Quite frankly, Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School is one of the worst charter schools in the district. As a member of this ‘school', the possibilities for leadership and growth were extremely limited. Based on my experience at the school, five principals have filled the void since week one. The leadership team that I was involved with had little, to no ability in the role of anything involving leadership, teachers were never set up for success, and students were never granted the resources to show sustainable educational opportunities.
Teacher turnover rates are more than 70 percent, and it will be larger in the coming weeks. The school has a mission that is not followed by leadership and the school has proven no connection between the other academies around the school — toxic to the highest degree. As someone who wants to have a family, I hope that there is not a school in my residential area that shows the characteristics of this place.
The founder of the school had zero interaction with the academy — he never had a presence in meetings or the functionalities of the academy. He left his dying school to a team of unqualified and ineffective leaders to crumble to the ground. The special education aspect of the school is another story. Ingenuity Prep has already had legal issues that are online with the board, and I am sure there is more to come in the coming months. Today, special education is too much of a risk at this school. If you are a teacher who is not “in” with leadership you will be worked to death, or even fired. This year alone there were many teachers who were fired — or “transitioned” to other opportunities, which in the end made the environment even more stressful.
Working virtually, and at a school that does not value you, students, or your progression, made it extremely difficult to even wake up to log on. Honestly, if you are an educator that cares about your mental health, career progression, and employment environment please avoid this organization. If you are an educator who wants to see students' progress, function, and are provided with the necessary resources to succeed please avoid this organization because this will NOT be the place. But, if you willing to be micromanaged, miserable, overlooked, disrespected, overworked, and are okay with coming home with nothing every pay period this is an environment where you will thrive. In the end, no child deserves to be educated in this environment, and no teacher should be compelled to work at a place that discourages them to this extent.
Good luck on your job search, and I hope you turn the other way if you are questioning whether you should apply at Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School — please do not.
