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Uncommon Schools Reviews
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Full-timePart-timeApprove of CEO
Brett Peiser
112 Ratings
Pros
"The leadership and professional development" (in 43 reviews)
"Their mission is to close the achievement gap and ensure that every child graduates college" (in 11 reviews)
Cons
"The work-life balance/workload/length of school day is soul crushing" (in 47 reviews)
"High stress environment for teachers with very long hours" (in 49 reviews)
Helpful (1)
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"Opperations team"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsI have been working at Uncommon Schools part-time
Pros
Forward thinking educators. Everyone in the school wants the scholars to succeed.
Cons
Expect to put in long hours and a lot of work.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-21 10:07 PDTHelpful (1)
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"Great positions with creative control."
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsNeutral OutlookNo opinion of CEOI have been working at Uncommon Schools full-time
Pros
So much creative control in the SPC role. Constant professional development.
Cons
Long hours! Only 2 weeks off in the summer for OPS teams.
Advice to Management
More vacation time for OPS team.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-30 18:37 PDTHelpful (2)
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"Paranoid Leaders"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNeutral OutlookNo opinion of CEOI worked at Uncommon Schools full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
-Good pay and benefits.
-Uncommon tries to help teachers improve in a system-dependent way of thinking about instruction.Cons
-Leadership cornered certain individuals to find out about what others might complain about at happy hours, or elsewhere after hours.
- Discipline system is anti-restorative, and simply punitive.
- Remember, as an employee here, you have no rights.Uncommon Schools 2018-09-06 13:28 PDTHelpful (1)
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"Good job"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookNo opinion of CEOI have been working at Uncommon Schools full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Students are amazing and the mission is very real and teachers work very hard. Also, you'll have all the resources you'll need to be successful in the classroom. You will learn a lot about urban education.
Cons
There is a lot of micromanagement in the job, regardless of your title. Also, they believe great teaching should be replicated so they want all teachers to sound the same--there is very little room for individuality in the classroom.
Advice to Management
Trust teachers to make the right decisions for kids more often. Less micromanagement.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-22 19:11 PDTHelpful (5)
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"Closing the achievement gap"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsNeutral OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at Uncommon Schools full-time
Pros
Great support from Administration
Very hard working students
The school is very mission focused
You can see the academic growth in the students each dayCons
Although there is a lot of work, it is necessary in order to close the achievement gap.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-03 10:35 PDTHelpful (1)
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"Social Worker"
StarStarStarStarStarI have been working at Uncommon Schools full-time
Pros
The staff at Uncommon Schools are very passionate about their work.
Cons
Being employed by Uncommon Schools offers little opportunity for a healthy work-life balance.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-28 10:20 PDT![Uncommon Schools Logo]()
"Home Office"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at Uncommon Schools full-time
Pros
Employees here are change agents. We are passionate, dedicated to our mission, and operate with urgency because our scholars deserve it. There is no time to waste when working to close the achievement gap and unlock opportunities. We have many successes but are humble practitioners and understand we can always get better. Genuine feedback and professional development are essential parts of every day and help us to improve our work. It feels wonderful to be recognized and appreciated for a job well done. We may be over 50 schools in 6 cities, but as one team we are cultivating a movement and changing history.
Cons
No downsides to share at this time.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-15 09:03 PDT![Uncommon Schools Logo]()
"Terrible"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendI worked at Uncommon Schools full-time
Pros
You get paid decently out of the gate.
Cons
Working over 100 hours a week.
Uncommon Schools 2018-09-20 12:05 PDTHelpful (1)
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"A technical organization that lacks soul"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookDisapproves of CEOI worked at Uncommon Schools full-time (More than 5 years)
Pros
Uncommon is incredibly good at technical skills. It used to be the network that you would go to to that really good at teaching and leading. It does attract some of the best Minds in education in it's classroom.
Cons
Most teachers and leaders leave within two to three years because it is clear uncommon does not value its people. The high turnover in leadership is another a testament to that. You cannot grow your network with 300 + new teachers coming in every single year.
Advice to Management
Value your people. They are the reason why uncommon is what uncommon is. Uncommon used to be the leader of all Charter Schools but it is now lagging behind all the major CMOS in New York City because it fails to keep its best talent and its schools. It should not be the norm that schools are turning over 12 to 15 teachers every single year.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-28 17:45 PDTHelpful (3)
![Uncommon Schools Logo]()
"Making a change"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Comp & Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsNeutral OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at Uncommon Schools full-time
Pros
I truly feel like I am making a change along side a talented group of teachers. The teachers at Uncommon are dedicated to the mission. We give 200% each day in order to give the students the education they deserve.
Cons
I enjoy all moments at Uncommon.
Uncommon Schools 2018-08-03 10:13 PDT
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