Superintendent speaks on state of HISD

HOUSTON HISD Superintendent Dr. Terry Grier did tout the strength of the school district as a whole and the performance of several outstanding schools. However, he was also very frank about problems within the district, namely that 70,000 students aren't reading on grade level.

Grier said that dropout rates were too high and graduation rates are too low. He also felt that the best students were underachieving.

"Our expectations are not what they should be, particularly for our brightest and most gifted students," said Dr. Grier.

Grier also said that some employees were not aligned with the district's core beliefs and values.