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“Human Talent is Both the Constant and the Differentiator”

August 29, 2011 by Brittany Baize

1,000 educators from YES Prep Public Schools, KIPP: Houston, and Teach For America gathered on Saturday, August 27^thto celebrate their collective impact in Houston public schools. The celebration honored fifteen Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award winners – who took home a total of $225,000 in cash awards thanks to the generous philanthropy of Nancy and Richard Kinder.

Among the special guests and speakers was Jeff Cohen, Editor of the Houston Chronicle, as well as families traveling in to surprise the award winners. The theme of the evening was summed up when Cohen toasted attendees saying, “When it comes to facing challenges, team beats individual. ” The three organizations collectively educate about 27,000 students in Houston and have redefined the look, feel, and achievement record of a traditional urban public school classroom.

The accomplishments of YES Prep, KIPP and TFA are not only important to individual students and families in the low income and minority neighborhoods we serve; these achievements are critical to the Houston community because they feed the human capital pipelines of Fortune 500 companies and many of the nation’s leading energy, biomedical, agricultural, and technology industries. As Cohen reminded us, “Human talent is both the constant and the differentiator” that drives our prosperity, innovation, and economic success. “Thank you for the talent you send us!” he exclaimed, noting that we must continue to prepare college ready students in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing job descriptions that make up our modern economy.

At YES Prep, we know recruiting, cultivating, and retaining top talent is at the heart of our success. YES Prep congratulates all of this year’s winners, and we're especially proud of our YES Prep staff members recognized this year: