substitute teacher

special education teacher

teacher

bus driver

high school teacher

Distinctive Schools

The actual individuals I work with/for that are not explicitly Distinctive Schools personnel are the most amazing group of individuals I've had the pleasure of working with to date. However,  all of the potential, dedication, and desire to differentiate our instruction for our students while solving our own day to day issue collaboratively is overshadowed by the unwavering and uninformed management style enforced on the principal and assistant principals without consideration for/of any of the actual needs of the students nor the school itself. It has become a sad state of affairs to bear witness to day to day. If it weren't for those I work with and the amazing students I have the pleasure to teach I would be yelling at the top of my lungs warning anyone interested in working for such a contentious organization that is ultimately only interested in minimizing overhead and maximizing profit. This is evident in it's "movie set" style promotion of it's schools. They have a great looking website, new and stylish facilities, photos of students and teacher smiling; however it's all hollow. We receive nearly nothing regarding the most basic supplies for students, science labs lack ANY type of equipment, after school programs are a joke, and OVERWHELMINGLY both parents and students alike reproduce the same mantra independently that they feel as though they were "sold on an idea that has never been materialized". Overall, I do love my job ONLY b/c of NON-DISTINCTIVE staff and my students. I only wish we could rid ourselves of the black cloud that is Distinctive; I firmly believe we'd be a pillar of the community and a school students come to love if we could rid ourselves of the "disease" that is Distinctive. 

I was hired at a new Redford Distinctive School. They trained us for three weeks and most trainings were about the organization, one day for math and two days for ELA. We had to stay extra to set up rooms. They only gave $100 reimbursement (that took over a month to receive) and only supplied tables and chairs. We were expected to buy everything for our rooms with our own money. There was no books for the kids, no materials for them to use, nothing. Teachers had to buy everything. 
The first day of school 80 kids showed up out of the 250 that were ‘registered’. We later found out that those were just inquires and most people were not followed up with. Upon asking the principal, multiple people of administration, and the PRESIDENT of Distinctive if people would lose jobs or if the school would close after count day, I was continuously given the response of ‘No, everything is fine.’ We were expected to recruit families and go door to door and stand outside of gas stations after school and on weekends. Our principal would have us call our rosters daily to make sure our kids didn’t go to other schools. It was so much extra work on top of starting the year out. Three weeks into the school year they pulled every single staff person into the office to let go of or tell they were safe. There is currently only 5 teachers left out of 13. Second grade was completely budgeted out and planned to make into a split grade with first. Music and art were cut. We promised these families a wonderful school and gave them something so awful it could leave them traumatized. The kids had their teachers, classrooms, and security ripped out from under them and the teachers were expected to leave (with no severance pay) after the school year had already started. The teachers who are able to stay are still expected to recruit the entire year and will be given no paid time off because there is no room in the budget for substitutes. This organization has neither showed sympathy nor acknowledgment to all those let go. This was a horrible experience and I wouldn’t recommend this organization to anyone.

I wanted to love Distinctive Schools, but their polices are ineffective and they never hire effective leadership who stands with and supports their teachers. There isn't an effective policy for student behavior either. Restorative Justice simply doesn't work to tackle the behavior problem of this school because there aren't enough support staff members to tackle the behavior issues. The hardest part about working here as a teacher is not getting through lessons because the students are very disruptive. I have been threatened by students to cause harm to me and all the principals care about are small group instruction and assessment scores so they can keep their jobs, because everything is determined by student data. You can't successfully implement small group instruction with the constant disruptive behavior with no additional classroom support. Most students simply do not care about their academics here because students are passed to the next grade level if they aren't ready and have failed the grade level completely. This is why the school's test scores are so low and students can not read or write. The management team wants you to basically be a magician because only magic can get these students on grade level. Please be very cautious about working as a Teacher with this company because they want you to move mountains with an ineffective policy and no support.  They care more about marketing and making everything look good, than they care about the well-being of their teachers. Students can't get what they need because the students are running the school.

