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 Amistad Academy Elementary School

130 Edgewood Avenue
New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: 203-772-7000
Fax: 203-772-2520

Opened: August 2006
Grades: K to four
Number of Students in 2012-13: 440
Student Demographics in 2011-12:
54% Boys, 46% Girls
99% African American or Hispanic
86% Qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch

Overview

Amistad Academy Elementary opened in New Haven in 2006 as the long-awaited elementary expansion of the flagship Amistad Academy Middle School. At the beginning of the elementary school's first year of operation, only 4 percent of kindergarten scholars were reading at or above grade level; by the end of the year, the percentage had risen to 99 percent. The key to Amistad Academy Elementary's success is a school culture built on a strong foundation of sharing and caring, working hard, reflecting and having fun. Every morning, the music teacher kicks off Morning Motivation with a chant called "Are you going to have fun today?" For teachers, collegial observation is common, and "best practices are constantly shared."

School Leader

Amanda Alonzy is the principal at Amistad Academy Elementary School. Ms. Alonzy joined Achievement First in 2008, serving as a first-grade teacher and academic dean at Amistad Academy Elementary School. After completing her B.A. in elementary education from High Point University in North Carolina, Ms. Alonzy taught for three years in a struggling school in High Point. In 2005, Ms. Alonzy returned to Connecticut and taught second grade for two years. Ms. Alonzy recently completed a Masters in elementary education from Elon University and a Masters in administration from National Louis University.