A collaboration between Rice University and Houston Independent School District is helping the district strengthen its Sunrise Centers — neighborhood-based hubs that provide essential noninstructional support for students and families from food and school supplies to mental health care and job training.
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research, through its Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), partnered with HISD to evaluate how accessible and effective Sunrise Centers are in meeting students’ basic needs — needs that, if unmet, can directly impact learning.
“If you’re sitting in your classroom and you need glasses but your parents can’t afford that, that child will not be able to learn to the extent that they should,” said Gabriela Sánchez-Soto, a senior researcher at HERC. “Sunrise Centers are designed to remove those barriers, so kids can focus on learning, not survival.”
There are currently seven Sunrise Centers co-located with trusted community organizations like the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club and the Youth Development Center. An eighth center, operated by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, was approved by the HISD school board earlier this month, and school officials have said up to 12 could be opened. Each center offers personalized case management and connects families to services such as food pantries, clothing, school supplies, health care, therapy and workforce development programs.
“Given that Sunrise Centers are now going to be the primary way HISD supports the needs of students and families, we hope that this research collaboration can help the district and its community partners create a strong program that puts critical services within reach of every student,” said Erin Baumgartner, director of HERC.
The project’s goal was not just to study the centers but to work alongside HISD to improve them in real time.
“This is a project where we collaborated in designing every step of the study to meet their needs and the needs of their students,” Sánchez-Soto said. “And every piece of the research is being used — right away.”
HERC’s research confirmed that most HISD families can access a Sunrise Center within a 10-minute drive or a short walk from a bus stop. However, some high-need neighborhoods, such as Third Ward and Denver Harbor, had less access than others. The team provided the district with data to help guide future site selection and transportation planning.
The next phase of the partnership will examine how these services are tied to academic outcomes, including attendance, behavior and achievement.
“We’ve invested a lot of research resources into this because we know it’s going to bring positive outcomes for families,” Sánchez-Soto said.
The full report is available on the Kinder Institute website.