HISD Board of Education Approves New Magnet School

Principal Jyoti Malhan to Head New Campus that Will Serve as Feeder to DeBakey High School

Principal Jyoti Malhan

Principal Jyoti Malhan

HOUSTON: The HISD Board of Education in April approved creating a new magnet school that will offer a highly rigorous curriculum emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The newly created Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan will now begin enrolling students for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. The Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan will open with a sixth-grade class and eventually serve students in grades 6-8. Earlier this year, the Houston Independent School District Board of Education authorized the district to apply for $12 million in federal magnet school funds for these two new magnets and six others.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier brought the proposal forward in an effort to continue the district’s tradition of strong magnet programs that prepare graduates to contribute to Houston’s status as a global economic power.

“HISD’s strength lies in our ability to offer every parent and student outstanding school choice options, both in neighborhood schools and in city-wide magnet schools such as these,” Dr. Grier said. “We are serious about becoming great all over, and that means seizing every opportunity to meet students’ ever-changing needs.”

The Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan will be aligned with HISD’s prestigious DeBakey High School for Health Professions in the Texas Medical Center. Expanding this partnership with Baylor College of Medicine will provide more students with access to the faculty of one of America’s leading medical schools.

“For more than 40 years, HISD and Baylor College of Medicine have enjoyed a highly successful partnership in operating the DeBakey High School for Health Professions,” said Dr. Paul Klotman, BCM’s president and CEO. “The school’s remarkable success demonstrates what can be accomplished when the public and private sectors come together to address pressing educational needs. The BCM Academy at Ryan is a logical extension of our shared commitment to Houston’s future.”

Even though the new magnet middle school will be open to all students without admission requirements, the level of academic rigor will be especially high.

“We believe the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan can provide educational opportunities comparable to those at the most elite private schools in the Houston area, and the highest-rated public middle schools in the US,” said Dr. Nancy Moreno, professor and senior associate director of BCM’s Center for Educational Outreach. “Students in this new program will benefit from a curriculum that increases their academic and social preparedness to compete and succeed in the best high schools in Houston, including the DeBakey High School for Health Professions.”

The new magnet school will be located at the historic Ryan Middle School site, 2610 Elgin.

 The application deadline is May 16.

The application is available online at http://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/21217/Magnet_BCM_finals.pdf

In addition to recruiting students, HISD is recruiting teachers to staff these new magnet schools and other HISD campuses. Instructors with a strong background in the science, technology, engineering and math fields as well as a background in the common core subjects are encouraged to apply.

The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States with 276 schools and more than 203,000 students. The 301-square-mile district is one of the largest employers in the Houston metropolitan area with nearly 30,000 employees.

For more information, visit the HISD Web site at www.houstonisd.org.