Houston wins Broad Prize

The Houston Independent School District has won the 2013 Broad Prize for Urban Education and will receive $550,000 in college scholarships for its high school seniors. The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, which award the prize, says that Houston is the only district in the nation to win the award twice. The award recognizes large urban school districts that have made the greatest improvement in student achievement in recent years. The foundation says that Houston outperformed peer districts in academic achievement; increased its graduation rate faster than other urban districts; narrowed the achievement gaps for low-income and Hispanic students; and improved college-readiness levels. Runners-up for the award—the Corona-Norco (Calif.) Unified District, the Cumberland County (N.C.) district, and the San Diego Unified District—will each receive $150,000 in college scholarships.