Elementary Bilingual Teacher (2021-2022)
POSITION: Elementary Teacher
REPORTS TO: Principal
LOCATION: YES Prep North Central Elementary or YES Prep Southeast Elementary
POSITION TYPE: 10-month
START DATE: July 2021
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 percent (87%) of YES Prep alumni matriculate to college within one year and alumni 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 19 campuses currently serves 6th-12th graders. 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.
In 2020, YES Prep Public Schools has the exciting opportunity to launch our first two Elementary schools. The Education Trust states "Reading proficiency by 3rd grade is the most important predictor of high school graduation. Yet every year, more than 80% of children from low-income communities miss this crucial milestone." Our children deserve better. YES Prep plans to open two Elementary schools per year from 2020 to 2024 which will allow us to serve even more families and provide access to a college preparatory mindset from a child’s first schooling experience.
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 Elementary 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 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 receiving 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
- 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
- Provide a Statement of Eligibility and Letter of Acceptance into an Alternative Certification Program (ACP) and successfully take and pass content certification exam within 90 days of receiving an offer
- 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
THE TEAM
As a founding Elementary teacher, you will join warm a welcoming campus at YES Prep. 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.
THE PERKS
- Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; salary offers commensurate with experience. The starting salary for a first-year teacher is $56,000.
- Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0.00 medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Short and Long-Term Disability, Pet Insurance, Life, etc.
- Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457 Retirement Plan.
- Paid Time Off – 10 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures of our Academic Calendar.
- Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers 6 - 12 weeks of full paid leave.
- Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.
- Award Winning Culture – 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 team to be connected to a recruiter at talent@yesprep.org.