Achievement First

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Closing the achievement gap is the civil rights issue of our time. From the moment students arrive at Achievement First schools, they are held to high expectations built around the belief that they can and will achieve academic success.

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All Achievement First students know they can and will go to college.

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The culture at our schools is one of rigor and joy—you can sense the urgency and energy when you enter an Achievement First school. Our lessons are geared to engage students and foster a lifelong love of learning.

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Achievement First schools emphasize the REACH values—Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement, Citizenship and Hard Work.

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At Achievement First, we believe all children can succeed when presented with the right educational opportunities. Across the Achievement First network, our students—low-income, African-American and Latino students—are outpacing their state and district peers.

For the third consecutive year in as many graduating classes, 100 percent of seniors have gained acceptance to four-year colleges and universities.

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We work hard every day to close the achievement gap and deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all children, regardless of race, economic status or zip code. Our first priority is to provide a truly outstanding, gap-closing education to our thousands of students.

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We believe a great education can level the playing field, break the cycle of poverty and create a brighter future for all of us.

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Achievement First is proud to serve special education students, English Language Learners, talented and gifted students, and all other students accepted through our blind lotteries. We don’t have admission requirements or interviews, and there are no admission or tuition fees.

Students, teachers and parents work as a team to achieve success.

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At Achievement First, we help individual students, entire schools and partner districts close the achievement gap. We are committed to engaging volunteer tutors, increasing public awareness, and advocating for public policies that would support education reform and the expansion of high-quality school choices.

We host hundreds of visitors—including community members, elected officials and educators—in our schools each year.

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People matter mightily at Achievement First. We spare no effort to recruit the best teachers, school leaders, subject-area and functional experts, and operations specialists from around the country, provide them with outstanding professional development, and create opportunities that will inspire and support them in their careers.

We develop, recognize and reward teachers through constant professional development and the Teacher Career Pathway.

Residency Program for School Leadership

Achievement First believes that best practices for closing the achievement gap at scale should be shared and replicated. With that in mind, Achievement First and New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) co-designed the Residency Program for School Leadership to recruit, train and support a corps of future leaders for NHPS. The program has now expanded to prepare future leaders for Hartford Public Schools (HPS) and Bridgeport Public Schools (BPS). The Residency Program is a unique opportunity for talented teachers and school leaders to learn and leverage best practices from both the public charter school and traditional district school sectors. The program follows a medical school rotation model and includes experiential residencies, cutting-edge workshops and intense individualized coaching. Residents receive full salary and benefits during the program year, and they are deemed placement-ready upon successful completion of the residency year for leadership roles in the highest-need schools throughout New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport to drive breakthrough student achievement. The Residency Program for School Leadership is guided by leaders in both the Achievement First network and its partner school districts.

New Haven Public Schools-Achievement First: Residency Program for School Leadership

The Residency Program for School Leadership was designed by New Haven Public Schools and Achievement First to recruit, train and support a corps of outstanding future leaders for NHPS. The first cohort of residents completed the program in 2012 and are now school leaders in New Haven schools. Achievement First is excited to partner with NHPS for the second full year of the program during the 2012-13 school year. Developing outstanding leaders is a critical step in NHPS’s ambitious school reform goals.

Program Themes

Throughout the program, training is guided by a competency framework that outlines the skills, mindsets and actions needed to become a highly effective school leader. Residents:

Develop robust management skills to lead a complex organization and techniques to foster positive, achievement-oriented school cultures built around core values and focused on developing strong student character
Enhance their instructional expertise and leadership
Improve their ability to attract and develop talented teachers and successfully lead adult teams
Learn how to effectively communicate an inspirational vision to a variety of stakeholders

Selection

We are looking for candidates with at least five years of teaching experience and who are relentless and willing to do "whatever it takes" to ensure the success of students and teachers. We are accepting internal applicants (current NHPS employees) AND external candidates (not currently employed by the district).

To Apply

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply in advance of the deadline. The deadline for external candidates is January 11, 2013, and the deadline for internal candidates is February 15, 2013. The selection day for qualified candidates will take place in February 2013 for external candidates and March 2013 for internal applicants. Only candidates who submit a completed application by the appropriate deadline will be considered for selection day. The Residency Program will begin in July 2013. Please click on the appropriate link below to access the 2013 Residency Program for School Leadership application.

