Achievement First

4.0

Mar 19, 2017

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

-The school Operations teams are amazing and really helpful! They do a lot of the work teachers would have to do in public schools (i.e. make attendance calls, print and distribute school newsletters, set up testing materials, re-stock supply rooms, etc.). -Overall the people who choose to work at AF schools are dedicated to the job and share a passion for working with kids to help them achieve their best. -The pay (and teacher career pathway) is significantly better than other schools (district, magnets, and even other charters). -The network is working to improve areas that will lead to greater teacher sustainability, and, what has been implemented so far has been very helpful and effective. -Supplies and materials necessary (from paper to tissues to computers for students) are provided by the network. -Teachers have coaches who observe, provide feedback, and support them weekly to bi-weekly.

Cons

-There's no ELL support, and, in some schools, the SPED support is lacking or ineffective, which can be frustrating for teachers and families. -Leadership Team staff aren't always effective in their roles - more could be done to ensure that LT members are properly trained and held accountable, not just pushed into the role because they were effective teachers within AF. -While most school PDs are helpful, they could be better differentiated to ensure that all staff (new and veteran teachers) receive the most effective professional development. -There could be a closer connection between staff who work in the schools and staff who work at the network (these roles often seem completely isolated).

Achievement First Response

Thanks for taking the time to provide the honest and candid feedback above. I appreciate you showing the love to our school operations teams. Too many teachers across the country are still buying their own pencils and making copy runs. We believe that strong ops teams, when able to focus on all non-instructional projects in the building, allow teachers to put their full weight and brain power into being intellectually prepared and planned for rigorous lessons. Ensuring our students with disabilities and our English Language Learners succeed is top of mind for us as well, and we are taking steps to get it right. Our schools are prioritizing hiring dedicated special educators and ELL teachers to work with students who need extra support. We also offer a scholarship for general educators who desire to become special educators (because we know there just aren’t enough great special educators!). Additionally, next year we are opening a specialized, intensive program to help our most struggling scholars - AF Bushwick Empower Program. Empower will be a specialized program within a school with around 36 scholars and 8 teachers. Students will receive tailored academic support in small groups with qualified special education teachers. We’re confident that this new program will give our students with disabilities the instruction they need to reach their fullest potential. We are excited about the innovative approach we are taking with special education, but we don’t pretend to know all the answers. We do, though, know that we are making strides to ensure that every single one of our scholars can achieve. Thanks again for sharing your feedback! -Christina Braganza, Vice President, Team Special Services

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