In the 2026-27 school year, more Houston ISD schools could gain freedom to customize curriculum, scheduling, budgeting, staffing and more under a new management framework that Superintendent Mike Miles presented to the district’s board of managers April 9.

The gist: HISD has used a New Education System, or NES model, at 130 low-performing campuses since officials appointed by the Texas Education Agency took over the district in 2023. While teachers at NES campuses are required to adhere to a district-approved curriculum and instructional model, they have access to additional resources, including regular coaching, teacher apprentices and support staff, Miles said in August.

What's happening: During the board of managers’ April 9 regular meeting, Miles presented a new five-level framework for managing schools in the district, based on how well a campus performs with the TEA’s A-F accountability ratings. The new framework would allow schools to have more control over campus operations, depending on their scores.

Fountain Life, a company that detects health issues early through AI-guided diagnostics, opened a new location in Houston, according to an April 10 news release from company representatives.

What we know: The new center in Houston is the second location in Texas, with the other in Dallas, and is located on the first floor of the Park House building in River Oaks. 

How it works: Fountain Life’s business model pairs diagnostics with an intelligence engine to provide members a full picture of their health, including details such as genomics, metabolomics and biomarkers. The goal is to catch diseases, cancer diagnoses and aneurysms early, sometimes decades before symptoms appear.  

• 4411 San Felipe St., Houston

Houston officials approved additional funding for a mentorship program for people involved in the justice system.

The contract for the Credible Messenger Services mentorship program, in partnership with the Collective Action for Youth, has increased over time to more than $2.6 million.

What this means: The original contract was awarded in 2023 at $475,000 and increased to $2.4 million in 2024. At the April 15 City Council meeting, city officials voted to further increase the cost of the contract to $2.6 million.

Council member Tarsha Jackson said more than 125 people have gone through the program. Jackson, who brought the program to council, said they are rooted in the communities and positioned "to reach, mentor and guide young people."

“This program is not just an investment,” she said. “It is a service, and investment in people, relationships and long-term change.”

How it works: Credible Messengers are mentors who connect with youth and young adults who share similar experiences, typically those who have been impacted by the justice system. 

Harris County leaders are gearing up for a sweeping effort to expand affordable access to child care and early learning—a burdensome expense for many families.

The overview: Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia and Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones launched the initiative to tackle local concerns about education options for children under age 5. In January, their offices created the Harris County Coalition on Early Childhood Education and Care, which officials said will help shape local policy and direct state-level reform of subsidized early childhood education during Texas’ 90th legislative session.

The need: Harris County has approximately 166,000 children under age 5 who qualify for subsidized prekindergarten, according to data from county officials. However, federal funding for subsidized care only goes so far.

At least 30,000 eligible children in Harris County are on a waitlist for subsidized care, the data shows, meaning some families must wait over a year for scholarships. 

Another detail: Gov. Greg Abbott announced a Task Force on Early Childhood Education in January, indicating aligned policy goals between Harris County and the state.

The State Board of Education gave preliminary approval April 10 to roughly 200 literary works that all Texas public school students would be required to read beginning in 2030.

What happened: The SBOE trimmed about 100 titles from a list proposed by the Texas Education Agency, which board members and educators criticized as too long to be taught. The Republican-led board signed off on a revised list in a 9-5 party-line vote April 10.

The details: The draft list ranges from nursery rhymes and short stories in early grades to classical and 20th-century literature in high school. The list also includes about a dozen excerpts from the Bible. While students learn about world religions today, Texans testified that if the reading list is approved, it would be the first time in recent history that state leaders mandate religious readings in the classroom.  

Next steps: Board members are scheduled to take a final vote on the reading list in June. If approved, the list will be used in classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.