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
Middle School

529 Noble Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06608
Phone: 203-333-9128
Fax: 203-333-9142

Opened: August 2007
Grades: Five to eight
Number of Students in 2012-13: 333
Student Demographics in 2011-12:
52% Boys, 48% Girls
98% African American or Hispanic
83% Qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch

Overview

Achievement First Bridgeport Academy’s 2007 start-up marked an important milestone in Achievement First history—the expansion of our Connecticut family beyond New Haven. This took some cunning and courage, so it is fitting that the school’s mascot is the lion. For scholars, the lion symbolizes a school culture that takes great pride in personal achievement, teamwork and strong community bonds. Students gather on Friday afternoons for Pride Circle, where individuals are recognized for academic accomplishments and acting in ways that show the REACH values (Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement, Citizenship and Hard Work). Achievement First Bridgeport Academy is one of three schools piloting Life Prep, a new Achievement First program focusing on character education. As part of the program, students partner with local charities and non-profit organizations in the Bridgeport area to raise funds and provide volunteer services.

School Leader

Morgan Barth is the principal of Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Middle School. Previously, he served as principal of Elm City College Preparatory Elementary School in New Haven. Prior to that, he was the academic dean and a founding fifth-grade teacher at Elm City College Preparatory Middle School, where his fifth-grade English Language Arts classes showed two-and-a-half years of growth and a 20 percentile point gain in reading on nationally-normed assessments. Before joining Achievement First, Mr. Barth served as a Teach For America corps member in the Mississippi Delta region, teaching fourth grade in Chicot County, Arkansas. He is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in history. Mr. Barth also holds an M.Ed. from National Louis University and completed the KIPP Stanford Educational Leadership Institute.