The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

YES Prep Southwest attains honors from the Texas Business and Education Coalition, again!

September 10, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

Congratulations! YES Prep Southwest Campus in your district has made the Texas Business and Education Coalition Honor Roll for 2010. We are pleased to announce that your school is included in this very select group. Of the more than 8,000 Texas public schools less than 4% will be so honored.

The TBEC Honor Roll is the most prestigious award for sustained, academic excellence in Texas. It recognizes schools that have demonstrated three years of consistent, high performance in all subjects compared to other schools serving similar student populations. TBEC Honor Roll schools have the highest percentage of students performing at the state’s most rigorous standard-commended- in every subject. You and your school have truly earned a place on the Honor Roll through hard work and student

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YES Prep Southwest matures into a student-led campus and a strong presence from senior leaders

September 09, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

Last Friday’s all-school meeting at YES Prep Southwest was a great example of how far the Mavericks have come in being a student-led school. When people step onto campus and remark on the strong culture and instruction it is not because we have to remind students that visitors are coming or that they need to step up their game to set a good impression. It is because our students get it and they get why they are here. The six junior and senior boys that stood up to address the student body are excellent examples of that, each in his own way. However, getting to that point does not happen the moment new students step into the Maverick Nation. It takes time, sacrifice, and consistent hammering home of the message each and every day so that in the end we have excellent examples like

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We are role models for other students: A Guest Blog from Sherman Elementary

September 09, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

The first graduating class from the flagship Southeast campus immortalized their experience at YES Prep in the YES Prep Thinks and Acts, a commandment-esque list of things model YES Prep students think and how they should act.  These Thinks and Acts are a series of phrases that every YES Prep 6th grader memorizes and all students use as a source of motivation.  In my five years working at YES Prep, I have thought a lot about what my favorite Think and Act might be, but it has become as challenging of an endevour as deciding on my favorite song.  However, I recently saw one particular Think and Act exemplified that didn't surprise me, but made me proud.

Our culture is rooted in community service.  In fact, YES is actually an acronym for Youth Engaged in Service.  Building community is

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How YES Prep is becoming the best place in the country to grow as an educational leader

September 01, 2010 by Bill Durbin

YES Prep Public Schoolsstrives to be the best place in the nation to develop and support educational leaders.  To this end, we have developed three key leadership development opportunities.  First, we have implemented a Leadership Cohort Training Model that meets three times throughout the year to discuss and practice goal-setting, team development, meeting facilitation, and prioritization of competing demands.  This cohort is for new team leaders with roles such as grade level chair, dean of students, dean of instruction, student support counselor, content specialist, course leader, or operations manager.  Eighty of YES Prep’s current leaders attended the two-day introduction session this summer, and they will receive another day in the fall and one in spring.  These follow-up days

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Are We An Exemplary School District for a Second Year in a Row?

August 20, 2010 by Chris Barbic

The Answer is YES!!! 

It is official.  The Texas Education Agency accountability ratings have been released and YES Prep Public Schools has earned its way into a very elite group for the second year in a row. . . . we are an Exemplary school system!  To earn this rating, at least 90 percent of our students had to pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), 95 percent of our high school students either graduated on time or continued high school for a fifth year, and we had an annual middle school dropout rate of 1.8 percent or less.  With the recent addition of the Texas Projection Measure or (TPM) a campus or district  could earn an Exemplary or Recognized rating by meeting the absolute standards or by using the Texas Projection Measure (TPM) or exceptions.  Special

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