Pros
The mission, the kids, the camaraderie with coworkers, headquarter roles generally pay more than most non-profits.
Cons
KIPP DC has grown rapidly in the past few years and is headquarters is experiencing some growing pains related to management at the director level. The general sentiment among manager/associate staff is that most directors are completely oblivious and/or uninterested in how the people they manage feel about their role. And when a number of staff at a particular level feel negatively about their role or feel undervalued, it can quickly feel like a pervasive and exhausting culture of negativity. Issues that are brought up by large swaths of staff as important for staff retention - like another con: embarrassingly low maternity leave and zero paternity leave (especially for an organization run by women and employing many women + lgbt employees) - are not always taken seriously. The way the culture is changing overall is disappointing and I hope it starts to even out.