Cornyn: Houston ISD to Receive More Than $4M for School Choice and STEM Education

[caption id="attachment_53284" align="alignright" width="214"] Senator John Cornyn[/caption] WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) announced today that the Houston Independent School District (HISD) was awarded a federal grant of $4,460,382 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Magnet Schools Assistance Program to support the development and implementation of magnet school programs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM): “Texas has a booming science and technology sector, but students who lack access to high-quality STEM education may have less opportunities in these fields,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This grant will help ensure students in the Houston area can access STEM resources to prepare them for high-skilled, high-wage science and technology-related jobs and give parents more choices for their children’s education.”  Background: Grants from the Magnet Schools Assistance program aid in the development and implementation of magnet schools that provide all students with the opportunity to meet challenging academic content and achievement standards. Projects support the development and design of innovative education methods and practices that increase choices in public education programs. The program supports capacity development, which is the ability of a school to help all its students meet more challenging standards, through professional development and other activities to enable the continued operation of schools at a high performance level after funding ends. It also supports the implementation of courses of instruction in magnet schools that strengthen students' academic knowledge and grasp of marketable vocational skills. Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.