During my interview, I was assured employees have a solid work life balance, however, in my first few days alone, it was clear that was not the case. I didn't receive the staff guidebook until week 2, but received criticism for not meeting their "characteristics of a Distinctive classroom" expectations, despite not having that information during my decorating/set-up time. In my experience, students are allowed to physically and verbally abuse staff members (and each other) without consequences. Administration talks a lot about the amount of support available to teachers, but, in my experience,  the support I receive from instructional coaches was unclear, and I was deeply uncomfortable with the frequency that admin would publicly disparage me in front of colleagues and students. Many students in middle grades struggle with basic reading and are not given any sort of support to catch up or make progress towards higher proficiency. I was also told in my interview that there was some flexibility to customize the curriculum but promptly found out that wasn't true, and you will be spoken to if you are even a day behind where they want you to be in the curriculum. 


I spent many years working for this charter network and have been at 2 campuses. At first I was excited to work there. But the problems became very apparent right away after my first year. 
The ratio of teacher to student is very concerning. Usually about 28+ to one teacher. No teachers aides. Yet, there were many random admin positions being created for no reason. 
The administration avoided any contact with the middle school hallways and there was a major lack of support for anything. 
Behaviors of students were absolutely horrid. Students basically could do anything they wanted. Yet, administration did nothing about it. There was NO consistent and effective behavior management system and rules changed constantly. 
A challenging part of the job was definitely that curriculum was changing each year and so many programs were introduced but not followed through. Teachers are overworked and that workload is insane. If you didn't teach exactly what was in the curriculum you were rated lower on your formal observations. No creativity allowed at all.
As a science teacher, since it wasn't looked at by the state, it wasn't cared about at all. No PD's for science, and science didn't even really begin until 5th grade. It made it incredibly hard to do anything.
I wish I could say anything positive about this charter network, but they are unorganized, lack empathy and support for their staff, students, and parents.

The teachers are very nice and supportive, but there is a weird culture of fear because the school principal lets the school be run by the kids and parents. If the kids complain about you, your'e gone. Context and facts are irrelevant. The kids can make up any story, and at the middle school level they are very imaginative. 

The principal paid lip service to fundamental concepts like restorative justice, but as a school system they don't implement important concepts like restorative justice consistently. So students know that they are in charge. 

I do not think student's learn effectively in the environment at this school. There is so much scaffolding provided that students are lulled into learned helplessness. 

I've also worked in CPS and they also have it wrong, but in the opposite direction. Where Distinctive Schools is run by the kids, in CPS students have no voice. In Distinctive Schools almost every kid has learned to need scaffolding, in CPS even the kids that really need help don't get it. 

In both schools, the teachers are put into a nearly impossible situation.

I have learned so much since working here. From day 1, everyone has been super welcoming and excited to collaborate with me. I always feel aligned on priorities and goals of the organization while the org itself prioritizes my personal professional development as well. I have developed such a great relationship with my team, colleagues, and even our CEO! 

Distinctive offers SO MUCH time off. Winter break, spring break, 2 week summer break, and a great amount of PTO on top of that. 

There is a ton of room for growth professionally. A lot of people started as teachers and are now in very successful positions at the network office. They really listen to your professional l goals and help you achieve them.

Working at Distinctive Schools has been an incredible experience. The dedication to students and families is at the heart of everything we do, creating a supportive and empowering environment where kids truly thrive.

One of the biggest game-changers for me has been the professional development—it completely transformed how I lead and manage. Being part of innovative work that directly impacts students has been inspiring, and the opportunities to grow here are endless.

But the best part? Walking into any school and immediately feeling the positive culture and strong sense of belonging. The energy, the relationships, and the shared commitment to student success make every day meaningful. Distinctive Schools isn’t just a workplace—it’s a community.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working with the students and families.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not being valued. Their discipline system. Not being promoted. Promoting others with less experience and education that was not of color.  As soon as I went another school I was promoted make 15,000 more. I am trusted and valued. Not feeling overlooked for bring black. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Great for surface level. It seemed great but it was masking the cracks.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Pretty ok. I worked and disengaged. I was not challenged or trusted with what my experience and education reflected.

What is the best part of working at the company?
They actually do make attempts to show they care about the well being of staff. Very understanding & SEL focused 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
A little disorganized at Michigan schools.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Co-workers felt like family. Administration was apart of that family. Felt seen & heard always.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Very chaotic. Not a very good consequence protocol for students.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Substitute teacher 15 salaries reported	$42,029 per year
Special education teacher 5 salaries reported	$65,312 per year
Teacher 7 salaries reported	$48,306 per year
Bus driver 21 salaries reported	$42,029 per year
High school teacher 10 salaries reported	$61,000 per year

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