Teacher-Various Subjects, Grades 6-12 (2019-2020)
THE CHALLENGE
Across the nation, only half of all students from low-income communities graduate from high school and only 10% earn a college degree. Even though 85% of our students are economically disadvantaged, YES Prep provides evidence that different outcomes are possible. Eighty-seven (87%) of YES Prep alumni matriculate to college within one year and alumni like Eddie Zapata are earning their college degrees at five times the rate of their peers with similar socioeconomic backgrounds. How do we do this? Each of YES Prep’s 18 campuses serves 6th-12th graders like Monique Bowie. Students typically enter YES Prep one or more grade levels behind, but quickly find themselves on a different life trajectory. This is a result of transformative relationships with teachers and leaders, and access to excellent educational opportunities.
As the first minority-majority city, Houston’s schools cannot keep up with demand from students like Eddie and Monique. Houston is the 4th largest city (on track to become the 3rd), and this booming population translates into 2,000 families on YES Prep’s waitlist. YES Prep’s student enrollment is estimated to grow 31% between now and 2023 (from just over 13,000 students currently to 17,000).
THE OPPORTUNITY
YES Prep needs a dynamic teaching force, with a diverse set of experiences, to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep teacher, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, build transformative relationships, and eliminate educational inequities to advance social justice. In doing so, you will demonstrate to the nation that if a system of schools in Houston can close the opportunity gap, then surely this model can be replicated across other cities in America.
THE ROLE
When you join the YES Prep team, some of the exciting work will include:
- Developing rigorous lessons in your specific content area in order to prepare your students for college and beyond while bridging gaps for marginalized communities
- Setting ambitious goals with your students and working alongside them to encourage and ensure they achieve those goals through frequent and consistent feedback
- Persisting in the face of challenges, learning from mistakes, and setting a strong example of character for your students
- Growing professionally in your craft of teaching by both receive and giving feedback on a consistent basis
- Building meaningful and long-lasting relationships with students, colleagues, and families
- Working on a team of teachers and leaders to provide consistency, support, and accountability to all students
- Conducting weekly tutorials outside of regular class day to provide additional instruction and support to students
THE PERSON
We seek staff with diverse backgrounds, talents, interests, and ideas. Certain traits consistently shine through for our most successful employees: passion for the mission, drive for results, care for students, resilience, and humility. Other traits needed and desired for this role are:
THE MUST HAVES
- Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally accredited four-year educational institution
- Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
- Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
- Demonstrated ability to work on a team
- Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once
- Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
- Texas Educator Certification - There are several acceptable ways to meet this requirement, but to snag this role you must do one of the following:
- Hold a standard Texas Teaching Certification
- Hold a valid Teacher Certification in another state/country
- Gain admission into Teaching Excellence Alternative Certification Program at YES Prep
- Enroll in a state-accredited Alternative Certification Program pursuing Certification
THE TEAM
As a teacher, you will join warm and welcoming campus and content team at 1 of our 19 Campuses. YES Prep teams understand they are setting the example for how their students experience their YES Prep education and want to make sure it feels like a second home to them. Teams are obsessed with improving themselves because they know that living the core values translates directly into stronger results and college access for all students.
BENEFITS OF WORKING AT YES PREP
The starting salary for a first-year teacher is $50,000 and we value longevity and performance over time through the Teacher Continuum and our Commit to Five program. YES Prep continues to invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.
In addition, YES Prep has a highly competitive comprehensive benefits package. This includes a $0.00 medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Short and Long Term Disability, Pet Insurance, Life, etc. We are participants of Teacher Retirement System of Texas and we offer an additional 457 Retirement Plan. All 10-month employees receive 10 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures of our Academic Calendar, and in the event you need to be out due to a medical reason, YES Prep offers up to 12 weeks of full paid leave.
Lastly, the strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place to work in 2018. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.
WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO EQUITY & DIVERSITY
YES Prep strives to recruit a diverse team of leaders. We believe there is a transformative academic and social benefit for students when their teachers and leaders reflect a diversity of backgrounds. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of staff members agree that the organization provides a welcoming environment given their background and identity according to our latest system survey.
YES Prep is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood.
THE NEXT STEPS
If this sounds like your just right job, please apply here.
If you are not sure this opportunity is for you, are simply curious, or know someone who would be perfect, please reach out to our Talent Acquisition team to be connected to a recruiter at talent@yesprep.org.