Content Specialist - Secondary English

Great schools begin with great people who believe every day is an opportunity to make a difference. At YES Prep, you have an opportunity to join a family of diverse educators who are leveling the playing field by providing opportunities for a high-quality, college-forward curriculum while also ensuring our students feel supported through their academic journey and empowered to lead choice-filled lives. YES Prep is more than a family of public charter schools, it’s the future of public education—it’s an opportunity to say, “Yes, you can!”

• 17,000 Students
• 1,800 Team Members
• 19 Secondary Campuses
• 6 Elementary Campuses
• 91% Students Who Qualify for Free / Reduced-Price Lunch
• 94% Hispanic and African-American Students
• 90% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University
• 88% First-Generation College Students
• Top 100 High Schools in the Nation, U.S. News & World Report

We serve the students of Houston, Texas, the 4th largest city across the United States. There are over 20 public-school districts and other great public charter school options, like KIPP Texas-Houston and IDEA Public Schools, within Houston’s city limits serving our increasing population. We are a rapidly growing organization, committed to creating life-changing opportunities for over 23,000 students by 2025.

THE OPPORTUNITY

YES Prep needs a dynamic English Content Specialist with a diverse set of experiences, to make our mission a reality. As a YES Prep employee, you will achieve jaw-dropping results, create pathways to opportunity for our students, build transformative relationships, and eliminate educational inequities to advance social justice.

To put it simply, you will be a member of a team of literacy leaders who set the vision for English and Reading Intervention courses across the system, write curriculum that aligns to that vision, and coach and develop teachers and instructional leaders to increase student achievement for all students. Specifically, you will drive achievement in our reading intervention courses that are grounded in the Science of Reading and closing gaps in word recognition and phonemic awareness for our students.

• Modeling effective English teaching practices on a campus or campuses
• Directly and positively impacting English student achievement
• Developing, refining, and sharing best practices and curricular resources through regular application and reflection

• Remaining up to date on English standards, pedagogy, and assessment methodology
• Creating and managing creation of aligned, effective unit plans and key resources for designated courses, setting a standard for rigorous and meaningful daily instruction designed to reach all learners, leading to strong system-wide academic results and support implementation of these resources
• Working with the English Content Director to build strong vertical alignment across the content team that leads to college-readiness in English

• Creating and managing creation of aligned, effective, and valid assessments for all courses to monitor progress towards ambitious student achievement goals
• Internalizing and utilizing up-to-date student achievement data to drive planning and support; communicate key takeaways and recommendations to teachers and leaders

• Planning, coaching teacher facilitators, and facilitating effective Content Days leading to teacher development and collaboration
• Collaborating meaningfully with others, such as Special Education team members, Literacy Specialists, and instructional leaders to ensure instruction and teacher support is aligned
• Regularly designing and facilitating professional development sessions for teachers and/or instructional leaders

• Additional duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution
• A minimum of 3 years of exemplary English or Reading teaching experience
• Experience as a teacher or instructional leader in a secondary school environment
• A valid Texas Teaching certificate in your content area
• Knowledge of current English curricular and assessment strategies
• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core value of YES Prep Public Schools
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
• Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once
• Demonstrated ability to work on a team
• A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results
• Conviction that high expectations + high accountability = high performance and high growth

• Experience in coaching adults and facilitating professional development

• Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience.

• Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0 monthly medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20+ hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.

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  Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457b Retirement Plan.

• Paid Time Off – Employees working 20+ hours a week receive 15 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar.

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  Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.

• Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.

• Award Winning Culture – The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place to Work in 2018, 2019, and 2021. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.