Podcast appearances and mentions of Mike Miles

On Thursday's show: HISD Superintendent Mike Miles joins us to discuss the state of the district, changes in special education, and to address listener questions. You can send yours now to talk@houstonmatters.org.Also this hour: We meet the people behind a new free arts newspaper called the Houston Associated Experimental Press.And we revisit a 2015 conversation with former Congressman Barney Frank, who served Massachusetts for more than 30 years. Frank passed away this week. He was the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay.Watch

In this episode, Iranetta Rayborn Wright sits down with Mike Miles, Superintendent of Houston ISD, for an unfiltered conversation about wholesale school reform and bold leadership in urban education. Mike Miles shares what he's most proud of record-setting gains in student achievement, and explains why he believes incremental, piecemeal change has failed American education.Together, they dive into the nuts and bolts of the Houston ISD transformation: from building a new status quo bias to deploying the New Education System (NES), and how strong accountability, high expectations, and real-time feedback drive lasting results. Mike Miles addresses common criticisms, discusses lessons learned from Dallas ISD, and offers insight into the role of governance and the importance of working with urgency in today's rapidly changing world.Tune in for a candid look at what it takes to reimagine schools for student success, and why outcomes, not just improvement, must be the bar for every child.Key Moments06:22 "Poverty, Mobility, Enrollment Trends"08:29 "Building Lasting Reform Systems"13:17 "Elected School Boards' Challenges"15:18 "The Tyranny of the 5%"19:07 "Exploring NES Classroom Model"24:43 Tracking Student Learning Effectively25:59 "DOL Insights and Remediation"30:29 "Feedback and Coaching Matters"32:19 "Urgency for Future Action"Why You'll Love This Episode:Discover what it takes to lead one of the most ambitious school reform efforts in the country Mike Miles shares how bold, systemwide change—not incremental fixes—can dramatically improve student outcomes at scaleGet a behind-the-scenes look at the NES model and how consistent, high-quality instruction, real-time feedback, and daily data tracking are transforming classrooms. This episode breaks down what effective teaching and learning actually look like in practice.Gain insight into leadership under pressure, from navigating criticism to driving change with urgency. If you care about results, accountability, and doing what's best for students despite the noise, this conversation will challenge how you think about school transformation. Connect with Mike Miles LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmikemiles Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/ Follow Us OnHost LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iranetta-rayborn-wright-00053937 Company LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-for-education-innovation/ Company Website: https://www.instituteforedinnovation.com/ Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to IEI for more powerful conversations on educational leadership, innovation, and the stories shaping our schools.

On Tuesday's show: Artemis II astronauts had an historic day Monday, conducting their lunar fly-by and traveling farther from earth than any other humans. We learn more about what they achieved.And we learn about HISD's plans to expand Superintendent Mike Miles' New Education System to nine more campuses.Also this hour: A handful of local breweries have closed across Houston in recent years. What are some of the market factors that are causing that? Has the craft beer bubble burst? Are people drinking other things these days -- or not drinking at all? We talk it over.And how much impact does a father figure really have? An upcoming exhibit at The Health Museum is turning to Houstonians to explore the answer.Watch

Lois Swimmer, Paul & Louise Freid, and Mike Miles will talk with Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves about their plans for a Catholic Worker Retreat and Resistance event being planned for April 24-27, Friday through Monday.  Swimmer is from the Minnecouji Band within the Blackfoot Tribe, which is part of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She is a member of the Elders Circle at Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House in Kansas City, Missouri. Paul & Louise Freid are with the Lake City Catholic Worker Farm near Lake City, Minnesota. Mike Miles is with Anathoth Catholic Worker Farm a few miles out of Luck, Wisconsin.  Midwest supporters of the Catholic Worker Movement are organizing a retreat and resistance in Kansas City, April 24-27, focusing on the Kansas City National Security Campus, which manufactures 80 percent of non-nuclear components that go into US nuclear weapons. If those weapons are ever detonated in a war, the most likely outcome would include lofting so much smoke to the stratosphere from burning cities that it would cover the earth and not get above freezing even in the summertime for several years in places as far north as Iowa, according to a team of 10 leading experts in climatology, food production and economics. Ninety-nine percent of humans in the US, Europe and Russia would starve to death if they did not die of something else sooner. Eighty percent of humans worldwide would similarly die. Over 90 percent of the fatalities would be in countries not directly involved in the nuclear exchange.  The US plans to spend $2 trillion dollars over the next 30 years making new nuclear weapons and delivery systems to make them faster, “smarter”, and bomb deeper into the earth. That's $6,000 for every man, woman, and child in the US -- $200 per year per human in each of the next 30 years. To achieve this, the KC plant is doubling in size. This is under the Dept of Energy. A cynic might insist that this facility is more accurately described as the "Kansas City National Insecurity Campus", as part of the Department of Nuclear Bombs, whose budget is not included in the official Department of Defense budget, to make it harder for the public to know how much the US is actually spending on military equipment, supplies and operations.  Over a year ago, DOE agreed to hold public hearings in Kansas City and four other cities, discussing their plans for this and other facilities nationwide. This agreement responded to a lawsuit filed by antinuclear activist organizations. However, PeaceWorks has not yet heard a schedule. Are they planning on holding those hearings in 2060, after the nuclear winter?   Whenever the hearings are scheduled, PeaceWorks will ask supporters to submit comments in person and online. PeaceWorks will offer trainings to help prepare humans to make informed statements. Supporting the Retreat and Resistance April 24-27 can help humans prepare as well. PeaceWorks and the Catholic Workers coming for this insist that everything currently done at the Kansas City National Insecurity Campus is an enormous waste of money and part of a very dangerous new arms race. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which half the world's nations have now agreed to, makes nuclear weapons illegal. Humans associated with PeaceWorks plan to attend the TPNW review conference at the United Nations in November. The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability will also be lobbying the first week in June against new nuclear weapons and new nuclear power plants and for cleanup of the thousands of tons of US nuclear waste. To join us, see pwkc.org, especially pwkc.org/register-resist.

