Teacher Recruitment bonuses for staff increase quality candidates applying to Houston’s best school

September 21, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

Many organizations have referral bonuses for employees who help recruit new folks onto the team, but I'm not sure how many schools have something like this.  In the coming years, we will grow to serve 10,000 students at 13 campuses and our teacher recruitment needs will be critical.  Not only will we need to increase the number of candidates we are entering into our recruitment pipeline, but we will need to increase the diversity and quality of those candidates as well.  Even more challenging will be the necessity to attract many more candidates in pipelines that have traditionally been very slim.  It doesn't take an experienced school recruiter to know that it is a little bit more difficult to find a high school physics teacher than a middle school English teacher (no offense MS ELA

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YES Prep on the front page of the Houston Chronicle!

September 21, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

Be sure to pick up today's Houston Chonicle to see YES Prep's $1 million gift from Oprah's Angel Network!

During show airing Monday afternoon focusing on the urban education crisis, Oprah Winfrey gave $1 million to Houston's YES Prep Public Schools.

Oprah showed a video of YES Prep and invited CEO Chris Barbic and teacher Melanie Singleton on stage, surprising them with a $1 million check from Oprah's Angel Network.

"The $1 million gift from Oprah is not only a great recognition of the work we are doing to close the achievement gap between low-income and high-income students, but it also helps us open more schools, serve more kids on our waitlist, and take another step closer to the day when every kid in Houston has access to a first-class college-preparatory education,"

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Oprah’s Angel Network Gives $1 Million to YES Prep Public Schools

September 20, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

YES Prep Public Schools was surprised with a check for $1 million on The Oprah Winfrey Showduring a special education segment during the show’s Farewell Season. Oprah invited YES Prep to join the show to recognize the school system as a model public school for our nation. Oprah shows a highlight reel of YES Prep and invites CEO Chris Barbic and YES Prep alum and teacher Melanie Singleton on stage and surprises them with a $1 million check from Oprah’s Angel Network.

The show’s other highlights include a discussion on WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN”,a documentary that follows children throughout the United States who are in the process of trying to get a great American education, in spite of the waitlists to enroll in great American schools. Other guests on the show include the

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CultureMap Houston highlights Oprah’s $1 million gift to YES Prep

September 20, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

CultureMap Houston's story, "Oprah couldn't say no to gifting Houston school $1 million" talks about surprise donation from Oprah's Angel Network.  Read the article and let us know, "can Oprah help YES Prep's dreams of serving more students come true?"

Oprah couldn't say no to gifting Houston school $1 million

She might be God to the middle-aged female contingent of your family. And her book club may catapult mere mortals from fraudulent to famous.

In fact, say what you will about the woman. But that Oprah still makes dreams come true.

And now she's done it in your backyard.

Today, Oprah donned her fairy godmother gown and touched her well-funded magic wand to Houston's YES Prep Public Schools, a public, open-enrollment

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Mental Health for Teachers at a Houston Charter School

September 15, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

I don't think anyone who knows a YES Prep teacher would ever doubt the hard work she puts into ensuring all of her students are ready for college graduation.  With a longer school year and school day (our students are in class from 7:30a-4:30p daily and have summer enrichment and remediation programs), we are always looking for teachers who can maintain a high level of energy over that gruelling schedule.  However, in the past few years, we have thought a little differently about our schedule and thought of creative ways to use time as curency for our teachers.  Today is a perfect example.

YES Prep is in its seventh week of school and each Wednesday, while an early release for students, can be a long day for teachers because once the students go home, the teachers stay behind for

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