POSITION: Teacher
REPORTS TO: Principal
POSITION TYPE: 10-month
COMPENSATION: $61,000 - $77,500
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 89% of our students are economically disadvantaged, YES Prep provides evidence that different outcomes are possible. Eighty-three (83%) 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? YES Prep has 21 campuses serving K-12, 19 campuses of those campuses serving 6th-12th graders, like Monique Bowie. The remaining 2 are YES Prep’s newest elementary campuses starting in the 20-21 school year, and we will continue adding 2 elementary campuses per year until 2024. This allows us to serve even more families and provide access to a college preparatory mindset from a child’s first schooling experience.
Houston is the 4th largest city and our increasing population translates into 2,000 families on YES Prep’s waitlist. YES Prep’s student enrollment is estimated to grow from 14,500+ students currently, to 23,000 by the 2024 – 2025 school year.
This challenge is magnified when we are serving the communities who are most impacted by the national pandemic of COVID-19. Regardless of the method of learning—virtual, in-person, or a hybrid model—we will “Keep YES Prep Learning,” so that our students maximize their potential and educational experience, maintaining college readiness for all students as the bar. At the end of the day, we will work relentlessly to shape our path forward and use current challenges to become a stronger organization.
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
- Additional duties as assigned
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
- Gain admission into Teaching Excellence Alternative Certification Program at YES Prep
- Enroll in a state-accredited Alternative Certification Program pursuing Certification
- Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
- Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
- Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
- Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment
- Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once
- Demonstrated ability to work on a team
- A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional
THE PERKS
- Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; salary offers commensurate with experience. The starting salary for a first-year teacher is $61,000.
- Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0 monthly medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.
- Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457 Retirement Plan.
- Paid Time Off – Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 10 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar.
Please note, part-time hourly employees (working fewer than 40 hours/week) do not receive pay during system closures. Additionally, 10- and 11-month hourly employees do not receive pay during the months in which they are not working.
- Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.
- 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 and 2019. 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-five percent (95%) 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, apply today!
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 by filling out this form.
