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    Democracy Prep Public Schools Reviews

    Updated September 15, 2017
    86 reviews

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    Full-timePart-time
    3.2
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    (no image)
    Katie Duffy
    29 Ratings

    86 Employee Reviews

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    Pros
    Cons

    • Work/life balance almost impossible (70 (in 16 reviews)

    • Long hours for teachers and students (in 15 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. "Teacher Review"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Teacher in New York, NY
      Former Employee - Teacher in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      - Curriculum are created already
      - Encouraged to edit/improve them to student needs
      - Staff is incredibly friendly and hard-working

      Cons

      - Incredibly long working hours
      - Difficult to maintain work-life balance
      - Pay is low in relation to other charter networks

      Advice to Management

      Please check in with your staff to ensure they are demonstrating a solid work-life balance. Consider ways to ensure all staff stays for more than one/two years.

    2. Helpful (2)

      "Change the world! Join the dream team."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Democracy Prep Public Schools (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Life changing organization. Both for me and for our citizen-scholars

      Cons

      Hard work. Great people sometimes leave.

      3. Join the Democracy Prep Public Schools team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. "Excellent Colleagues/Demanding Schedule"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Teacher
      Current Employee - Teacher
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      quality professional development; passionate, talented colleagues; competitive salary and benefits

      Cons

      unrealistic work-life balance; limited flexibility; little room for creativity

      Advice to Management

      allow more teachers to take "flex time" or have input in creation of schedules

    4. Helpful (1)

      "Great place to work and grow!"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time (More than 8 years)

      Pros

      Great coaching, lots of room for development.

      Cons

      High expectations may be difficult for some.

    5. Helpful (5)

      "Avoid at all Costs!"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I worked at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time

      Pros

      The quitting process is relatively painless and easy.

      Cons

      Where to start...I worked at a DP school and it was absolute hell. Not only was I observed every day, video-recorded once a week, but I was also bullied by a supervisor who simultaneously bullied students. School culture is insanely unhealthy for students and teachers alike, This school is emblematic of the school to prison pipeline at its finest. The hours are also absolutely insane: 7am-5pm. You must also go by the school's incredibly dull curriculum and students are seldom, if ever, allowed out of their seats. Teachers are not paid more if they have a license, and administration very blatantly plays favorites.

      Advice to Management

      Quit while you're ahead. There's a reason you're having an enrollment problem.

      Democracy Prep Public Schools Response

      Aug 8, 2017 – Manager, Recruitment Outreach

      Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. I wish your experience with us, especially with our feedback cycle and extended day, could have been more positive. It is our belief... More

    6. Helpful (2)

      "Exciting work, quick burnout"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - 8th Grade ACT Teacher (Reading)
      Current Employee - 8th Grade ACT Teacher (Reading)

      I have been working at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      -Excellent, supportive leadership in certain schools
      -Excellent compensation & benefits
      -Intelligent, hardworking, driven colleagues
      -High standards for learning and culture in classrooms

      Cons

      -Work/life balance almost impossible (70+ hours a week is the norm; 40 hours of tutoring outside of teaching is required)
      -Network leadership creates arbitrary expectations that are difficult to achieve with existing workload
      -Frequent break-downs in communications (a position was posted before it was communicated to the individual that they wouldn't be asked to come back)
      -No job security for stipend-based jobs (i.e. performance review for my curriculum advising position was excellent, but the network hired someone else without warning)

    7. Helpful (4)

      "You deserve better"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time

      Pros

      provide a cell phone and lab top.
      Some good weekly professional development sessions
      access to school supplies

      Cons

      Long hours
      Must volunteer to work additional 40 hours on Sat and other events
      Students are disrespectful
      Too much favoritism among staff and teachers
      Gossips and talking behind someone is a common trend

      Democracy Prep Public Schools Response

      Aug 15, 2017 – Manager, Recruitment Outreach

      We appreciate your feedback, and wish you could have had a positive experience here at DP. An important part of our model is putting our teachers first, and equipping them with all of the resources... More

    8. Helpful (1)

      "Teacher"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Special Education Teacher in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Special Education Teacher in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Administrators, support staff, and teachers work very hard.

      Cons

      You work very long hours.

      Democracy Prep Public Schools Response

      Aug 15, 2017 – Manager, Recruitment Outreach

      Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! It seems like our mission of "Work Hard. Go to College. Change the World!" is really living out at your school! Although our hours are long, they... More

    9. Helpful (3)

      "Getting better every day"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Teacher in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Teacher in New York, NY
      Recommends
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Lots of feedback and coaching. My principal is really positive in her approach to coaching. I feel great and excited to implement her feedback every time I leave a coaching session.

      Cons

      Certification policy wasn't made clear to me when I started.

      Democracy Prep Public Schools Response

      Aug 8, 2017 – Manager, Recruitment Outreach

      Thank you for taking the time to write a review! Our coaching model is one of my favorite parts of working at Democracy Prep. I'm sorry that your experience with our certification policy was not a... More

    10. Helpful (2)

      "CMO"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in New York, NY

      I have been working at Democracy Prep Public Schools full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      -Ability to see impact of work on schools every day
      -Work with a team of people with a common vision for our schools and scholars

      Cons

      -Could use more PD opportunities at the CMO level

      Democracy Prep Public Schools Response

      Aug 15, 2017 – Manager, Recruitment Outreach

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts! We have received feedback similar to yours regarding PD opportunities for non-instructional staff, and have put several initiatives into place to diversify... More

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