HISD –Working Hard to become the Best School District in the Nation

Istanbul Conference Center
November 22, 2011

You can read the event report by clicking here.

Greg Meyers, Houston Independent School Trustee for District VI, enthusiastically outlined the school district's strategic direction at the Gulen Institute's Luncheon Forum.  New teacher appraisal and development systems, a redesigned K-12 literacy program, and a growing reliance on data-based accountability will transform the educational environment of Houston schools, and Meyers boldly announced the school board's goal to make HISD one of the best districts in the country.  And after presenting the five major tenets of the new strategy, he shifted his focus to the data quantifying their effects on the performance of Houston schools.

Even after a single year of implementation, schools across the district have shown remarkable improvement under the new plan.  Meyers presented measure after measure that show student achievement steadily increasing.  Graduation rates are currently at record highs, while dropout rates have fallen to an all-time low.  Moreover, the achievement gap between white, Hispanic, and African-American students has decreased by seven points, and there has been a 98% increase in kids taking Advanced Placement tests.  "I'm extraordinarily proud of this direction," Meyers said, confident in the school board's ability to continue to transform the educational climate of the HISD.

Short bio of Mr. Meyers

Greg Meyers was elected to the HISD Board of Education in 2004 as a Trustee for District VI and reelected in 2009. He served as assistant secretary in 2006, second vice president in 2007 and 2009, and board president in 2010 where he was instrumental in helping to guide the development of the district’s long-range strategic plan. In his first year of service, he was appointed to chair the Board Monitoring Committee, which developed an expanded system for district accountability that was adopted as policy.

Mr. Meyers is active in many areas of community service. He has been the honorary chairman of the Boy Scouts of America Scout Fair, chairman of the board of directors of the Houston West Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the governmental affairs committee as well as a board member of the Joint City/County Commission on Children. He received the HISD Apple Pin Award for extraordinary service to schools, and served on his neighborhood association board and as a Cub Scout den leader. Today, he serves as a board member of the Gulf Coast School Board Association, and also coaches youth soccer, basketball, and baseball.

Mr. Meyers earned a bachelor of business administration degree from Texas A&M University, with a double major in management and marketing, and a master of business administration degree from St. Mary's University, with an emphasis in finance.  In 1999, after 12 years in the dental-products industry, Mr. Meyers founded his own company.  Currently, Mr. Meyers is employed with the University of St. Thomas in institutional advancement.

The son of an Air Force veteran, he grew up in several U.S. cities, as well as in Okinawa, Japan. A Houstonian since the age of 15, he has developed a tremendous pride in and an understanding of the diversity and people that make Houston great.  

Mr. Meyers has two sons who attend HISD schools.