Young Presidents Organization members shadow Houston ISD principals

The Young Presidents Organization of Houston engaged in a principal-shadowing event Thursday, Oct. 25 sponsored by the Houston Independent School District.

Local CEOs and business owners from the Houston area gathered at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center to meet with local school leaders and principals to discuss the state of Houston-area schools, teachers and students, according to a press release.

The panel of speakers featured HISD Superintendent Terry Grier, Spring Branch Superintendent Duncan Klussmann and YES Prep President Jason Bernal.

"Our biggest challenge is making sure we have teachers who meet the needs of our students," Grier said in the press release.

Greier, Klussmann and Bernal then answered questions from moderator and president of The New Teacher Project, Timothy Daily, before the executives began shadowing the principals.

"Each CEO was paired with a local principal or school leader," Bernal said in the release. "Their task: to shadow the principals, sit in meetings and observe teachers and students."

The event was designed to open the lines of communication between community and school leaders and to increase awareness of the strengths and challenges for local public school systems, according to the release. Executives were urged to ask questions of their own and engage in the interaction between teachers and students.

The Hattie Mae White Education Support Center is located on the Houston ISD campus at 4400 W. 18th St., Houston.

For more information, call 713-556-6005 or visit www.houstonisd.org.