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YES Prep Unveils New Core Values at All-Staff Day

August 15, 2011 by Lindsey Windham

Last Friday, over 500 YES Prep staff members gathered at Houston’s Arena Theater to celebrate the successes of the past year, reflect on our work and our purpose, and kick off the school new school year with a celebration. This is a yearly tradition that always energizes me and reminds me of what we exist to do and why YES Prep is so special.

A central piece of the program was the introduction of YES Prep’s new core values. For several years we had five (longer and wordier) core values that communicated the things we believe, stand for, and value as an organization. But, this summer, we shortened them down to the true core and re-wrote them to pack a punch, be memorable, and truly represent YES Prep’s priorities as an organization. So... here they are! At YES Prep,

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Update on YES Prep North Forest and the Texas Education Agency

July 14, 2011 by Jason Bernal

As many of you have heard by now, yesterday’s evening news aired a story about the Texas Education Agency revoking North Forest ISD’s accreditation status. YES Prep has been operating a school in partnership with North Forest for the last year and we have received a number of questions about the future of both our school and the district. We wanted to be sure to follow up with all of you about our status and this situation:

Our mission in North Forest remains unchanged: we are committed to providing an exceptional education for students in the North Forest community and we are already looking ahead to May 2014 when our first class of seniors will graduate and go on to college.
The YES Prep North Forest summer session started today on schedule. This year, the school will serve

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What The HBJ’s Best Place to Work Award Really Means to Us

July 07, 2011 by Jeremy Jones

yes prep teachers visit stonehenge YES Prep was awarded the 2011 Houston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work for the second consecutive year. We couldn’t be more honored to be associated with some of our city’s best organizations. We are proud, but continue to be convicted by our mission to transform Houston by preparing more low-income students for college graduation.

YES Prep is unique on this list of Houston’s Best Places to Work. We are the only public education provider on the list. This is our second consecutive award. Our product is human capital and our competitor is the academic achievement gap. We have a lot of fun, but we often eat our lunch on our feet if at all. Our work can be extremely intellectually, emotionally and physically exhausting. Every day, we come to work before the sun comes up

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Proof that YES Prep is Transforming Houston

June 23, 2011 by Jeremy Jones

Transform Houston: 10,000 students, college ready.

We came up with this tagline at a YES Prep leadership retreat during a long, hot summer day in the gym of YES Prep East End a few summers ago. Since then, it has been a rallying cry for our team and our community. Its sets the bar high: by preparing 10,000 students for college graduation, we will triple the number of low-income students from our city that finish a four-year college, making YES Prep uniquely positioned to alter the future life prospects of our students and the future prosperity of an entire city.

Our hope is to literally transform Houston and it is our belief that education is the way to get there. Right now, the achievement gap is egregious and apparent. While Houston houses the largest density of medical

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Teacher Returns to YES Prep to Fight for Social Justice

June 16, 2011 by Julie Moss

yes prep students at texas A&M A year ago when my husband and I found out that we would be moving to Colorado, I felt utterly and completely torn. I was thrilled to start a new chapter of my life with my husband but devastated at the thought of leaving my amazing job at YES Prep North Central. I had just finished my first year of teaching, and the idea of starting all over again at any school that was “not a YES Prep school” was disheartening. Big things were happening in Houston in charter school education, and I wanted to be a part of them. I loved my job, I loved my students, I loved my co-workers, and I loved the mission of YES Prep. I felt as if I was leaving my own personal goals at YES Prep only partially completed - as if I had unfinished business in Houston.