Browsing by Author "Thrash, Courtney"
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Item Availability of and Equity in Access to HISD Pre-K Programs (Part 1). Research Brief for the Houston Independent School District. Volume 8, Issue 4.(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2019) Baumgartner, Erin; Thrash, Courtney; Sanchez, LuisThis study examines student access to HISD pre-k programs, measured in multiple ways: whether a program exists in their elementary zone and whether a program exists within one mile of their residence. Researchers also estimated whether there is equity in access, by examining whether students who have the greatest need (including economically disadvantaged and English learners) also have the greatest access to pre-k. Across measures, researchers found that economically disadvantaged students have a greater likelihood of access to pre-k than their non-economically disadvantaged peers. However, English learners, another population targeted by the state policy to receive pre-k, are not more likely to have access to pre-k than their peers who are not English learners.Item Metadata only Behavior Infractions and Subsequent Disciplinary Actions in Aldine ISD Schools(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Thrash, Courtney; Wilson, Miranda; Ma, HaoThe purpose of this brief is to examine changes in school discipline rates in Aldine ISD from 2019-20 to 2022-23 and to explore how discipline practices varied by race/ethnicity and special education status in 2022-23.Item Campus Variation in Grade Retention and Course Failure Rates After Attending Summer School in Houston ISD(Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2024) Thrash, Courtney; Pham, Annie; Hood, StaceyThis brief examines summer school retention and course failure rates at schools throughout the district to determine which schools have higher rates relative to other schools in the district. It also looks at what characteristics are associated with a student being retained after summer school and failing a course in summer school.Item Pre-K Choice and School Readiness in HISD: Research Brief(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2022) Baumgartner, Erin; Thrash, CourtneyMany students attend a pre-kindergarten (pre-K) program outside of their neighborhood school, but there is no evidence that making this choice is associated with subsequent student readiness for kindergarten. In the Houston Independent School District (HISD), pre-K is not zoned, which means families can request to enroll their children on any campus with a pre-K program or Early Childhood Center (ECC) that has space available. As a result, many families may opt for programs that are outside of their neighborhoods, and it has been unclear whether students attending non-neighborhood campuses are more likely to be ready for kindergarten at the end of pre-K. School choice in pre-K was not associated with school readiness unless students attended a higher-performing pre-K program. Findings from this study suggest that children who exercised school choice and attended a higher-performing pre-K program were more likely to be kindergarten-ready than those who exercised school choice and attended a lower-performing pre-K program. This brief serves as the fourth, and final, study in a series examining pre-K access for students in HISD.Item Pre-K Preferences: How and Why HISD Parents Choose Pre-K Programs(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2020) Baumgartner, Erin; Thrash, CourtneyThis study is the third in a series of briefs examining pre-k enrollment and access for students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). The aims of this study are to identify characteristics that drive enrollment, understand where parents receive their information about HISD pre-k options, and understand parental beliefs about which program characteristics are most important. Findings suggest distance from home is one of the primary drivers of pre-k parental choice for their children. Additionally, program characteristics are important, specifically whether programs have highly trained teachers and teacher aides. However, variation in parental beliefs exist by language of survey participation and campus-level proportions of English-language learners (EL) or economically disadvantaged students. Parents report learning about HISD pre-k programs through family and friends.Item Public Pre-K Enrollment and Participation in the Houston Region(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2024) Thrash, Courtney; Varghese, Lebena; Cashiola, LizzyThis series of briefs looks at enrollment and attendance patterns in public pre-K in the Houston region before, during, and after the passage of HB3 and the COVID-19 pandemic. It also looks at the benefits of pre-K participation.Item Strategies for Increasing Access to HISD Pre-K Programs. Research Brief for the Houston Independent School District. Volume 9, Issue 1.(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2020) Baumgartner, Erin; Thrash, CourtneyThis is the second in a series of briefs examining student access to Houston ISD pre-kindergarten programs. The study finds that among 2018-19 kindergarteners in HISD who did not attend HISD pre-k, about two-thirds of students likely qualified for enrollment. Zoning pre-k, which would include adding pre-k programs to elementary zones that do not have them and/or establishing Early Childhood Centers as zoned schools, would increase access to pre-k by providing campuses in students' neighborhoods and reducing the distance to the nearest program. The first research brief analyzed the variability in who has access to HISD pre-k programs in their elementary zone, the neighborhood and within one mile of their residence.Item Understanding the Effect of HISD’s EMERGE Program on Student Outcomes(Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2023) Holzman, Brian; Thrash, Courtney; Chukhray, IrinaThis brief looks at the impact of HISD's EMERGE program on students' likelihood to apply to and enroll in a selective college.