History (1954- present)
Cullen Middle School (CMS), located on 6900 Scott Street in southeast Houston, is part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the seventh largest district in the nation and the largest in Texas. HISD encompasses 301 square miles of the greater Houston area and serves more than 202,000 students (Houston Independent School District, 2010). Founded in 1836, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States with an estimated population of 2.25 million (City of Houston, 2010). Known for its booming economy, Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, NASA, and the headquarters of many energy companies (City of Houston, 2011). Within Houston, Cullen is located in the Old Spanish Trail/South Union neighborhood. CMS is situated in a neighborhood with government subsidized housing on one side and homes of mostly retired community members on the other. The majority of the community is African American and about 15 % of residents are Hispanic (City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). Additionally, about 1 out of every 5 births in the neighborhood from 1999-2003 were to mothers 10-19 years of age (City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). Lastly, 34% of the population lives below the poverty line (City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services, 2003).
While researching the history of Cullen, we discovered that little historical information exists about the school, including the exact date CMS opened to students, and its surrounding area. In fact, it is difficult to find information about CMS on the Internet . As evidenced by the grocery truck that delivers food in the low-incoming housing near CMS, the students at CMS seem to live in isolation from the rest of the greater Houston community.
Most of the interviewees indicated low parental involvement at CMS, but the history of Cullen’s opening paints a different story. On November 21, 1954, roughly 400 parents of students at Foster Elementary School met to choose the name of the new middle school that HISD was about to open in their neighborhood. The parents chose to name the school after Ezekiel W. Cullen, because of his contribution to education in Texas. In addition to being a jurist, legislator, and lawyer in the 1800’s, he was famous for “laying the basis for an eventual Texas public-education system” by starting land endowments for public schools (Long, n.d.).
Although little is known about the Cullen of the past, there is much information currently available about the student population The school’s population is mostly African American with a steadily growing Hispanic and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) population. From 2005-2010, the Hispanic population grew from 16% to 20%. The majority of the students (92%) qualify for free or reduced lunch. Additionally, the staff is 82% African American (HISD School Profile, 2010).
In recent years CMS has seen changes in both enrollment and leadership. In fact, since 2006 there has been a steady decline in enrollment with a total of 745 students in 2006 and only 639 students as of 2010 (HISD School Profile, 2010). Following a principal’s long tenure that lasted until 2008, the next principal served for two years prior to the most recent principal, Clayton Crook who has served as principal at an exemplary elementary school in HISD and has just finished his first year as principal at CMS.
While researching the history of Cullen, we discovered that little historical information exists about the school, including the exact date CMS opened to students, and its surrounding area. In fact, it is difficult to find information about CMS on the Internet . As evidenced by the grocery truck that delivers food in the low-incoming housing near CMS, the students at CMS seem to live in isolation from the rest of the greater Houston community.
Most of the interviewees indicated low parental involvement at CMS, but the history of Cullen’s opening paints a different story. On November 21, 1954, roughly 400 parents of students at Foster Elementary School met to choose the name of the new middle school that HISD was about to open in their neighborhood. The parents chose to name the school after Ezekiel W. Cullen, because of his contribution to education in Texas. In addition to being a jurist, legislator, and lawyer in the 1800’s, he was famous for “laying the basis for an eventual Texas public-education system” by starting land endowments for public schools (Long, n.d.).
Although little is known about the Cullen of the past, there is much information currently available about the student population The school’s population is mostly African American with a steadily growing Hispanic and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) population. From 2005-2010, the Hispanic population grew from 16% to 20%. The majority of the students (92%) qualify for free or reduced lunch. Additionally, the staff is 82% African American (HISD School Profile, 2010).
In recent years CMS has seen changes in both enrollment and leadership. In fact, since 2006 there has been a steady decline in enrollment with a total of 745 students in 2006 and only 639 students as of 2010 (HISD School Profile, 2010). Following a principal’s long tenure that lasted until 2008, the next principal served for two years prior to the most recent principal, Clayton Crook who has served as principal at an exemplary elementary school in HISD and has just finished his first year as principal at CMS.