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.

About Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Elementary School

655 Stillman Street
Bridgeport, CT 06608
Phone: 203-338-0593
Fax: 203-338-0714

Opened: August 2010
Grades: K to two (growing to K to four)
Number of Students in 2012-13: 285
Student Demographics in 2011-12:
57% Boys, 43% Girls
98% African American or Hispanic
85% Qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch

School Leader

Katherine Baker is the founding principal of Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Elementary School. Previously, Ms. Baker served as academic dean at Elm City College Preparatory Elementary School in New Haven, Connecticut, and was a founding teacher at Achievement First East New York Elementary School in Brooklyn, New York. Before coming to Achievement First, Ms. Baker served as a Teach For America corps member in the Los Angeles region, where she taught second grade for four years. She earned a B.A. in history from Yale University, a M.A. in elementary education from Loyola Marymount University and a M.Ed. in school leadership from Columbia University Teacher’s College.