Achievement First History In 1998, a group of New Haven founders came together with a clear goal in mind: to prove that urban students can achieve at the same high levels as their affluent suburban counterparts. Confronted by the popular attitude that demographics were destiny, we decided that the best way to address the problem was to change the system. We set out to create a public charter school—Amistad Academy—that would enable its students to achieve at high levels. Over the last 10 years, Amistad Academy has produced Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) results that have shattered the notion that "those kids can't learn." For the past seven years, Amistad Academy students—100 percent of whom are selected by blind lottery, 78 percent of whom receive free and reduced lunch and 98 percent of whom are African American or Hispanic— have beat state averages in reading and math, demonstrating that they can achieve on par with their wealthiest peers statewide. In June 2003, we created a separate 501(c)3 non-profit, Achievement First, with the goal of using Amistad Academy's knowledge and best practices to have a greater impact. We opened the second school, Elm City College Preparatory, in 2004 and expanded the model to include elementary grades. In fall 2005, under the leadership of New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Achievement First expanded into Brooklyn. One of Klein's core reform strategies was to locate high-performing public charter schools in New York's lowest-performing districts. Achievement First opened two new schools in central Brooklyn—Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School and Achievement First East New York Charter School. The Brooklyn network continued to grow in 2006 with the opening of Achievement First Bushwick Charter School and Achievement First Endeavor Charter School, followed in 2008 by Achievement First Brownsville. Thanks to changes in Connecticut charter law, we were also able to open Amistad Academy High School and Amistad Academy Elementary School, paving the way for Connecticut's first K to 12 public charter school. Achievement First's Connecticut network was able to expand into Bridgeport with a new middle school in 2007 and, in 2008, into Hartford with new elementary and middle schools. Achievement First has grown into a network that includes 17 academies under nine charters in four cities. In 1999, Amistad Academy opened with 84 fifth and sixth graders. Now, in the 2009-10 school year, Achievement First is serving 4,500 students in grades K to 12.
Achievement First Network Overview Achievement First operates a network of 17 public charter schools in New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford, CT, and Brooklyn, NY. In the 2009-10 academic year, we are serving 4,500 students in grades K to 12. Achievement First schools offer a college-preparatory environment in which all students will learn, achieve and go to college. The school day and year are structured to infuse students with a love of learning and to provide them with the academic and character skills necessary to succeed in college and a competitive world.
What Makes Achievement First Schools Great
More time on task: The Achievement First school day and year are longer than traditional public schools. The school day runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with tutoring before and after school, and all students attend our mandatory three-week Summer Academy. Over the course of a K to 12 education, this extra time amounts to one additional year of instruction.
Excellent teachers: The primary factor impacting student achievement is teacher quality. At Achievement First, we are committed to ensuring that there is a talented and caring teacher in every classroom. We dedicate significant time and resources to recruiting great teachers from across the country and to providing our teachers with the support and professional development they need to achieve excellence.
Intensive reading program: Achievement First students spend at least three hours each day on reading instruction. Students benefit from whole-class instruction, small-group instruction and a robust independent reading program. Students are also expected to read at home for 20 minutes each night.
Support for struggling students: All students will learn—we accept no excuses. Achievement First students are assessed in the core subjects every six weeks so that struggling students can be identified and receive help before they fall too far behind. Every Achievement First school offers a combination of before- and after-school tutoring, small-group instruction during the school day, and Saturday tutoring to make sure that every student receives the help that he or she needs.
Unwavering college focus: We continuously expose students to college. Beginning in kindergarten, Achievement First students are preparing to go to college. Our classrooms are named after colleges and universities, each grade is identified by the year they will graduate from college, and students make annual field trips to colleges and universities. We aim for a 100 percent college acceptance rate for our high school seniors.
Commitment to character education: All students live by the REACH values (Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement, Citizenship and Hard Work). Our goal is to develop well-rounded students, and we teach these character values as explicitly as we teach academics.
Palpable love of learning and joy: Achievement First students know that it is "cool" to be smart and that learning is fun. Students are frequently and systematically recognized for academic
achievement and good behavior. Students can earn everything from recognition at award ceremonies to trips to bowling alleys, amusement parks and movie theaters.
Team and family atmosphere: Education is a team sport. Academic breakthroughs and high student achievement require teamwork between parents, students and teachers. At Achievement First, students, parents and teachers sign a contract outlining their shared commitment to hard work and consistent support of one another.
Achievement First Results: In Connecticut Achievement First’s Connecticut network has been growing and achieving at high standards since the founding of its flagship school—Amistad Academy Middle—in 1999, and we are pleased to share the 2009 Connecticut state test results of our oldest elementary, middle and high school students. To view 2009 Connecticut state test results for each of our Connecticut schools and grades, please visit their individual school pages under the Schools section.
Elementary Achievement First opened its first elementary school—Elm City College Preparatory Elementary—in August 2004 and has since opened two additional elementary schools—Amistad Academy Elementary in August 2006 and Achievement First Hartford Academy Elementary in August 2008. While Amistad Academy Elementary and Achievement First Hartford Academy Elementary continue to grow by one grade level each year, Elm City College Preparatory Elementary offers a full K to fourth grade complement. The graph below compares the Connecticut Mastery Test scores of Achievement First’s oldest elementary students—Elm City College Preparatory Elementary fourth graders—to those of their peers in Connecticut’s three biggest cities and state-wide. Elm City College Preparatory Elementary fourth graders outperformed their peers in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven in math, reading and writing proficiency by double-digit margins and surpassed the state proficiency average by six percentage points.
Middle
Achievement First’s first middle school—Amistad Academy Middle—opened in August 1999, followed by Elm City College Preparatory Middle in August 2004, Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Middle in August 2007 and Achievement First Hartford Academy Middle in August 2008. While Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Middle and Achievement First Hartford Academy Middle continue to grow by one grade level each year, Amistad Academy Middle and Elm City College Preparatory Middle offer a full fifth to eighth grade complement. The graph below compares the Connecticut Mastery Test scores of Achievement First’s oldest middle school students—Amistad Academy Middle and Elm City College Preparatory Middle eighth graders—to those of their peers in Connecticut’s three biggest cities and state-wide. Amistad Academy Middle and Elm City College Preparatory Middle eighth graders outperformed their peers in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven in math, reading and writing proficiency by double-digit margins and surpassed the state proficiency average by four percentage points.
High Achievement First opened its first high school—Amistad Academy High—in August 2006. In 2008-09, the school offered grades nine to 11, and in 2009-10, the school will offer a full ninth to 12th grade complement for the first time. The graph below compares the Connecticut Academic Performance Test scores of Amistad Academy High 10th graders to those of their peers in Connecticut’s three biggest cities and state-wide. Amistad Academy High 10th graders outperformed their peers in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven in math, reading, writing and science proficiency by double-digit margins and surpassed the state proficiency average by eight percentage points.
