Pros
- The mission to prepare students for success in college and a life of active citizenship is a remarkable one. This mission informs many decisions across the schools when it comes to curriculum, service projects, town halls, advisory lessons, and other aspects of school life. - The CMO and the schools hire some very talented & very smart people. These people work incredibly hard. - There is much potential for this organization to become great.
Cons
- Management is poor. Management is full of bosses, not leaders. They seem to lack one consistent vision or long-term plan. If there is a long-term plan, it is constantly changing. - There are many policies, but they are not practiced or upheld consistently. There is little consistent follow-up or follow-through. - Turn over is very high. The perception & reception among many employees is that it's a culture of "burn and turn." Management demands a lot from their employees with very high expectations, but they do it with very little guidance or support. - Many employees feel unappreciated and not supported to grow. Instead, they feel like they must grind, grind all the time. - There is a culture of "triage." The school has been around for 10 years, but we're still in triage mode. We're so busy putting out small fires that we forget how we care for people and how we navigate toward a long-term plan. - It is difficult to manage a work/life balance. It's true that we offer a great parental leave plan, but we don't hire substitute teachers or add extra support in schools. Who does coverage while teachers/staff are on parental leave? - Communication can be poor. Major decisions that affect multiple people are not always communicated to everyone, especially in a timely manner. Or, there is a lack of explanation, reasoning, or "why" behind decisions. It can cause unnecessary problems and distrust because it perpetuates a lack of transparency. - Favoritism seems to be rampant across the CMO and the schools. Some people--even within the same teams--receive certain concessions and support while others don't, even after they negotiate for them. Management publicly praises some people--often the same people--while they publicly lecture others. - There is not enough feedback or a checks-and-balances system for management. It is fair for them to be evaluated, too--especially when teachers are evaluated three times a year.