What if working harder is actually holding you back from creating your biggest impact as a leader? Most of us were taught that grinding, hustling, and saying "yes" to everything is how we elevate our leadership. But what if I told you that's the trap? So many leaders, maybe even you, feel pulled to give more, do more, be more, hoping it's a fast-track to greater results. But what if the breakthrough you're craving comes from letting go of chasing quantity over quality, wearing busyness like a badge, and believing your wellbeing is negotiable? When you start to honor your unique strengths, draw clear boundaries around your energy, and invest in your balance, everything changes. Your impact expands. Your confidence grows. You lead, not from depletion, but from deep conviction and presence, and people can feel it. Imagine trading exhaustion and overwhelm for clarity, energy, and influence that ripples through your team and your life. That shift is more than possible. It's yours when you choose it. My guest, Mike Miles, and I get to the heart of why real leadership impact isn't about doing more. It's about changing how you do it and honoring the incredible human inside the leader. This episode is your nudge to step off the hamster wheel and courageously embrace your full humanity as the source of your greatest power. The moment you put these insights into practice, you'll start to notice the tension ease, your creativity spark, and your sense of purpose strengthen. You'll see that you really can have an extraordinary impact without burning out or missing the life you want to lead. This can be your turning point—the moment you choose leadership that's sustainable, impactful, and true to YOU. I can't wait to see you step into that transformation.   Transformational Takeaways (00:00) The Leadership Trap: Why Working Harder Doesn't Elevate Your Impact (05:58) Are You Chasing Quantity or Quality? The Leadership Shift That Changes Everything (08:00) Essential Human Skills for Leaders: Why Emotional Intelligence Beats Technical Expertise (14:34) Discovering Your Superpowers: Practical Steps for Self-Awareness and Growth (17:30) The Five Dimensions of Balance: Simple Diagnostics to Elevate Your Contribution (18:37) How Balance Directly Fuels Energy, Creativity, and Influence (24:51) Moving from Reactivity to Systems: Building Discernment, Not Excuses (26:02) Delegate or Systematize: The "Core vs. Context" Framework That Frees Up Your Capacity (30:13) Red vs. Blue Skills: How to Focus on Work You Love and Let Go of What Drains You (31:45) Creating Space for Reflection: Imagining Your Ideal Future (and How to Make It Real) (33:35) Final Takeaways: The Small Tweaks That Transform Your Leadership and Life   Connect with Mike Miles on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-j-miles/   About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of who they already are. Her experiences—serving as CEO, leading at an executive level, and working in and leading global teams—make her uniquely qualified to support leadership and business success. She hosts the popular leadership podcast, Being [at Work] with a global audience of over 600,000 listeners and is the author of The Power in the Pivot (Red Thread Publishing 2022) and HR Kit for Dummies (Wiley 2023).   Connect with Andrea https://www.abundantempowerment.com/ Connect with Andrea Butcher on LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/leaderdevelopmentcoach/   Abundant Empowerment Upcoming Events https://www.abundantempowerment.com/events        

On Thursday's show: The Houston Chronicle reports that HISD Superintendent Mike Miles helped connect a consulting firm with a Texas charter school network to complete a nearly $1 million contract. While the parties involved say Miles was not paid for his role, some experts say the arrangement raises some concerns. Reporter Nusaiba Mizan explains.Also this hour: We continue our series looking at the year ahead with a discussion about education in Greater Houston.Then, on the 25th anniversary of Wikipedia, we learn about Houston-area Wikipedia edit-a-thons.And FIFA officials say the World Cup could bring $1.5 billion in economic activity to Houston. But who sees that money?Watch

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Great Heart Academies' Dr. Helen Baxendale and American Federation for Children's Shaka Mitchell speak with Mike Miles, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. Miles has devoted his life to public service, starting as a soldier, then as a diplomat in Poland and Russia during the […]

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Great Heart Academies' Dr. Helen Baxendale and American Federation for Children's Shaka Mitchell speak with Mike Miles, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. Miles has devoted his life to public service, starting as a soldier, then as a diplomat in Poland and Russia during the Cold War before moving into K-12 education reform. He discussed how his family background and early educational experiences shaped his commitment to service. Reflecting on his years as an officer in the Army Ranger Battalion and a Company Commander, Miles described how military service influenced his leadership philosophy and approach to school reform. Since 2023, he has led the Houston Independent School District, the eighth largest in the country. He spoke candidly about the challenges of transitioning from military and diplomatic roles to driving educational reform in large urban districts, emphasizing the political and bureaucratic barriers that often slow progress. He also highlighted the many improvements that have already been accomplished during his brief tenure in Houston. Finally, Supt. Miles shared what he hopes to see governors, state legislatures, and parents do to dramatically improve academic outcomes for students in urban communities.

On Tuesday's show: HISD Superintendent Mike Miles joins us to discuss issues facing the state's largest school district, from addressing food insecurity among students as SNAP benefits end amid the federal government shutdown, to kids reading books in HISD elementary schools.Also this hour: We talk with the co-authors of Frontera: A Journey Across the US-Mexico Border, a coffee table book designed to cut through the stereotypes and political rhetoric about the border by offering a close-up view of the communities along its entire length, from Texas to California.Watch

In August 2023, right after he took over as superintendent of Houston ISD, Mike Miles came on The Report Card to talk about his plans for Texas's largest school district. From changing teacher pay to overhauling curriculum, Miles's plans for Houston were ambitious—and controversial—but would they work? Two years later, Mike Miles comes back on […]

In August 2023, right after he took over as superintendent of Houston ISD, Mike Miles came on The Report Card to talk about his plans for Texas's largest school district. From changing teacher pay to overhauling curriculum, Miles's plans for Houston were ambitious—and controversial—but would they work?Two years later, Mike Miles comes back on The Report Card to speak with Nat Malkus about the progress Houston has made and whether Houston's bold reform agenda has gone according to plan.F. Mike Miles is the superintendent of Houston Independent School District. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Third Future Schools, superintendent of Dallas Independent School District, and superintendent of the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs.Show Notes:Mike Miles on Houston ISDThe Last Hurrah

Today marks the first day of back-to-school for over 170,000 students and some 10,000 teachers in the Houston Independent School District. State-appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles is joining host Raheel Ramzanali to talk about the latest state ratings, potential school closures, teacher turnover and more changes you need to know for the new year.   Stories we talked about on today's show:  HISD has no F-rated schools in 2025, Mike Miles says ahead of official TEA rating release More than 2,300 teachers left Houston ISD in June, continuing trend of high turnover under Mike Miles Houston ISD is aiming for up to 10 school closures, plans to build $180M career center, Miles says Learn more about the sponsors of this August 12th episode: Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Visit Port Aransas Apollo Chamber Players We're doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We'd be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it's only 7 minutes long. You'll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card–and City Cast City swag. Get more from City Cast Houston when you become a City Cast Houston Neighbor. You'll enjoy perks like ad-free listening, invitations to members only events and more. Join now at membership.citycast.fm  Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Photo: Larry D. Moore

Mike Miles Market Manager for River Horse and DuClaw who also sponsor the show, joins me to talk about both breweries and their upcoming releases. News from Al's N/A beer, Icarus and Conclave anniversary parties. The Test is taking a pause. Blocktoberfest is coming soon. Suds and Duds and more. @njcraftbeer @hoppedupnetwork#metalforever #drinklocal #drinkcraftnotcrap #stouts #ipas #lagers #ales #sours #hops #pilsners #porters #gastropub #speakeasy #beer #smallbusinessowners #beerfestivals #beertours #music #podcasts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Mike Miles and Aubrey Sambor as they discuss their experiences with public speaking at tech conferences, including the challenges and joys of presenting technical and big-picture talks. Dive into their personal summer plans, ranging from trips to Cape Cod and Asheville to beer festivals and camping adventures. The conversation also explores recent technology updates, such as Figma's site builder and Apple's new 'Liquid Glass' design, emphasizing the importance of accessibility. Tune in for a casual, insightful chat about professional growth, summer fun, and the ever-evolving tech landscape. For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe005 Topics Michael Miles Mike is passionate about development and working with the latest open source technologies. He has been working in web engineering since 2003, utilizing a number of different technologies, languages and frameworks. He has been working with Drupal since 2008 and is a regular contributor to the community and project. From 2015 to 2024 he was the lead organizer of the Boston Drupal Meetup Group. Since 2017 has been one of the organizers of New England Drupal Camp. In his day-to-day role as Director of Web Development at MIT Sloan, Mike leads the development, maintenance and growth of the digital properties for the school, as well as, the development team that supports them. He is a public speaker and regularly presents at technical conferences around the world. Since 2013 Mike has presented dozens of talks at many different conferences/camps across the globe. Aubrey Sambor Aubrey is a lead front end developer and accessibility advocate with over 19 years of experience in software development and leadership. She specializes in writing modern CSS, semantic HTML, and performant JavaScript and brings almost two decades of experience in web development across higher education, non-profits, and public sector projects. Aubrey is an active member of the Drupal community, contributing to open source initiatives and speaking at regional and national conferences. She champions accessibility best practices and writes about front end development, music reviews, and knitting projects on her blog, aubreysambor.com. When she's not coding, Aubrey enjoys running, spinning her own yarn, fountain pens, and exploring local coffee shops and breweries. Casual Conversation and Weather Fitness Routines and Treadmills Podcast Preferences Remote Work and Buffer Time Job Search and Conference Experience Travel Stories and Conference Talks Halloween and Conference Talks Evolving as a Speaker Technical vs. Idea-Driven Talks Managing Bugs and Building Trust Balancing Multiple Talks Figma Sites and Accessibility Concerns Apple's Liquid Glass Design Nostalgia for Old Tech Summer Plans and Conferences Guests Mike Miles - mike-miles.com mikemiles86 Aubrey Sambor - aubreysambor.com starshaped

Today on City Cast Houston, host Raheel Ramzanali talks with Faith Bugenhagen, trending news reporter at Chron.com, about the new contract and big raise for HISD's state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles. And, you better slow down on Interstate 45 and U.S. 59 because Houston police are cracking down on speeding and reckless driving. Plus, Houstonians vent their frustrations about The Galleria, a recap of the No Kings protest, and more!  Stories we talked about on today's show:  ‘No Kings' protests: Thousands gather throughout Houston area to oppose Trump administration State Rep. Tony Gonzalez's letter on immigration Texas A&M Corps of Cadets participates in Army's 250th military parade HISD Superintendent Mike Miles gets $82,000 raise as part of 5-year contract extension Houston ISD's state-appointed board unanimously approves $2.1 billion budget Houston mayor announces new traffic enforcement initiative along I-45 and I-69/U.S. 59 The Unwritten Rules of the Road in Houston The Galleria named second-best mall in US, report says Fox 26's Instagram post on the Galleria  Houston Housing Authority cited over a dozen cases in a legal brief. Almost none of the quotes exist. Juneteenth events  Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Photo: Jeff Kowalsky AFP via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://tenkillermusic.com/pages/meet-the-bandhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/234Gp7UTsuxdJxNsusLSE8?si=QiEoXHPoSZqwM_q-R6Na4Ahttps://youtu.be/nvIWChfB66U?si=14dxXQ6wtGMNLjmshttps://youtu.be/-uQ89CgBLhU?si=lnuOYxLIbaR-uHiphttps://tenkillermusic.com/pages/meet-the-bandhttps://web.archive.org/web/20010811220029/http://www.pullerrock.com/history.htmlhttp://www.gracehotel.50megs.com/old%20site/Puller.htmlhttps://www.discogs.com/artist/283161-Pullerhttps://www.discogs.com/artist/87646-For-Love-Not-Lisahttps://zencastr.com/zT7kS80https://zencastr.com/z/xrS2CeG9https://zencastr.com/z/h-Qde0sxhttps://youtu.be/wVXCSs8Xu6Q?si=ZFGW6k3dzyUjHV8Z

Today on City Cast Houston, host Raheel Ramzanali talks with the Houston Chronicle's education reporter Nusaiba Mizan about the explosive HISD bribery trial that detailed how district officials and one vendor exploited public trust and tax dollars. From the courtroom's wildest moments to what this means for the future of HISD, Nusaiba breaks it all down. Plus, they dive into the district's looming budget crisis, a calculation error that nearly cost dozens of teachers their jobs, and more ongoing drama at HISD.Dive deeper into the stories we talked about today: Former HISD COO, vendor found guilty on 33 charges of conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud Strip clubs, parking lot cash handoffs and other surprises in Houston ISD's federal bribery trial Former Houston ISD board president testifies that she accepted $17K in bribes at Walmart parking lot Houston ISD plans around estimated 6,800 student drop for next academic year Ex-HISD principal sues Mike Miles for $3M over emotional distress, 1 year after mass exodus Houston ISD pauses contract nonrenewal conversations with teachers after miscalculation Houston ISD will pay all teachers based on performance, not years of experience in 2026-27 Please see below for tomorrow's sponsor show notes:Learn more about the sponsors of this April 28th episode:Aura Frames - Get $35-off plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with Promo Code CITYCASTVisit Port AransasLooking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHoustonDon't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts!Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday's show: Criminal charges against a former staffer of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo will likely be dropped after Alex Triantaphyllis agreed to a pre-trial intervention deal. He is among three former staffers who were accused of steering an $11 million COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract to a preferred vendor.And we learn about the findings from HISD's audit of its special education department, which found thousands of violations of district policy and hundreds of violations of students' rights, according to reporting from Houston Landing.Also this hour: We meet Jackson Sweeney, an aerospace engineer from Pearland whose work is on board the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, which is set to land on the moon in the coming weeks.Then, from HISD students staying home from school to protest Mike Miles, to the City of Houston's budget deficit growing some more, to Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour coming to Houston for two shows this summer, we discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.And ROCO, formerly the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, is in its 20th season, which includes a concert this weekend of world premieres about AI and last year's solar eclipse.

