Horn Elementary School Assistant Principal Michael Hunt quietly entered a third grade class, clipboard in hand, and headed to the big white board at the head of the room.
Hunt proceeded to write down the learning objective of the day — creating a rectangle or square with specific perimeter lengths — and began observing the Houston ISD students as they went to work. Hunt then turned to teacher Shannon Talley with a question: “How are you going to monitor for understanding?”
First, Talley planned to have students check their work with each other. Next, she would verify their results herself. Hunt nodded, satisfied with Talley’s response, and knelt down to see the students in action.
Once a week, Hunt makes the rounds at the Bellaire-area campus, dipping into multiple classrooms to observe students, discuss teaching strategies with educators and monitor how well children are learning.
“As part of being an assistant principal, I can’t always be in every single teacher’s classroom, I can’t interact with every single student at Horn, and I just wish I could,” Hunt said. “So that’s my big challenge, just trying to make sure that I plan out my day to hit as many classrooms as possible.”
The strategy of putting more administrators in the classroom is part of state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles’ overhaul of HISD, aimed at improving the quality of instruction delivered by the district’s 10,000-plus teachers. HISD has increased its roster of assistant principals and re-engineered the position since Miles’ arrival nearly two years ago, district data and interviews show.
The district employed about 475 assistant principals and deans prior to Miles taking over the district in mid-2023. This school year, HISD has about 650 assistant principals who are placing more emphasis on in-classroom coaching. The district virtually eliminated the dean position under Miles.
District officials believe the coaching will help HISD improve student performance, which has lagged behind state and national averages for decades. Researchers have found teacher quality is the top factor under a school district’s control that impacts student achievement.
“We have really placed an emphasis on the quality of instruction, and in order to grow the quality of instruction, you have to coach it,” said Kasey Bailey, HISD’s West Division deputy chief. “We coach in the moment, and where we are continuing to calibrate as a district is the right way to coach in the moment.”
But for some teachers, the frequent visits by assistant principals has become a source of frustration, contributing to an increase in teacher turnover. The district’s largest teachers unions have criticized the increased presence of administrators as micromanaging.
Critics also argue teachers can’t engage in free-flowing, authentic instruction when they’re routinely monitored. Houston Education Association President Michelle Williams said many administrators have a rigid checklist of expectations when they enter a classroom.
“It’s really not teaching,” Williams said.
An AP tag team
The addition of more assistant principals reflects Miles’ more hands-on, regimented approach to running HISD. Historically, the district gave principals significant power to decide how many administrators they wanted on campus. Under Miles, roughly half of schools involved in his campus overhaul model now hire a set number of assistant principals based on enrollment size, while the other half still get to decide how many to employ.
The additional emphasis on assistant principals coaching teachers also marks a notable change for HISD. In the past, assistant principals primarily conducted administrative work, carried out cafeteria duties, engaged with parents and more. While they still perform many of those roles, the district now places more emphasis on helping with instruction and coaching teachers in the classroom.
When Horn Elementary needed a second assistant principal ahead of the 2024-25 school year, campus leaders turned to Hunt, a go-getter with nearly 10 years of teaching experience and expertise in curriculum, instruction, and gifted and talented programs.
As a teacher, Hunt typically received help on specific areas of needs, such as questions about working with a parent or curriculum, from the campus principal or assistant principal.
In his new role, he spends most of his time in the classroom supporting teachers.
On a given day, he starts his morning going from class to class, making sure they have no issues. As the day goes on, Hunt begins visiting classrooms, calmly stopping to chat with children and taking note of how teachers are delivering instruction and ensuring students understand the lesson. If he spots an opportunity for improvement, he’ll quietly talk with the teacher away from students or make a note for a future chat.
Hunt and his assistant principal counterpart, Heather Mitcham, also meet once a week to strategize on Horn Academy, a program dedicated to helping first-year teachers. Hunt also conducts classroom evaluations that make up part of each teacher’s annual performance rating.
“We’ve been able to look at what our strengths are as individuals, as instructional coaches, so that we can hit on the areas of the campus that we can strengthen,” Hunt said.
For Horn Elementary Principal Vanessa Flores, the addition of a second assistant principal allows for better specialization in the administrative ranks. Hunt can focus on his areas of expertise, while Mitcham uses her background in serving students with disabilities to develop and support the school’s special education department.
“Our goal here, even though we’re (an A-rated campus), is to always improve and be better,” Flores said.
Help or hindrance?
District leaders have said the additional assistant principals on campus have been a positive change for HISD. Bailey, the HISD west division deputy chief, noted that she sees the impact it has on kids when there’s effective leadership and teaching.
HISD scored the region’s highest test score gains among large districts in 2023-24, when Miles’ administration first added more assistant principals, though the effect of extra administrators on performance hasn’t been deeply evaluated.
HISD leaders noted, too, that on-the-job coaching has become more important as the district hires more first-year teachers, partially in response to the higher attrition rates under Miles.
The leaders of two of HISD’s largest teachers unions, however, feel the in-the-moment coaching hasn’t been effective.
Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson, who leads the district’s largest employee union, said her organization is concerned about how district leaders are using information collected by assistant principals. HISD leaders have boasted about how many lower-rated teachers didn’t return to the district this school year, and some teachers have complained about unfair evaluations by administrators.
“Are they actually using this data to coach teachers?” Anderson said. “Or are they using it to punish teachers?”
Williams, the Houston Education Association president and a 26-year teacher, argued that assistant principals aren’t well-trained or experienced enough to coach veteran educators like herself. Instead, she said the district should focus on intensive instruction for the district’s large Black, Latino and emerging bilingual populations.
Williams added that she believes the increase in assistant principals is meant to create a deeper roster of future principals to replace campus leaders ousted by Miles’ administration.
“It’s essentially just having more people on hand to unseat these principals when they don’t do what he wants them to do,” Williams said. “So that’s generally my perspective, because I’ve seen it over and over again with him since he’s been here in Houston.”
Bailey said in-the-moment coaching by assistant principals is not meant to be disruptive or intrusive. Instead, it’s supposed to enhance teaching and learning for students across the district — and the district is committed to continuing the strategy.
“We value coaching in HISD, and who coaches teachers? Assistant principals and principals,” Bailey said. “But a principal can’t do that work alone. They’re only one person. So it’s important that we ensure we have enough support for teachers to really get the coaching that’s necessary for them to evolve in their craft.”
Angelica Perez is a general assignment reporter for the Landing’s education team. Find her @byangelicaperez on Instagram and X, or reach her directly at angelica@houstonlanding.org.
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