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I Moved Back to Houston Because YES Prep is the Best School in the Country

June 09, 2011 by Amanda Edwards

California: the name conjures images of movie stars, ocean views and eternal sunshine. As a recent resident of the state I can confirm that the hype is true. It’s all it’s cracked up to be. I have just left all this behind to take up residence anew in humid Houston, Texas. “Why?” you’re likely screaming at your computer screen. Why would you leave behind the glories of the Bay Area for this sweltering concrete jungle? As they say around here, the answer is YES. After working in and with a lot of other schools in California and around the country I am convinced that no one is doing a better job closing the achievement gap in underserved communities than YES Prep. The relentless pursuit of results married to a sincere concern for who the kids will be, not just what scores they will earn, sets YES Prep in a league of its own.

To put this in perspective imagine the most dysfunctional urban school district possible. Now multiply it by 10 and you’ll get an idea of the California district where I most recently worked in administration. People there talk about changing schools and bringing in great teachers…in three years maybe, if everything is “ready”. Plans are made as though decades exist to make changes in the quality of schooling. The truth is that for the kids who go to the myriad of failing schools in the district there is no time. EVERY DAY MATTERS. Teachers at YES Prep gets it. Every minute of every class every day matters at YES Prep and that’s what makes the difference for the amazing, talented, sometimes unruly, completely hilarious kids who become Wizards, Trailblazers, Mavericks, Explorers and the like. The benefits of working in an environment where every teacher and staff member shares this urgency cannot be overstated. It is both inspiring and essential to work alongside gifted and committed colleagues in the trenches of this battle for educational equality.

Could I work in another charter school? Sure. There are some other high-performers out there. But in my experience few others have the unyielding focus and drive of YES Prep. The “no excuses” culture is not a platitude here; it is how we operate day in and day out. Inequity in public schools is unjust and deeply troubling and now it’s personal. I know what this inequality looks like for kids and their futures so at the end of the day I ask myself what I’m doing about the civil rights issue of our generation. And I know that at the end of each day at YES Prep I will have a good answer.

So this is why I am willing to undergo third degree burns inflicted by accidental contact with a seatbelt buckle left too long in a parking lot. This is why I will endure hurricane season yet again-making sure my car is filled with gas and water. YES Prep is why I am happily leaving California to come back to Houston and help change the world one kid at a time.

amanda edwards work at yes prep in houston Amanda is taking the role of High School Principal at YES Prep North Central after a brief hiatus from Houston. She formerly served as an instructor and Dean of Students at YES Prep Southeast. To read more about why YES Prep is committed to transforming Houston by preparing more students for college graduation, please visit our Y Houston blog or help us in our transformation efforts by applying online.