Mike Miles, Superintendent of Schools for Houston Independent School District joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Miles' efforts to turn around Houston schools.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, #1,005, brought to YOU by the ⁠⁠InsightsEDU⁠⁠ 2025 conference YOUR guest is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mike Miles⁠, Superintendent, ⁠Houston ISD⁠ YOUR host is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio How is HISD transforming education with their New Education System (NES)? What makes whole-scale systemic reform different from incremental changes? Why did NES expand from 28 to 130 schools in just two years? How is HISD addressing educational inequity across the district? What role does AI & critical thinking play in preparing students for 2035? Why is the Art of Thinking course crucial for modern education? Listen in to #EdUp Do YOU want to accelerate YOUR professional development? Do YOU want to get exclusive early access to ad-free episodes, extended episodes, bonus episodes, original content, invites to special events, & more? Do YOU want to get all this while helping to sustain EdUp? Then ⁠⁠⁠⁠BECOME A SUBSCRIBER TODAY! Want to get YOUR organization to pay for YOUR subscription? Email ⁠EdUp@edupexperience.com⁠ Thank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp! Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠ ● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The EdUp Experience⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We make education YOUR business!

The week is off to a busy start, and host Raheel Ramzanali is getting you caught up with the stories you need to know. Today, he's joined by executive producer Laura Isensee to learn about what's next for HISD and state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles after voters rejected its historic $4.4 billion bond. Plus, Beyoncé is performing on Christmas, but will we will be able to watch it on Netflix without streaming issues? And, H-town is REALLY popular as we're headed into a record-breaking year for tourism. Stories we talked about on today's show:  RSVP to the City Cast Houston Audience Appreciation Party Superintendent Mike Miles Answers YOUR Questions about HISD  Houston Airport Hacks You Need For Holiday Travel Astros announce Minute Maid Park name change, confirm Daikin as new sponsor Houston ISD parents criticize Mike Miles in first board meeting since failed bond election Houston ISD changes campus leadership at Harvard Elementary, Pershing Middle School Newly hired Harvard Elementary principal resigns 1 week after taking job The FBI says it stopped a possible terrorist attack in Houston Houston Community College leaders are considering a name change. Not everyone is on board Beyoncé to perform at halftime of Texans-Ravens game on Christmas at NRG Stadium More people are visiting Houston than ever before, new report says Botched Uber Eats food delivery ends up at bottom of Galveston Bay Learn more about the sponsors of this November 19th episode here: Classic Christmas Inprint A.D Players Theater Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Photo: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday's show: As voters contemplate a school bond and battles over public education focus on resources and curriculum, there's a more fundamental challenge schools face -- too many students not showing up to class. Producer Celeste Diaz Schurman talks with HISD Superintendent Mike Miles about the impact of chronic absenteeism at Houston-area schools.Also this hour: The Texans lost last night...to the Jets? We talk about it with Jeff Balke, who co-hosts the Bleav in Astros podcast and writes for Houston Press.Then, from many HISD middle and high schools scrapping their Halloween celebrations after new guidance from the district, to Port Arthur being named one of the worst small cities in the country, we discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.And we preview the Houston Music Festival, featuring performances of chamber music, improv, and spoken word, including a concert of music with Houston ties, including covers of Beyoncé and Lizzo.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The Cruz / Allred “debate” has an interesting lesson on how even when there is what seems to be hard questioning for both, there is still Leftwing bias in media driven debates. An additional problem with all the political debates is that because the questions come from, and the debate steered by, media members, rarely is there proper focus on the issues that voters actually care the most about. Stories today I used to demonstrate how the press coverage is mostly in minor issues, style, and attack liners than on what is polling as important to voters: Ted Cruz, Colin Allred come out swinging over abortion, immigration in Texas debate Key takeaways from the combative Ted Cruz, Colin Allred debate Ted Cruz, Colin Allred spar over abortion, border in US Senate debate Cruz and Allred Meet for Only Debate Before Election Cruz, Allred Spar Over the Border, Abortion, and Biological Men in Women's Sports in Lone Senate Debate 8 key moments from the Ted Cruz vs. Colin Allred debate – with video clips Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.As expected, and hoped, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals handed Texas a big win for election integrity by stopping Judge Xavier Rodriguez and his last moment rulings against components of SB1. Rodriguez was fairly strongly chastened by the court: “On the eve of elections in Texas, the district court has entered an injunction that impacts how ballots can be handled. It holds unconstitutional a law that has been on the books for over three years, but that the court did not see fit to enjoin until now. The Supreme Court has instructed lower courts not to unduly delay ordering changes to election law until the eve of an election.”Slandering of Mike Miles by teacher unions and Democrat political operatives in Houston, and elsewhere, shown to be lies and slander.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

This week on The Learning Curve, co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Meredith Coolidge of DFER-MA interview Houston Independent School District, Superintendent Mike Miles. Mr. Miles reflects on his lifelong dedication to public service, starting as a soldier, then a diplomat, and later as an educational leader. He shares insights into his family background and formative experiences that shaped his commitment to serving the […]

This week on The Learning Curve, co-hosts Charlie Chieppo and Meredith Coolidge of DFER-MA interview Houston Independent School District, Superintendent Mike Miles. Mr. Miles reflects on his lifelong dedication to public service, starting as a soldier, then a diplomat, and later as an educational leader. He shares insights into his family background and formative experiences that shaped his commitment to serving the public. Miles discusses his time at West Point and how his service in the Army Ranger Battalion and as a Company Commander influenced his approach to leadership in large urban school districts. He delves into his diplomatic experiences in Poland and Russia during the Cold War, emphasizing the role of K-12 education in maintaining a free society and national security. Transitioning to his career in education, Mr. Miles talks about the challenges he faced as superintendent of the Harrison School District, Colorado Springs, and his urban district reform efforts in Dallas and Houston, Texas. Finally, Supt. Miles discusses the importance of urban education reform, the role of school choice, and the need to combat the chronic underperformance and despair affecting young people in American cities. 

State appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles joins host Raheel Ramzanali today to answer your questions and concerns about Texas' biggest school district heading into year two of the state takeover. Raheel starts off by learning about the high rate of staff turnover, the new budget for the school year and what it means for students, the $4.4 billion bond proposal, how things will look in year two, and more!  Featured stories: HISD's special education department is improving — but it's still lagging on a key metric 76 Houston ISD principals left in June, the most in a single month since the state takeover began HISD's budget for 2024-2025 In the episode, Raheel mentions 7,000 total staff have left the district. That number comes from a community group's excel document covering all “staff separations” from Juny 2023, to june 2024.  Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday's show: Houston City Council members met with HISD Superintendent Miles to discuss leadership, employee firings, and to question what is next for the district. Houston Chronicle reporter Megan Menchaca gives us more detail on the meeting.Also this hour: We discuss concerns about how much the tech industry -- cryptocurrency mining, in particular -- might strain our electric grid as our power needs grow.Then, we learn about barriers that prevent Houstonians from accessing good, nutritious food.And an exhibit at the Rosenberg Railroad Museum details the role railroads played in shaping American sports.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: An historic blow-out election hit Lubbock Saturday in the mayoral runoff. We visit with Lubbock's new mayor, Mark McBrayer, about what the election margin means to council policy and his efforts to prioritize basic services.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.The new appraisal district board of directors races are important, and next time, conservatives across the state need to be ready with a slate of candidates who will work to make Appraisal Review Boards focused on what's right for property owners instead of just what benefits tax takers.Texas Education Agency released test scores on Friday and it isn't a good report card for our highly funded public schools. Worse, for the teacher groups and educrat lobby, is that Mike Miles approach in the state takeover at Houston ISD bucked the trends statewide and regionally to produce higher results.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Today we are talking about AI Tips for Drupal Devs, AI Best Practices, and Drupal Droid with guest Mike Miles. We'll also cover AI interpolator as our module of the week. For show notes visit: www.talkingDrupal.com/455 Topics Top 5 tips Idea Generation (Ideation) Code Generation Debugging Content Generation Technical Explanations How do you suggest people use AI for Ideation Is MIT Sloan using AI to help with Drupal Development Does that code get directly inserted into your sites What are some common pitfalls Is your team using AI for debugging Any best practices you have found helping when working with AI Is MIT Sloan using AI for content generation What is an example of how you use AI for technical explanations What is your view ont he future of AI in Drupal, do you think AI will replace Drupal developers Resources Drupal Droid Talking Drupal - Drupal Droid Workflows of ai AI guidelines https://ist.mit.edu/ai-guidance https://mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/ Using AI as a Development Tool Drupal Starshot: Delivering on a promise to Ambitious Site Builders Guests Michael Miles - mike-miles.com mikemiles86 Hosts Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Randy Fay - rfay MOTW Correspondent Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu Brief description: Have you ever wanted to use AI to help populate entity fields that were left blank by Drupal content authors? There's a module for that. Module name/project name: AI Interpolator Brief history How old: created in Sep 2023 by Marcus Johansson of FreelyGive Versions available: 1.0.0-rc4 Maintainership Actively maintained, recent release in the past month Security coverage - opted in, needs stable release Test coverage Documentation - User guide Number of open issues: 18 open issues, none of which are a bugs Usage stats: 94 sites Module features and usage In scientific fields, interpolation is the process of using known data to extrapolate or estimate unknown data points. In a similar way this module helps your Drupal site provide values for fields that didn't receive input, based on the information that was provided. Fundamentally Interpolator AI provides a framework and an API, and then relies on companion modules for processing, either by leveraging third-party services like AI LLMs, or PHP-based scripting. There are existing integrations with a variety of AI services, including OpenAI, Dreamstudio, Hugging Face, and more. You can add retrievers to help extract and normalize the content you're processing, for example photos from an external site, and other tools to help normalize and optimize content and media, and optimize any prompts you will be using with AI services. You can also extend the workflow capabilities of AI Interpolator, for example using the popular and powerful ECA module that we've talked about before on this show.

City budget drama, HISD test results, and the Museum District's very own Batman..well, kinda. Host Raheel Ramzanali is recapping a busy week in H-Town with media personality Antre'chelle Nova and Pulitzer Prize finalist Evan Mintz. The trio are talking about those stories plus the threat level of bird flu, The Woodlands getting some love for their job market, the new Texas Renaissance Festival docuseries, and more! Featured stories: City Cast Houston's June Guide featuring Father's Day events  Houston has a new budget  Chris Hollins still has questions regarding the firefighter's settlement  Early testing data shows improvements at HISD elementary and middle schools Prayer vigil held for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee  City Council pulls vote on mayor's four new Montrose TIRZ appointees  Montrose residents push to stop Mayor Whitmire's TIRZ appointees Bird flu detected, but public risk is low Texas Renaissance Festival distances itself from Ren Faire on HBO The Woodlands job market is popping Vigilante puts up stop signs in the Museum District  Antre'chelle trying out the new crab legs at Wing Quarter  Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Despite massive vilification of the Texas Education Agency takeover of Houston ISD in the Houston Chronicle and from Democrats and the teacher unions, efforts of  Mike Miles and the board of managers are already paying big dividends in the states largest public schools system. Don't expect too many Dems to admit it.  Read also: Rod Paige: The HISD experiment matters to the entire U.S.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.The first effort at using a new law to remove a Leftist/Soros district attorney in Texas looks to be fizzling out. From this report it also looks as the outside prosecutor didn't do much real investigation.Houston company to construct new refinery at Port of Brownsville. This is the first major refinery planned in 50 years. Wait and watch how hard the Democrat radicals and their front groups work to frustrate the effort.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

On Monday's show: HISD Superintendent Mike Miles is set to meet with Houston City Council for the first time. We learn more from Houston Public Media reporter Colleen DeGuzman.Plus, ERCOT says Texas could face rolling blackouts in August as energy demand peaks throughout the state.And we learn how recent storms and flooding have damaged the oyster business in Galveston Bay.Also this hour: We find out why home insurance rates in Texas have gotten so high over the past five years and how a disaster-prone area like Houston contributes to those increases.Then, Meg Tapp from the Garden Club of Houston answers questions about gardening.And we discuss how drug policies in sports may need to evolve as the law and the medical world's views on some drugs change with Jeff Balke.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A large group of state attorneys general is calling on the U.S. Justice Department to probe the murder of BLM protestor Garrett Foster and the pardoning of his killer, Daniel Perry, by Governor Abbott earlier this month: https://www.reuters.com/legal/federal-probe-urged-black-lives-matter-protest-killing-after-texas-pardon-2024-05-29/ A new investigation finds that Attorney General Ken Paxton has been stretching the limits of consumer protection laws to harass political targets: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/30/ken-paxton-texas-ag-political-targets-health-care-lgbtq/ Democratic U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, already indicted in a bribery case, is now being scrutinized by the U.S. House Ethics Committee: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-ethics-committee-opens-investigation-rep-henry-cuellar-rcna154602 Houston U.S. Representative Al Green is calling on federal agencies to investigate alleged rerouting of Texas public school funds to out-of-state charter schools founded by Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles: https://x.com/TxEdHouston/status/1796000397443596498?t=KqkTao7dL7mULu8qdBLWng&s=03 The most extreme right wing of the Texas Republican Party fell just short of a coup of next year's legislative session - not that they'll stop trying: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/us/texas-republican-primaries-dade-phelan.html The "mudsill theory of labor", used to justify slavery before the Civil War, underpins many of the crazy things Republicans push for these days: https://newrepublic.com/article/181939/republicans-want-permanent-economic-underclass Coming to the Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso? Get there early enough on Thursday June 6 to join us for our Abortion And Our Freedoms 2024 panel, featuring reproductive rights advocate Amanda Zurawski, TX-15 Congressional candidate and Progress Texas endorsee Michelle Vallejo, and repro rights icon and current Planned Parenthood Senior Advisor Wendy Davis! 5pm to 6pm (MOUNTAIN time, mind you) in Juarez B of the El Paso Convention Center: https://www.mobilize.us/texasdemocrats/event/628166/ Progress Texas could use your help in funding our trip to June's Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso - thanks in advance! https://progresstexas.org/donate Progress Texas invites progressive candidates to share their views with us - which we'll then share with our statewide audience - via our Certified Progressive questionnaire: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-certified-progressives-2024-progressive-values-questionnaire Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20 Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org/.

It's been one year since Mike Miles took over HISD as the state-appointed superintendent so host Raheel Ramzanali is talking to Houston Landing's education reporter Asher Lehrer-Small about Mike Miles' biggest wins, shortcomings, and upcoming challenges with the district's budget. Plus, Raheel and Asher talk about why so many public school districts are facing a budget crisis. Learn more: Read all of Asher's work here  HISD's plan for new bond package | Detailed look at the bond HISD unveils new budget  HISD parents are not happy with jobs being cut in HISD  We're doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We'd be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey—it's only 7 minutes long. You'll be doing us a big favor. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card–and City Cast Houston swag. Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know! or leave us a voicemail/text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts, we love hearing from you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Education News Headline RoundupOver the past few weeks, there have been significant developments at the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio). On May 15, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initiated an investigation into the allegations of a hostile takeover attempt of the $90 billion pension fund, which serves thousands of educators, by QED Systematic Solutions.Academic publishing is facing a crisis of credibility as journals close and thousands of retractions are issued in the wake of a glut of fake research papers. A study by Nature found that in 2013 there were just over 1,000 retractions compared to 2022 with 4,000 and then jumping to more than 10k in 2023. More than 8k of the retractions came from an Egyptian company called Hindawi, which is a subsidiary of Wiley; the Hindawi brand will be sunsetted and its properties absorbed into Wiley. Wiley has announced they will close 19 journals because of the rise of fake papers.A report by Spectrum News from May 14th alleges that millions of dollars in Texas taxpayer funds intended for a charter school in Odessa were diverted to support struggling Third Future charter schools network in Colorado, of which Houston Independent School District superintendent Mike Miles is founder and with whom he has recently maintained a consulting relationship.Examining the Effects of High-Stakes Standardized Tests on Learning OutcomesThis episode explores the history and impact of high-stakes standardized testing in the U.S., starting with a brief review of the No Child Left Behind Act and its legacy. Discussions include the educational goals of high-stakes tests (such as accountability and standardization), and the reasons why these tests often fall short of bettering educational outcomes for students, including curriculum narrowing and stress on students and teachers. We also delve into recent research, including a 2024 study by Maroun and Tienken, which highlights the significant influence of socioeconomic factors on test performance.Discussion QuestionsWhat are the consequences of "teaching to the test"?Why does the high-stakes testing system persist despite its criticisms?Can we design a system with standardized tests but without high-stakes consequences? What might this look like?What would it take to move school administrators and policy makers toward the idea that standardized tests should inform academic strategies instead of penalties or other punitive measures?How do we develop a system to hold educators accountable for serving students well that recognizes that a student's academic or standardized test performance is not always the best indicator of that student's learning? Would peer/student reviews play a part in this system?Sources & Resources:Ohio AG investigating alleged 'hostile takeover' inside teacher's pension fundMarch Board News | STRS OhioApril Board News | STRS OhioFebruary Board News | STRS Ohio EmployerAnswering viewer questions about Ohio's retired teachers' pension fund chaosHouston teachers union calls for Mike Miles' resignation after explosive reportHISD students plan walkout as investigation launches into state-appointed superintendent Mike MilesHISD's Mike Miles responds to 'spurious' investigation into charter school networkHISD superintendent Mike Miles accused of mishandling state education funds | CW39 HoustonHouston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles responds to allegations he diverted Texas school funds to his Colorado schoolsReport about charter schools founded by Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles prompts calls for investigationHISD Superintendent Mike Miles responds to report he funneled TX taxpayer money to Colorado | TEA commissioner, Third Future Schools also respondDisappearing Dollars: Texas public schools missing millionsFlood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures - WSJWiley shuts 19 scholarly journals amid AI paper mill problem • The RegisterWiley to shutter 19 journalsEvolving our portfolio in response to integrity challenges | Hindawi‘The situation has become appalling': fake scientific papers push research credibility to crisis pointSurge In Academic Retractions Should Put U.S. Scholars On NoticeScience's fake-paper problem: high-profile effort will tackle paper millsThe Pernicious Predictability of State-Mandated Tests of Academic Achievement in the United StatesStandardized Testing is Still Failing Students | NEAResearch Shows What State Standardized Tests Actually MeasureHistory of Standardized Tests - ProCon.org18 years ago, Mike Pence voted against No Child Left Behind. So did Bernie Sanders. Their reasons weren't the same. - The Washington PostEpisode 51 - Left Behind - 16:1 - An Education PodcastObama Calls for Major Change in Education Law - The New York TimesHistory of Standardized Testing in the United States | NEAPearson, ETS, Houghton Mifflin, and McGraw-Hill Lobby Big and Profit Bigger from School Tests | PR WatchHistory of Memorial Day | National Memorial Day Concert | PBS

