Leading one of the largest school districts in the nation – one that encompasses over 300 square miles and 214,000 students – is a huge task, and Houston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan is utilizing a leadership standard that encourages a free exchange of ideas.
Lathan, a 26-year veteran educator, previously served as the district’s chief academic officer before being named interim superintendent of HISD in March. Before joining the seventh-largest school district in the country, she was superintendent of Peoria Public Schools in Peoria, Illinois, and served in various other school administrative roles across the country. But she said her education career truly began in 1991 as a teacher at Morehead High School in the small city of Eden, N.C.
A passion for underserved schools
“I always wanted to be a teacher or a social worker,” Dr. Lathan said. “I decided on teaching, got my degree and started my career as a high school teacher. I did everything from sponsoring cheerleading and pom squad to leading different clubs. You name it, I did it.”
While teaching, Dr. Lathan quickly realized she wanted to be a principal and began working her way toward that goal. She developed a passion for underserved schools and helping students overcome the odds. She previously served as an Alternative School Principal and a principal of an IR elementary school which was able to “met standard”.
At HISD, Dr. Lathan has worked to implement several new programs throughout the district and re-establish the way principals and other leaders work. Her leadership style exhibits an attitude of open discussion and fairness.
Building relationships is key
One way she is working to build relationships is by having monthly principal meetings that are engaging instead of a lecture on do’s and don’ts.
“Our job is to support our principals, our teachers and students, and it starts with us as leaders,” Dr. Lathan said. “When a principal leaves a professional development session, we want them to have learned something that they can go back to their campus and implement immediately.”
Dr. Lathan said she believes continually supporting the principals and teachers of HISD and providing a platform for honest discussion is the key to improving this district.
“I want [my team] to be able to say, ‘Dr. Lathan, I disagree with you. I have a solution for my community, my students, my parents,’” she said. “Bring a solution to the table. If your idea is better than mine, we’ll go with your idea, and if it’s going to make a difference in the lives of children, I’ll go for it.”
Dr. Lathan has also brought forth several new programs to address the needs of students and parents. The district recently launched Parent University, a program used to empower and educate parents by helping them learn to navigate the educational school system. Part of Dr. Lathan’s strategic vision is to engage the district’s stakeholders and make them active partners in HISD’s schools.
“I am a passionate believer of the power of the community in our children’s success,” Dr. Lathan said. “If you can educate parents on what services and supports they are entitled to, then they will know how to advocate and fight for their students.”
The district is also working to expand pre-K programs at HISD elementary schools. The initiative started with adding eight pre-K classes at Woodson Elementary School, and there are plans to add more to schools in order to boost capacity to take on more students.
“If we can provide children with access to a pre-K education across this entire district, starting with 3- and 4-year-old students, then we are going to be able to change their lives early on and in turn change their parents’ lives,” Dr. Lathan said.
New programs address needs, boost achievement
Statistics from HISD show that the programs implemented through her leadership have been able to reverse a decade-long downward trajectory in state testing scores.
Students made notable academic gains on the state-mandated STAAR test, outpacing districts throughout Texas in third- through eighth-grade reading and math, and on end-of-course assessments in English I and Algebra I.
Six HISD schools, including Worthing High School, Woodson PK-8, Henry Middle, and Blackshear, Mading, and Wesley elementary schools, all shed their Improvement Required (IR) status, and others are on the cusp of joining them.
Over the course of three years, the number of schools labeled IR was reduced from 58 to 7. An additional 17 schools are “Not Rated” due to meeting the criteria for the Hurricane Harvey provision from the state. Fifteen of those 17 campuses will remain in IR status from the prior year, requiring them to comply with state and federal improvement planning.
“While the goal is to have zero IR schools, I’m proud of the progress we are making,” Dr. Lathan said. “We are providing additional academic support to our students, as well as social and emotional services, through to the district’s Achieve 180 initiative.
Through all the efforts and improvements Dr. Lathan has accomplished and initiated for HISD, she says her central focus has been and always will remain the same: She will continue to put children first.
