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

Teaching Excellence: Why Years in a Classroom Don’t Always Define Great Teachers

December 08, 2011 by Nella Garcia

As the fall school semester comes to a close, teachers from all over Houston are reflecting on their work so far this year.  This is especially true at public charter schools like YES Prep, where our intensive Teaching Excellence program ensures that our novice teachers—up to a third of our overall teaching program—receive the support and development they need to perform well in the classroom.

A recent article in the Huffington Post points to an often heard criticism of charter schools, Teach For America, and of the education reform movement as a whole.  The looming questions proposed in the aforementioned article include:

-    How can inexperienced teachers effectively teach high-risk students, a group that has traditionally needed the most attention and assistance?

-    If

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“Options.  Education means options.”

August 25, 2011 by Brittany Baize

YES Prep Public School parents Denik and Terry Hunter couldn't have said it better.  Watch them describe the importance of options in education in this video interview with The Texas Tribune[1].

At YES Prep, options begin with the choice that students and families have in their education provider.  As a free, open-enrollment public school, our charter status provides students and families the opportunity to attend our campuses regardless of where they live.  Instead of being bound by their zip code, any student in the Houston area can enroll for a seat at YES Prep through our lottery system.  The stakes are high: Currently Texas ranks last in the nation in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas[2].  At YES Prep, students and families know that with high expectations and

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A Room of Our Own: Funding Facilities

August 23, 2011 by Brittany Baize

Fundamental to our mission at YES Prep Public Schools is to provide low-income and minority students with equal access to resources and opportunities, but YES Prep receives no funding for facilities.  Our program started in an East End parking lot, and our record of achievement is a testament to the incredible staff, students, and families who put the time and energy behind our core values.  It is also thanks to the generosity of our supporters that YES Prep has grown to ten campuses serving over 5,400 students.  Our two newest campuses, Fifth Ward and Northside, welcomed their inaugural 6^thgrade classes on August 9, 2011.

You can hear our President, Jason Bernal, speak to the Texas Tribune[1] about the importance of facilities funding in this video.

We are halfway to our goal of

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YES Prep and IDEA Public School Joint Presentation at National Charter School Conference

June 22, 2011 by Jeremy Jones

YES Prep and IDEA Public Schools (Rio Grande Valley) co-presented about social media and inbound marketing at the 2011 National Charter School Conference in Atlanta this week.  The two schools use social media and inbound marketing to activate and increase engagement of their respective communities.  The presentation was delivered by Senior Director of Recruitment and Selection, Jeremy Jones, from YES Prep and Chief of Staff of IDEA Public Schools, Tom DaRosa. 

Capitalizing on four major points, Jones and DeRosa explained some best practices and experiences that have informed their stratgies in social media.  Our big ideas were:

• Integrate your tools to maximize your reach.  For instance, if you use Facebook, think about how you syndicate your posts on Twitter so you can use one

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YES Prep and the Texas Budget Crisis

April 13, 2011 by Ryan Dolibois

It seems that every day  there is a new article or news report about the Texas budget crisis. As the news has highlighted, lawmakers in Austin are currently grappling with a budget shortfall that could be as high as $27 billion for the biennium.  The vast majority of the state budget is allocated to education and health/human services, so cuts to state education funding are inevitable.

Since we are a public school system, YES Prep is tracking this budget issue very closely. According to a recent study conducted by R.C. Wood & Associates, Texas charter schools annually receive up to $2,000 less per year, per student than traditional school districts across Texas. This means that the proposed budget cuts could affect us even more severely than traditional districts, depending on how

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