College-Preparatory Public Charter Schools Welcome to Amistad Academy

Current Academies 3,700 students: 1,700 in CT and 2,000 in NYC Amistad Academy, New Haven Elementary, middle, and high academies Elm City College Preparatory, New Haven Elementary and middle academies Achievement First Bridgeport Academy, Bridgeport Middle academy Achievement First Hartford Academy, Hartford Achievement First East New York, Brooklyn Elementary academy Achievement First Crown Heights, Brooklyn Achievement First Bushwick, Brooklyn Achievement First Endeavor, Brooklyn Achievement First Brownsville, Brooklyn

Closing the Achievement Gap There are great schools across the country that have proven that urban students can achieve life-changing student performance gains. Amistad Academy Demographics (2007-08) 100% selected by blind lottery 681 students in grade K-2 and 5-11 97% African-American and Latino 71% free or reduced lunch 10% Special Education (incoming) Incoming 5th graders test, on average, two years below grade level in reading and math Elm City College Prep Demographics (2007-08) 100% selected by blind lottery 560 students in grades K-9 98% African-American and Latino 73% free or reduced lunch 8% Special Education (incoming) Only 11% of incoming K-1 are reading at all

Annual Performance Gains Change in % of students at grade level, 2005-06 Amistad Academy: #1 out of 181 Middle Schools Amistad was named Connecticut’s 2006 Title 1 Distinguished School after posting the greatest academic gains of any middle school in the state.

Amistad Academy Elementary Data Percentage of Kindergarten students reading at or above grade level This data based on student performance on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), a nationally recognized elementary reading test. Amistad Elementary students are 98% Black and Latino, and 75% qualify for the federal free/reduced lunch program.

2008 Connecticut Mastery Test Percentage of 8th-grade students at or above goal

Amistad Academy High School Percentage of 10th graders at or above goal on the 2008 Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT)

Fighting Not to Lose Any Child Percentage of students re-enrolled from previous year * Elm City College Prep’s 2006 returning student rate was incorrectly reported as 68% rather than 91% by the CSDE Strategic School Profiles due to the fact that Achievement First schools do not start with all grades present.

What Makes the Difference? Core elements of an Achievement First school Unwavering focus on breakthrough student achievement Student success is the lead factor in school, principal and teacher evaluation Goal is to CLOSE the achievement gap (bring urban students up to and beyond suburban standards), not simply to narrow the gap Central focus on recruitment and retention of great people Achievement First spends considerable time and money on talent recruitment Relationships are collegial and professional, not labor-management; teachers have a real voice in decision-making, access to resources, and lots of support Programs to create career paths for teachers and “grow” our own leader talent Compensation driven by contribution to mission

What Makes the Difference? Core elements of an Achievement First school Consistent, proven, standards-based curriculum WHAT is taught (the standards) at every grade level is clear, systematic, and rigorously taught Proven, high-quality curricula are consistently implemented across the school to ensure quality and efficiency Interim assessments and strategic use of performance data Interim standards-based assessments every six weeks Structured process for analyzing data and using it to plan future instruction; required conversation between teacher and principal, who then knows how every student is doing in every subject every six weeks

What Makes the Difference? Core elements of an Achievement First school More time on task Instructional day that is at least 1.5 hours longer LOTS of reading (three hours for K-2, 3.5 hours on Reading & Writing for 3-7) Before-school and after-school tutoring for students who are struggling Homework every night including required independent reading Great principals with the power to lead Control over budget, hiring and evaluation of all employees

What Makes the Difference? Core elements of an Achievement First school Increased supervision of quality of education Second instructional leader (academic dean) at every school so that span of control is no more than 15 teachers per supervisor Teachers and leaders have an ongoing conversation about instruction; lots of informal observations and constant looking at data Comprehensive teacher evaluations two times each year Disciplined, achievement-oriented school culture Strict, structured schools with high expectations for student conduct (REACH values); countless details are intentionally managed to create an overall culture in which achievement is valued and “cool” School uniforms

What Makes the Difference? Core elements of an Achievement First school Rigorous, high-quality, focused training for principals and leaders Principals have a year-long training “residency” before opening, and then ongoing training/mentoring Teachers have four weeks of training before entering an Achievement First classroom Ongoing mentoring/coaching to develop master teachers

“I want to make New York City the Silicon Valley of education entrepreneurs. I want to attract the operators who have run the best charter schools in the country and get them to come to New York City to open more schools for our kids. We can take this to scale.” – Chancellor Joel Klein