Only work here if you want to use the company as much as they use you!
Pros
Numerous PD opportunities and higher pay than most other schools Great Network of individuals committed to education - tons of social outings and events Students and families are AMAZING! Huge family support for teachers Great stepping stone for growth and learning if looking to advance beyond a classroom teacher (in or out of the organization)... Pretty much- if you drink the cult koolaid/play the corporate political games (that is how the company runs), you can learn a lot and take a ton of knowledge from this company
Cons
Huge turnover rate Nepotism is common across the schools | Unqualified friends of leadership promoted often and quickly --> quicker advancement for males than females - it is unfortunately an organization lost in "white supremacy" and "male dominance" A lot of false promises for students - for example, the organization boasts a ton about values and culture/teaching the whole-child, however, it is very driven by standardized test scores which begin as early as kindergarten (4-year-olds begin practicing the computer test before officially taking it the following year) Many teachers are new to the profession and in fact, new to any profession- so a lot of necessary mentoring and coaching is going on behind the scenes which can take away from student learning in their first year of instruction - the company is systematically set up this way due to the long hours and stress of the job... a work-life balance is minimal, so college-graduates make great new-highers Pay is higher than most schools but work hours is at least triple of a normal classroom teacher (longer school days, less breaks/planning time, longer weeks -Saturday School, longer school year) Very young management teams running schools - some teachers are given a chance to advance, however, their skills in the classroom do not always equate to good leadership