1. College-Preparatory Public Charter Schools
Welcome to Amistad Academy

2. 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

3. 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 ( )
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 ( )
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

4. Annual Performance Gains
Change in % of students at grade level,
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.

5. 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.

6. 2008 Connecticut Mastery Test
Percentage of 8th-grade students at or above goal

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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. “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