The Class of 2023 entered Achievement First as students. And in just a few months they will walk across the stage, with diplomas and new opportunities at hand, as graduates.  In this new year, our students provide a reason to celebrate success and choose joy.  In addition to being the largest graduating class in our […]

A week after the heartbreaking events in Orange County and Buffalo and on the two-year anniversary of George Floyd’s passing, we are again, shaken, frustrated, and despondent. In the words of Vice President Harris, “Our hearts keep getting broken.” Every shooting is another life lost. Families, communities, friends, and a nation are grieving the twenty-one […]

The last 15 months have taught us many lessons – perhaps, most of all, that we cannot know what the future holds. As our 452 seniors graduate from our five high schools in New York and Connecticut and step out into the world, we do know one thing for sure: they can do anything. Because […]

Happy Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week This school year has been unlike any other. You have had to navigate remote learning, hybrid learning, and all the complexities that come with it—all amid the personal, national and worldwide challenges of this past year. And through it all, you’ve shown up for our kids, day after day, […]

So many of us are very ready for the change. This is the season for springing into action. We all know the COVID-19 pandemic has forced varying degrees of isolation and staying put. Now, the vaccine and gradual re-opening plans have given way to the spirit of moving forward.  What exactly does springing into action […]

“New year, new you.” Many of us embrace this philosophy each December 31. On January 6, the promise of a brighter new year ahead became ever harder to see. But as we push forward into 2021, it is as important as ever to take what we’ve learned since 2020 began, and to break away from […]

It’s tempting to skip right over reflecting on 2020 and fast forward directly to 2021 and the promise of brighter days ahead. But the truth is that reflecting on 2020 is required. And, for so many of us, 2020 has been a mirror.  This is a year in which we’ve been confronted with all the […]

I have admired this organization for a long time. My admiration began when my dear friend Dacia Toll launched Amistad Academy in 1999. It continued when I served as founding chair of the AF East New York board more than 15 years ago, and it is even stronger today. To not only become a part […]