Residency Program for School Leadership Application (Internal Candidates)
Residency Program for School Leadership Application (External Candidates)

For More Information

You can learn more about the New Haven Public Schools-Achievement First: Residency Program for School Leadership by reading our Overview/FAQs and Curriculum Description. You can also learn more about our program from this article published in Slate or in this article published in the New Haven Independent.

For further information, please contact Samantha Miller at samanthamiller[at]achievementfirst[dot]org.

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Hartford Public Schools-Achievement First: Residency Program for School Leadership

Hartford Public Schools (HPS) and Achievement First are collaborating to recruit and develop outstanding leaders to serve as the next generation of great principals in HPS. This work is part of the district's vision to ensure all students who enter HPS demonstrate sustained performance gains that will prepare them for the rigor of a college-ready high school curriculum, and all students earning HPS diplomas will demonstrate college readiness.

Program Themes

Throughout the program, training is guided by a competency framework outlining the skills, mindsets and actions needed to become a highly effective school leader. Residents:

Develop robust management skills to lead a complex organization and techniques to foster positive, achievement-oriented school cultures built around core values and focused on developing strong student character
Enhance their instructional expertise and leadership
Improve their ability to attract and develop talented teachers and successfully lead adult teams
Learn how to effectively communicate an inspirational vision to a variety of stakeholders

Selection

We are looking for candidates with at least five years of teaching experience and who are relentless and willing to do "whatever it takes" to ensure the success of students and teachers.

To Apply

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply in advance of the February 1, 2013 deadline. The final selection day for qualified candidates will take place in March 2013. Only candidates who submit a completed application by the February 1, 2013 deadline will be considered for the March selection day. The Residency Program will begin in July 2013. Please click here to access the 2013 Residency Program for School Leadership application.

For More Information

You can learn more about the Hartford Public Schools-Achievement First: Residency Program for School Leadership by reading our Overview/FAQs and Curriculum Description.You can also learn more about our program from this article published in Slate or in this article published in the New Haven Independent.

For further information, please contact either Samantha Miller at samanthamiller[at]achievementfirst[dot]org or Tasha Cannon at cannt001[at]hartfordschools[dot]org.

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Bridgeport Public Schools-Achievement First: Residency Program for School Leadership

Bridgeport Public Schools (BPS) and Achievement First are collaborating to recruit and develop outstanding leaders to serve as the next generation of great principals in BPS. This work is part of the district's vision to ensure every graduating student is prepared for the academic rigor of college.

Program Themes

Throughout the program, training is guided by a competency framework outlining the skills, mindsets and actions needed to become a highly effective school leader. Residents:

Develop robust management skills to lead a complex organization and techniques to foster positive, achievement-oriented school cultures built around core values and focused on developing strong student character
Enhance their instructional expertise and leadership
Improve their ability to attract and develop talented teachers and successfully lead adult teams
Learn how to effectively communicate an inspirational vision to a variety of stakeholders

Selection

We are looking for candidates with at least five years of teaching experience and who are relentless and willing to do "whatever it takes" to ensure the success of students and teachers. We are accepting internal applicants (current BPS employees) AND external candidates (not currently employed by the district).

To Apply

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply in advance of the deadline. The deadline for external candidates is January 11, 2013, and the deadline for internal candidates is March 8, 2013. The selection day for qualified candidates will take place in February 2013 for external candidates and March 2013 for internal applicants. Only candidates who submit a completed application by the appropriate deadline will be considered for selection day. The Residency Program will begin in July 2013. Please click on the appropriate link below to access the 2013 Residency Program for School Leadership application.

Residency Program for School Leadership Application (BPS Internal Candidates)
Residency Program for School Leadership Application (External Candidates)

For More Information

You can learn more about the Bridgeport Public Schools-Achievement First: Residency Program for School Leadership by reading our Overview/FAQs and Curriculum Description.You can also learn more about our program from this article published in Slate or in this article published in the New Haven Independent.

For further information, please contact Samantha Miller at samanthamiller[at]achievementfirst[dot]org.

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