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WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION?
A WORD FROM SHSU CHARTER SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
RONNIE D. KNOX

Let’s Start School!

After months of planning and curriculum, drafted board and legal to accommodate our school and have
preparation, the Sam Houston State policies, and made employment been a strong
University Charter School is scheduled offers to some of the highest advocate in
to open on Aug. 21, 2017. The school qualified educators in our area. Most their local
was granted an “open enrollment” importantly, we have created an communities for
charter by the Texas Education academic atmosphere so that we will the SHSU
Agency in 2016, and is currently be able to offer not only an exceptional Charter
hiring teachers and recruiting education to our charter school School
students. As I stated before, there students, but provide quality-learning system.
are many advantages to beginning a opportunities for our SHSU College
charter school; when asked, my reply of Education students as they visit our
is still “we get to start from scratch.” sites.
We are building a model school with To date, we have created six sites
innovative curriculum and research- with our partner Childcare Centers in
based practices that we believe our Houston, Humble, Klein, Pasadena,
district partners will be able to Spring, and The Woodlands. Many
incorporate into their own systems. of these sites are recognized by the
Creating the infrastructure Texas Education Agency as Texas
for our school system has been a School Ready Pre-K sites. The quality
melding of TEA requirements and of these programs enables many of
university operational systems. We our kindergarten students to come
have completed our financial systems prepared on, or at, grade level. Our
policies and procedures, purchased independent site owners have made
state-of-art technology and interactive many renovations to their facilities

Meet Our Principal
Renee O’Neal, SHSU Charter School
We are extremely excited about Principal
our principal, who will help run our I am about to start my 26th year
new school system next year. Renee in education. I served as a teacher
O’Neal is an experienced educator for eight years, and as an assistant
that brings a wealth of knowledge. principal in Aldine Independent School
While we have accomplished many District for two years. For the last
things this past year, our best days 18 years I have been in the Conroe
truly are ahead of us. We look forward Independent School District, where
to seeing the bright shining faces of I served as an assistant principal for
our newest and youngest Bearkats in five years, and a principal for the last 13 years. I am currently pursuing a
the months ahead as they blaze the doctoral degree in literacy and superintendent certification at Sam Houston
trail for our program. We invite you State University. I have three daughters. One is starting medical school
to visit our sites and welcome your this July at the University of North Texas medical branch in Fort Worth,
questions as we continue to promote my middle daughter is a sophomore at SHSU majoring in music, and my
the core values of SHSU through this youngest daughter is a junior in high school. I am super excited about
program. serving as the Sam Houston State University Charter School principal and I
Eat ’em up Kats! am looking forward to watching the program succeed and grow.

14 Sam Houston State University | College of Education Annual Report 2017