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.

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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.

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About Achievement First Apollo Elementary School

350 Linwood Street
Brooklyn, NY 11208
Phone: 718-235-2647
Fax: 718-235-2649

Opened: August 2010
Grades: K to three (growing to K to four)
Number of Students in 2012-13: 334
Student Demographics in 2011-12:
52% Boys, 48% Girls
98% African American or Hispanic
81% Qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch

Overview

Achievement First Apollo Elementary places a large emphasis on every student graduating from college. In addition to students' daily classroom discussions about college, each year culminates in a trip to a university for a firsthand college experience. The path to college at Achievement First Apollo is a combined emphasis on literacy and character education. Students spend three hours per day on focused literacy instruction, and each week begins with a character education assembly that is then incorporated into lessons taught throughout the week. After-school and intervention programs focus on giving students individualized attention and pushing them to excel. Achievement First Apollo is able to meet and exceed the established academic and character goals due to strong parent engagement with an average of 15-20 volunteer hours per parent.

School Leader

Jabari Sims is the founding principal of Achievement First Apollo Elementary School. Mr. Sims joined Achievement First in 2007 as a third-grade teacher at Achievement First East New York Elementary School. During this time, Mr. Sims also served as the grade team chairperson and a Leadership Fellow. Mr. Sims next served as the third-grade dean of academics and culture and as a principal-in-residence at Achievement First Bushwick Elementary School. Prior to joining Achievement First, Mr. Sims was a Teach For America corps member and taught third and fourth grades for three years in Houston, Texas. Fueled by his desire to broaden his instructional expertise, Mr. Sims then moved to New York as a program director with Teach For America, supporting kindergarten to eighth-grade teachers for two years. Following his time with Teach For America, Mr. Sims taught fourth grade at Grand Concourse Academy in the Bronx, New York, where he led his students to the highest test results in the city. Mr. Sims is originally from Louisiana and a graduate of Dillard University. He recently completed his M.Ed. in education administration at National Louis University.