La Promesa

Demographics

Percentage of students*

Why La Promesa was nominated

La Promesa is a new school serving newcomer students in Aldine ISD. The school is focused on celebrating students home culture while ensuring students leave bilingual and biliterate. Historically, newcomer students were getting "lost" in large comprehensive high schools and this approach allows for a nurturing environment where each student has deep and trusting relationships with the adults. The school leader has been intentional in recruiting and retaining top talent and teachers with similar lived experiences as her students which she attributes as a key element to their early success. , La Promesa is a Newcomer and Dual Language experience where our most recent arrival students are able to build English proficiency without losing their native language. Through a Dual Language model, students engage in instruction in both English and Spanish that seeks to strengthen students’ identity and pride for their culture., In Houston’s Aldine Independent School District, about 800 students new to the country enroll in middle and high school each year, and their dropout rate was once projected to reach 50 percent by 2027. La Promesa – “The Promise” in Spanish – is an innovative high school created to change that trajectory, with a pledge that every student will graduate and reclassify as a former English learner. Unlike typical Texas models that shuffle English learners once they reach proficiency, La Promesa maintains cohorts together through graduation, providing continuity as students navigate academic challenges and a new culture. The school rejects false choices between English acquisition and academic rigor, cultural preservation and U.S. integration, or education and work. Instead, it maintains high academic expectations, celebrates students’ multilingual assets, and prepares them for college and careers while honoring family economic realities.

Student experience design

La Promesa offers high school students the opportunity to take classes in a dual-language environment—in both English and Spanish. Students thrive inr Dual Language program thanks to our highly qualified teachers and use of high-quality instructional materials and language content integration strategies. As a student at La Promesa, they will receive the Seal of Biliteracy; this means they will receive special recognition on their high school diploma signifying that they are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking both English and Spanish.

Core Practices

Core Practices	Length of Use
Dual Language Programming	5+ years
High Quality Instructional Materials	5+ years
SEL Integration School-wide	5+ years
Trauma-informed Practices	5+ years

key reasons for innovating