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