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 Hartford High School

305 Greenfield Street
Hartford, CT 06112
Phone: 860-695-6685
Fax: 860-722-8138

Achievement First Hartford High School is a college-preparatory public charter school in Hartford, Connecticut. Achievement First Hartford High provides a life-altering education that prepares students for the opportunities and responsibilities they will face in college and beyond. The school was founded in 2012 based on one innovative premise: close the achievement gap by providing a prep-school-quality education to inner-city students. Achievement First Hartford High combines rigorous courses and high expectations with a host of support services more common at affluent and private high schools, including SAT prep, intensive college counseling, tutoring and explicit character education. Achievement First's high schools are recognized as national models of education reform, proving what is truly possible when urban students receive a world-class education.

Achievement First Hartford High has one goal: 100% of students will be accepted into four-year colleges and universities. The school prepares students to meet this goal by providing a challenging course of studies and supporting students in their growth outside the classroom. In the classrooms at Achievement First Hartford High, all students are prepared to take responsibility for their own learning. Outside of class, students grow as athletes, volunteers, leaders and responsible community members through participation in the school’s extracurricular, athletic and arts programs. For more information, please visit our high school page.

School Description

Opened: August 2012 (with ninth graders)
Grades: Nine (growing to nine to 12)
Community: Urban
School Type: Public charter
School Year: Three trimesters
Faculty/Student Services: information coming soon
Administration: information coming soon
Faculty with Advanced Degrees: information coming soon

Student Population

Number of Students in 2012-2013: 63

Overview

Achievement First Hartford High School is a new public charter high school in Hartford. It will share best practices with Achievement First Amistad High School in New Haven, the first high school in the Achievement First network of high-performing public charter schools, as well as with Achievement First Brooklyn High School, which opened in Brooklyn, NY in 2009. One of the best lessons learned from Achievement First Amistad High School, which opened in 2006, is the need for urban high schools explicitly committed to closing the achievement gap. Achievement First Hartford High School will ensure that students receive the consistent academic rigor and character development they need to complete the path to college. For more information, please visit our high school page.

Achievement First Hartford High School is based on an innovative premise: closing the achievement gap by providing a prep-school quality education to inner-city students. Achievement First Hartford High School combines rigorous academics and high expectations with a host of supports, including SAT prep, intensive college counseling, tutoring, explicit character education and a school culture in which it is “cool” to be smart. Key facets of the Achievement First Hartford High School program include:

Rigorous course of studies for all students: At Achievement First Hartford High School, every student is on a college-preparatory track. With college readiness as the paramount goal, we have built our curricula on the concepts, knowledge and skills used and/or developed by Advanced Placement exams, the SAT, the American Diploma Project, the book College Knowledge and actual college courses. All students complete a rigorous course of studies focused on core academics, and acceptance to a four-year college or university is a graduation requirement.
Personal attention for each student: As a small school, we can better meet the needs of each individual student. Small class sizes, small case loads for college counselors and small advisories enable us to make sure that no student “falls through the cracks.”
Open communication: Every student meets with their advisory each morning. Advisories allow our dedicated faculty to check in with students on a more personal level and to reach out to parents if necessary. Additionally, we enable students and parents to check grades online, and we provide every student with an Achievement First email address so that they can easily communicate with teachers.
Focused learning environment: One of the biggest obstacles to learning at many urban high schools is a lack of discipline. At Achievement First Hartford High School, our staff works hard to create and maintain a sacred learning environment where all students are focused and engaged and where it is “cool” to be smart.
Intensive college counseling: The college application process can be challenging, cumbersome and confusing. We keep our counselor to student ratio low so that each student and family gets the individual attention and support they need to successfully navigate the college application process.
Expanding athletics and after-school program: At Achievement First Hartford High School, we believe in the power of extra-curricular experiences to teach students that dedication and hard work lead to excellence in all pursuits. We have focused our energies on a few select programs to build scholar expertise, and we will grow our programs each year. Achievement First Hartford High School is a member of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC). During the 2012-13 school year, we will offer cross country, basketball, track, and an opportunity to participate in the Capital Preparatory Magnet School football team. Additionally, we offer band, journalism/yearbook, and a Junior Engineering Science Exploration elective.
Commitment to robust student life programs: While providing a strong academic foundation will always be our first priority, we also realize that our students need opportunities to have varied experiences, including internships, community service and summer programs. In addition, it is important that our students have a fun and memorable high school experience made possible through awards ceremonies, senior privileges, dances and other popular high school rituals.

School Leader

Claire Shin is the founding principal of Achievement First Hartford High School. No stranger to being a founding member of an Achievement First school, Ms. Shin was also a founding teacher of Achievement First Bushwick Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY and the founding principal of Achievement First Hartford Academy Elementary. Before joining Achievement First, Ms. Shin was the Deputy Chief Program Officer of Teach For America’s New York City regional team. She also taught in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood and was a management consultant with the Monitor Group. Ms. Shin holds a B.A. in economics and history from Williams College and a M.A. in teaching from Pace University.