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 Endeavor Middle School

510 Waverly Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Phone: 718-622-4786
Fax: 718-622-5999

Opened: September 2006
Grades: Five to eight
Number of Students in 2012-13: 353
Student Demographics in 2011-12:
48% Boys, 52% Girls
100% African American or Hispanic
79% Qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch

Overview

Achievement First Endeavor Middle School was recently ranked the fourth best K to eight school in all of New York City (out of nearly 1,100 schools!) on the NYC DOE Progress Reports. Character building is at the heart of the school’s teaching philosophy. Students participate in daily advisories that address peer interaction, conflict resolution and personal growth. Students are pushed out of their comfort zones and into situations that allow them to build confidence. For instance, sixth graders went camping and explored caves on last year’s end-of-year school trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Through the school’s Kindness Campaign, students are rewarded for acts of kindness with Mardi Gras beads. Achievement First Endeavor is proud of its team and clubs, especially the Rhythm and Funk Jazz Band and the boys’ basketball team, which won the NYC Charter School Athletic League Championship.

School Leader

Tom Kaiser has served as the principal of Achievement First Endeavor Middle School since 2009. Before coming to Achievement First, Mr. Kaiser taught fifth grade as a Teach For America corps member in the Mississippi Delta. Mr. Kaiser made a major transition in 2006 when he moved from a small Mississippi town to Brooklyn, New York to become a founding teacher at Achievement First Endeavor Middle School. Prior to becoming the principal of Achievement First Endeavor Middle, Mr. Kaiser was an academic dean at Achievement First Endeavor for two years. Since becoming principal, Achievement First Endeavor Middle has transitioned from scoring in the 30th percentile to scoring in the 96th percentile of all New York City schools on the New York City Department of Education Report Card. Mr. Kaiser received his B.A. in history from George Washington University and his M.S. in educational leadership from National Louis University