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

Fighting for Rights in Education and Being Thankful for the People In this Mission

November 25, 2010 by Jeanne Fruge Rodriguez

With the end of the year in sight and the arrival of the holiday season comes the natural inclination to step back and reflect upon the highs and lows, effective and ineffective decisions, and the goals soon to be set. I think it is important to take a moment to think about all of these things through the lens of giving thanks. So often my convictions at work and at home are driven by my rights, the rights of others, rights in general. But what if I took a step back? What if we all took a step back and shifted perspective to viewing what we do every day and why we do what we do to focus on the gifts rather than the rights? My life is filled with gifts – from my loving husband and adorable son, my supportive family (both immediate and in-laws), my incredible co workers who teach me so

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I am Thankful for YES Prep

November 24, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

The holidays are always a time to take a breath and reflect on the things you should be thankful for.  As I wrap things up in my office this afternoon in anticipation of busy holiday traffic and finally getting back to my parents house for good company and great food, I had to take a moment to appreciate the things I am thankful for. 

At YES Prep, things certainly aren't perfect.  We will never pretend that we have all of the answers (despite the title of this blog, The Answer) and just like any family, we have our weird characters and our conflicts.  However, at the end of the day, we are all united in one common mission: to increase the number of low-income Houston students that complete a four-year college.  Being bonded in this endeavor with such an amazing group of people makes

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What YES Prep Parents are Saying About Us

November 16, 2010 by Aaron Smith

According to research by former UCLA Dean of Education Lewis Solomon, parents are very adept at evaluating the quality of their child’s education. When comparing how parents and experts at the Arizona Department of Education rated 239 charter schools, he found that “across the board, state officials and parents gave nearly identical grades to the charter schools in question”.  

While parents may not understand the content of Roberto Martinez’sAP Calculus class, they’re generally aware of how well we’re meeting the needs of their children, including college readiness. Undoubtedly, their level of satisfaction is an accurate gauge as to how well we’re fulfilling our mission. The recent Parent Survey distributed throughout the system provided us with precisely this feedback.

YES Prep

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YES Prep Southwest becomes second National Blue Ribbon Nominated School in the YES Prep Network

November 15, 2010 by Jeremy Jones

It is official. YES Prep Southwest is one of 26 public/private schools in Texas that have been nominated to be a 2011 National Blue Ribbon school. If you have not heard of the award here is a brief synopsis:

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that are either high performing or have improved student achievement to high levels, especially among disadvantaged students. The program is part of a larger Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school leadership and teaching practices. Each year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals, including those that beat the odds. 

Southwest follows North Central as the

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YES Prep School Leader Reflects on Visit to Chicago Charter Schools

November 05, 2010 by Mark DiBella

Last week I had the opportunity to visit four of the highest performing, open-enrollment, public charter schools in Chicago. All of the schools were located in historically neglected neighborhoods and were serving students who desperately needed an alternative to some of the lowest performing urban public schools in our country.  Though all of the schools were the same in that they had similar missions to YES Prep's mission, each one of the schools had unique elements of their program:

LEARN Academy (Pre-K-8) was unified in its use of literacy objectives in all of its primary classrooms for all primary grades. Given our recent push towards focusing more acutely on literacy it was powerful to see another school that was completely and squarely centered on literacy! To give a little

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