On Monday's show: Some 200,000+ CenterPoint customers are still without power following Thursday's dramatic storm. We discuss the restoration efforts and other looming energy grid threats this week.Also, we preview a town hall discussion tonight between HISD Superintendent Mike Miles and four graduating seniors from high schools impacted by his new policies. Asher Lehrer-Small, who covers K-12 education for Houston Landing, will be moderating the discussion, and he joins us to preview it.Event Info: Doors open at 6 p.m. with the town hall beginning at 7 p.m. The conversation is a general admission, pay-what-you-can, ticketed event, with a suggested cost of $5. Tickets are available at thehobbycenter.org.We also talk with University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs about the process of restoring power after Thursday night's severe weather left many Houstonians without.Also this hour: Adam Higginbotham, the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl, discusses, his book, Challenger, which offers a dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Higginbotham will be in town for a Brazos Bookstore event on Monday night.Then, veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller answers your pet care questions.And we get an update on Houston sports from Jeff Balke.

What. A. Week! From a barge collapsing into a bridge to Mayor Whitmire releasing his new budget, there were a lot of stories impacting Houstonians. Host Raheel Ramzanali is breaking them all down with Pulitzer Prize finalist Evan Mintz. The guys start things off with budget talk and then move to new acquisitions surrounding HISD Superintendent Mike Miles and his former charter schools. Then they're talking about the passing of an iconic civil rights leader and an update on the HPD suspended cases investigation. And finally, we're ending the week with our moment of joy! Featured stories: Barge strikes bridge  Mayor's panel on HPD cases reveals findings  Mike Miles denies allegations of illegal financial practices  Mayor Whitmire's first budget is out  Rev. Bill Lawson dies at age 95 Frank Billingsley is retiring  Fishing content Raheel was talking about Agenda item 40 gets tagged in council meeting  Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Texas state coup of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) included the appointment of a failed charter school administrator, Mike Miles. Neil Aquino discusses local and national politics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/message

Charter Schools are among the biggest frauds in education. After his Houston Independent District coup, TX Gov. Abbott installed Mike Miles, a former failed Charter School administrator. Texas public funds were funneled to his out-of-state Charter School. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/message

We finally got good reports on inflation, wages, and the economy. This is long overdue in this format. Mike Miles, a failed charter school founder and administrator, is now in charge of HISD. Thanks Gov. Abbott. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/message

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Speaking at a tax-exempt (and thus presumably politically neutral) Houston church, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick espoused his view that Christianity should underpin Texas law: https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/dan-patrick-sermon-second-baptist-19455537.php Governor Greg Abbott appears to have fallen off the VP radar of Donald Trump: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/greg-abbott-donald-trump-vp-candidate-list-discussion Heat builds around the discovery that Texas tax dollars may have been sent to Colorado charter schools founded by state-installed Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/14/hisd-mike-miles-tea-investigation/ Pioneering civil rights leader Rev. William "Bill" Lawson of Houston has died at 95: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/rev-william-lawson-texas-civil-rights-leader-dies/3541007/ PROGRAM NOTE - Chris is attending a family memorial service on Thursday, and the Daily Dispatch will take a rare break that day. Next update will be posted on Friday morning. A public forum will be held on May 20 by the Texas Medical Board on proposed exceptions to Texas' near-total ban on abortion: https://x.com/hannahnorton89/status/1785054901661216800?s=12&t=Bt_w1MN2AlTfFkWGHJiOJg Progress Texas could use your help in funding our trip to June's Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso - thanks in advance! https://progresstexas.org/donate It will soon be time to vote in the May 28 primary runoffs! https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/26/texas-voting-2024-runoff-elections/ Progress Texas invites progressive candidates to share their views with us - which we'll then share with our statewide audience - via our Certified Progressive questionnaire: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-certified-progressives-2024-progressive-values-questionnaire Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20 Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Even as school districts across Texas are forced to cut jobs and close campuses under budget shortfalls, Governor Abbott continues to hold funding hostage to vouchers: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/05/13/texas-must-help-struggling-schools-with-special-session-on-funding-dems-say-to-abbott/ ...While Spectrum journalists discover that public school dollars have been subsidizing charter schools in Colorado - schools founded by current Houston ISD superintendent Mike Miles: https://twitter.com/HOUmanitarian/status/1790174747579318723 People who can become pregnant, should they do so, now risk second-class citizenship to their male partners AND the resulting embryo: https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/4659427-texass-handmaids-tale-gives-everyone-but-women-reproductive-control/ ...While an Alabama-style IVF crisis in Texas is threatened by a Denton divorce case: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/13/texas-supreme-court-frozen-embryos-ivf/ U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's legal hotseat gets hotter as a third co-conspirator pleads guilty: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/13/henry-cuellar-irada-akhoundova-guilty-plea/ Elon Musk's SpaceX company has not been paying its bills, racking up dozens of liens filed by creditors: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/spacex-overdue-bills-texas-19454904.php A public forum will be held on May 20 by the Texas Medical Board on proposed exceptions to Texas' near-total ban on abortion: https://x.com/hannahnorton89/status/1785054901661216800?s=12&t=Bt_w1MN2AlTfFkWGHJiOJg Progress Texas could use your help in funding our trip to June's Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso - thanks in advance! https://progresstexas.org/donate It will soon be time to vote in the May 28 primary runoffs! https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/26/texas-voting-2024-runoff-elections/ Progress Texas invites progressive candidates to share their views with us - which we'll then share with our statewide audience - via our Certified Progressive questionnaire: https://progresstexas.org/blog/progress-texas-certified-progressives-2024-progressive-values-questionnaire Instagram users: be sure to enable political content on that platform, which has begun opting users out: https://x.com/ProgressTX/status/1771276124498100667?s=20 Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org/.

