At YES Prep Public Schools, we believe that exceptional teaching is the cornerstone of student success, and we are honored to recognize the educators who go above and beyond for their students.
The Kinder Foundation, known for its transformational impact on the Greater Houston Area, shares this commitment to excellence in education. Through the Kinder Excellence in Teaching Awards (KETA), the foundation has celebrated the dedication and innovation of outstanding teachers across Houston since 2001.
This year, we are proud to highlight the YES Prep educators who have been recognized with this prestigious award, joining the ranks of over 299 teachers who have received more than $4.8 million in grants from KETA.
Meet YES Prep's 2024 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award Winners
Erica Lapen | AP English Literature and Restorative Practices | YES Prep Brays Oaks Secondary
Erica Lapen has been a teacher at Brays Oaks Secondary for 11 years.
She currently teaches AP English Literature and a course in restorative practices. Additionally, she has taught Peer Assistance and Leadership Skills (PALS) and English I during her tenure at Brays Oaks. Lapen has achieved a Level 4 placement (the highest level) on our Teacher Pathway for three years. She is a certified restorative justice practitioner, leading professional development both district-wide at YES Prep and across the Houston area.
She co-facilitates the district-level Teacher Advisory Council and played a key role in developing structures that enable principals across YES Prep to establish Teacher Advisory Councils at their campuses.
Lapen models a rare balance of teaching skills. She builds powerful relationships with her students, fosters a classroom culture in which students are willing to take risks, empowers students to lead classroom discussions and produces tremendous student achievement and growth. Lapen operates under the philosophy that students should lead the class, make decisions and coach their peers. Her thoughtful planning, passion for content and focus on developing the whole student have led to outstanding achievement results: 57% of Lapen’s students earned a score of 3 or higher on the 2024 AP English Literature exam.
Che’Ron Lewis | Y-STEP | YES Prep Northline Secondary
Che’Ron Lewis has been teaching at YES Prep for seven years.
Lewis’s student achievement results are exemplary: she was recognized as a Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Master teacher for her exceptional student achievement data last year, with 86% of students meeting or exceeding growth goals.
Prior to this school year, Lewis spent two years at YES Prep Northside. She then spent three years at YES Prep Fifth Ward Secondary as the self-contained special education (Y-STEP) teacher, a position she took over from her sister. When the program was relocated to YES Prep Northline Secondary, Lewis faced a tough decision: remain at the campus she considered home or move to a new school where she knew no one, but could stay with her students. In the end, she chose her students.
Lewis is a consistently strong advocate for students. She ensures that all students in Y-STEP have access to field trips, supports her students’ participation in extracurricular activities, collaborates with district leadership to ensure transportation for all students, enhanced campus Black History Month programming and supports students with their transition to general education.
Hong Tran | 5th Grade Math | YES Prep Southeast Elementary
Hong Tran has been a member of YES Prep Southeast Elementary for the past three years and has been teaching for nine years.
Tran has played a vital role in helping to establish the fifth and final grade at YES Prep Southeast Elementary. Her ability to invest her students in their goals and foster belief in themselves has led students to not only see but also feel they are successful.
Tran has set a high bar for excellence with her fifth-grade students, and the way students have articulated their goals has been transformative in their growth. By the end of the last school year, her students grew by 15% in Domain I. Additionally, 54.3% of her students earned Meets+ on the 5th grade Math STAAR, over 7% above the state and system average.
When it comes to growth, Tran’s investment in her students’ MAP Goals led to 60% of students meeting their Math MAP end-of-year goals, with 75% of special education students meeting or exceeding their targets.
Tran has served as a grade level chair, a member of the Teacher Advisory Council for YES Prep and a Texas Tech Mentor Teacher. She has consistently made space for her team members, internalizing information and making it accessible for others on her grade level. This collaborative effort has led to significant gains for her fifth-grade team. She consistently leads the district in Math 5 Domain I and has also supported her team in leading the district in English Language Arts and Science.
On the Teacher Advisory Council, Tran candidly shared her feedback on what was working well within the school and the district, while offering suggestions for improvement. As a Texas Tech mentor teacher, she coached her mentee through launching a school year, instilling such a love for teaching and the school that her mentee returned to Southeast Elementary as a 5th-grade science teacher.
Brenda Rangel, Southeast Secondary ’09 | AP English Literature | YES Prep Southeast Secondary
Brenda Rangel is a 2006 graduate of YES Prep Southeast Secondary and currently serves as the AP English Literature teacher at her alma mater. Rangel has taught at Southeast for 14 years, where she has taught reading intervention, English and AP English Literature.
Rangel collaborated with colleagues to develop a widely adopted reading intervention curriculum across YES Prep. Staff members across YES Prep cite this collaborative effort as instrumental in helping students catch up in reading. Her approach prioritized student voice and interest, designing lessons around engaging books and fostering meaningful discussions that valued student perspectives.
Rangel’s impact is undeniable. As a reading intervention teacher, her students consistently outperformed the district average by double on the MAZE reading comprehension exam. Her leadership as a reading intervention course leader ensured these outstanding results were replicated district-wide through teacher and curriculum development.
Rangel is now in her third year of teaching AP English Literature. Her craft as a teacher is truly magical, largely due to her ability to cultivate a classroom environment where students take ownership of their learning. In the 2024 school year, 70% of her students earned a qualifying score of 3 or higher on the AP exam, a performance over 20% higher than the district average.
Rangel’s influence extends beyond the classroom. Over the years, she has served as a grade level chair, a course leader, a table leader for Common Assessment Reading Days and worked tirelessly to overhaul the Southeast library. She volunteered her time to revitalize the library, performing a meticulous audit, removing outdated books and replacing them with a curated selection that reflects student interests and identities.
The Kinder Excellence in Teaching Awards not only honor the legacy of Edna C. Kinder but also spotlight the vital role that committed educators play in shaping the future of our communities.
At YES Prep, we are deeply grateful for the Kinder Foundation's continued support and recognition of our teachers' hard work and dedication. As we celebrate this year's KETA recipients, we are reminded of the lasting impact that transformational giving and exceptional teaching have on the lives of our students, our schools, and the Greater Houston area.