Pros
Most people who work here are really smart, fun, interesting people. Lots of usual type-A overachievers you see in ed reform, but still really great. The mission is incredibley important and much needed in Massachusetts. And the programmatic direction the org is taking is really promising - more social emotional learning, more focused on teacher development, etc.
Cons
The culture of the organization is incredibly toxic and it's a problem driven by the CEO and her leadership team. This is one of the most fundamentally out-of-touch, tone-deaf, and unfocused group of people I've ever seen run a company. Employee attrition is sky-high. UP turns over half its staff every other year; this is the 2nd year in a row that UP has laid off 25% of its central office. Employees are treated disrespectfully by senior leaders, given minimal autonomy and trust, and are seen generally as disposable and incompetent. There is no culture and it is not a values-driven organization.