It's been a busy week in Houston and host Raheel Ramzanali is calling on Houston Chronicle columnist Joy Sewing and Pulitzer Prize finalist Evan Mintz to help him recap all of the news. From the teacher's union calling for the removal of Mike Miles to a former mayor potentially challenging Judge Hidalgo, the trio are talking about it all! Learn more here: Former Mayor coming for Judge Hidalgo's job Third Ward crime prevention  HISD teachers union calls for removal of Mike Miles Express is closing down  City Council approves study for waste department  Vision Zero Summit starts in Houston  Evan's column on Crape Myrtles  Joy's column on Galveston Cy Fair's budget problems  Your Guide to May in Houston  Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The largest school district in Texas lost its elected leaders in the summer of 2023. In their place – a state-appointed board along with a leader unafraid of creating upheaval and massive changes.It's unusual for school districts to lose local control, especially on a scale this large. Suddenly, the Houston Independent School District with its nearly 200,000 students and 11,000 teachers didn't know what would happen next. But the reforms came quickly.What led to the takeover and what's the impact of this whole-scale, test-based reform? We go back decades to understand how a history of high-stakes testing got us here. That pressure to perform trickles down to campus leaders and teachers, to students and their parents. The stakes mount as the takeover plays out and no school is left untouched.The Takeover is a seasonal podcast about power and public education. The first season captures 18 months of on-the-ground, neighborhood-level reporting, enterprising investigative work, and deep context about education policy and history from a range of expert researchers.

Few things upset host Raheel Ramzanali like government inefficiencies, and today one story really got him going! Plus, Texas Education Agency commissioner Mike Morath visited HISD schools for the first time since assigning Mike Miles as superintendent. Media personality Antre'chelle Nova joins Raheel to recap these stories and more. Featured stories: Houston man without birth certificate Turkey Leg Hut goes through major changes Antre'chelle will be on the Isiah Factor Uncensored tonight 59 principal changes at HISD Mike Morath visits HISD Galveston is getting a new cruise terminal Lunar New Year celebrations around Houston Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston Follow us on Instagram @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back to school! Bright-eyed youngsters are now back in our public classrooms, filled with questions about the world around them. Questions like: What happened to our school library, and where did our librarians go?Sadly, these wholly beneficial, caring educators are being dumped in school trash bins by loopy right-wing ideologues who're out to impose their bigotry and ignorance on America. They've been on a rampage of banning books and demonizing teachers, but now the extremists are saying: “That's not stupid enough – let's also launch a witch hunt against librarians!”This authoritarian assault, funded by a clique of far-right billionaires and coordinated by their front groups, has been popping off across the country. But leave it to Texas Governor Greg Abbott to push it from extreme to totalitarianism.He has unilaterally seized control of Houston's school district (the largest, most diverse in Texas), installing his own whip-cracking, dictatorial overseer. Mike Miles, a former Army Ranger and CEO of a corporate school chain, promptly decreed that to improve reading scores in the district, he would first, eliminate librarians from 28 schools in Black and Latino neighborhoods, and second, turn their libraries into centers where students who misbehave will be disciplined.Also, Abbott's education czar demands that all teachers there must reapply for their jobs, agree to follow a centrally-scripted curriculum, and be monitored by classroom cameras. All this, says Miles with a twisted smile, is meant to give a message of “hope” to teachers and parents. Of course, elimination of independent educational resources and regimentation of instruction will reduce schools to state institutions for obedience training.And that's the point. The GOP's push to remake education is a billionaire's wet dream of a compliant, subservient workforce: Don't ask questions—just keep pulling that plow.Enjoyed this post? Please consider sharing with friends and on social media!Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Back-to-school season is upon us and here at the ACLU we've been following the nationwide campaign to censor education, be that the censorship of important historical and social context in curriculums, or the recent rise in book bans. All of these efforts threaten students' right to learn. As we chart this issue, our eyes are on Texas. The state is banning more books than any other, eliminating libraries, and through these decisions, targeting low-income students of color. This year, some students in the Houston Independent School District — the largest district in Texas — may be heading to schools with no libraries or librarians. In August, the state announced plans to convert libraries into disciplinary centers, eliminating librarian positions at 28 elementary and middle schools. Another 57 schools are being assessed for the same outcome, with the goal of addressing low academic performance in certain schools. This alarming change comes as part of a sweeping reform program led by the HISD's new superintendent Mike Miles, and a new state-imposed school board, both of which replaced the district's former elected school board and superintendent in the spring. We're joined by Becky Calzada and Deborah Hall, two Texas librarians who are advocating for students and the future of their profession. Then, we hear from ACLU of Texas attorney Chloe Kempf, to help explain how the rise in education censorship infringes on students' civil rights.

In May, Eric Hanushek and Steven Rivkin joined the podcast to discuss their research on Dallas Independent School District's Accelerating Campus Excellence program and its Principal Excellence and Teacher Excellence initiatives. The man who implemented these reforms, Mike Miles, was superintendent of Dallas ISD from 2012 through 2015, and, in May, was serving as the […]

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors in Summer League behind Olivier-Maxance Prosper & Dereck Lively II's big games. How did Jaden Hardy struggle and Mike Miles Jr. step up?Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) breaks down the Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors Summer League game and how Olivier-Maxance Prosper & Dereck Lively II impacted the game. Why did Jaden Hardy struggle? How did Mike Miles step up? What did a Mavericks Center say to Nico Harrison this offseason that has my ears perked up? The Grant Williams Trade is official, what did it cost the Mavs?Subscribe to Our Subtext to Get Texts from Nick & Isaac

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors in Summer League behind Olivier-Maxance Prosper & Dereck Lively II's big games. How did Jaden Hardy struggle and Mike Miles Jr. step up? Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) breaks down the Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors Summer League game and how Olivier-Maxance Prosper & Dereck Lively II impacted the game. Why did Jaden Hardy struggle? How did Mike Miles step up? What did a Mavericks Center say to Nico Harrison this offseason that has my ears perked up? The Grant Williams Trade is official, what did it cost the Mavs? Subscribe to Our Subtext to Get Texts from Nick & Isaac