Achievement First...has the courage to give children what they need to succeed

Last Friday I spent the morning at Amistad Academy and Elm City Elementary, both part of the Achievement First Charter School system and both located in New Haven, CT. While I waited for the opening presentation to begin I was approached by an 8th grader who proceeded, in answer to my many questions, to lay out her plans for the next eight years, which included graduating from MIT.

And that is the whole purpose of Achievement First: to put into place what each student needs in order to graduate from college. The staff is very clear on that goal ~ it's not to position the students to gain acceptance to good colleges but to instill in them that the only goal is to graduate from the college of their choice, a very important distinction.

After the presentation we were allowed to visit classrooms, first in the middle school and then in the nearby elementary school. At first, from this old Montessori teacher and John Holt-style homeschooler's perspective, the classes seemed very regimented. But it took almost no time at all to see the engagement and enthusiasm of the students. In response to questions from the teacher, hands shot up and bodies wiggled with the hope they would be called on to offer their opinion ~ and this was in the middle school, a time when children are supposed to be too cool for school, especially in inner cities schools.

I realized the structure, made up of what seems like a minutia of rules for everything from always sitting straight up in their chairs to looking directly at whichever child was speaking in class, is making up for an inner city culture that doesn't ask much of its children. Doesn't sound like much, but I understood that the students needed the most basic level of training in order to feel comfortable and be successful in the world of college and beyond. It takes rigor, joy and sweating the small stuff.

Take a look...



Achievement First is educating around 5000 students spread between New York City and Connecticut, from elementary through high school graduation. Every one of those students has the same goal: to graduate from college, and the system put into place by the Achievement First schools is showing huge success towards that goal. The results are amazing.

Unfortunately for Connecticut, Achievement First will not be opening any more schools in the state. The teachers unions, using the power of state government alliances, has made it too difficult for Achievement First to continue moving forward in the state, even though there is a high need in Connecticut for those schools. Well known for being a wealthy state, in fact, Connecticut has the widest achievement gap between low-income students and their better-off peers ~ 50th in the United State.

Connecticut, not thought of as a state with inner city problems, has plenty, including a heartbreaking need for effective schools. Other successful charter school concerns, including Kipp schools, keep clear of Connecticut for the same reasons. Changing the status quo to make for a friendlier environment for charter schools will take courage and hard work. Hooking up with Conncan or Connecticut Commission on Education Achievement is a good way to start.

We should all be putting the energy these kids have into fixing this.