborhood is annoyed with the shortage of transparency previous to this announcement. How do you plan to realize their belief and foster neighborhood involvement in your decision-making course of?
MILES: I perceive that previous to [the day of his announcement as HISD superintendent], there hasn’t been numerous details about what’s going to occur. And when there’s an absence of knowledge, I get that there’s anxiousness and worry wrapped round that. I perceive that, and the onus is on me to make it possible for we take folks from their worst fears to their greatest hopes. And a part of that comes from listening. Which means a part of it comes from making an attempt to influence folks and making sense of the issues that should be finished. A part of it’s constructing a case that we have to get issues finished this 12 months, that our children don’t have time to attend. This isn’t like a traditional superintendency the place you’ll be able to are available in for 4 months and hear, go on a listening tour, after which take six extra months to place collectively a strategic plan. That may take an entire 12 months. Our youngsters don’t have that form of time.
Defender: What are some methods to enhance scholar outcomes which have labored in your earlier function as Dallas ISD Superintendent that you just imagine would work right here in your function as HISD Superintendent?
MILES: Let me simply say that Houston just isn’t Dallas, and Dallas just isn’t Houston. Houston has its personal context and has its personal wants on the identical time. They’re each giant city districts and most of the challenges are related. The primary problem proper now, or at the very least key motion, is for us to enhance the standard of instruction for each single classroom. Which means we have now to extremely efficient lecturers that we prepare and assist, and we have now to have principals who’re successfully teaching and rising the standard of instruction in each classroom.
