Achievement First reviews

3.1

35% would recommend to a friend

(999 total reviews)
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Fatimah Barker

39% approve of CEO

21% positive business outlook

Achievement First has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 999 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Achievement First employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

999 reviews
5.0
Oct 20, 2014

Lots of hard-working dedicated people.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of really dedicated, hard-working people come together here in an environment that is collaborative and supportive. As a teacher, you have a lot of supports from school leadership and peers. There is weekly coaching and professional development in addition to summer training that is all in an effort to make you a better teacher. Additionally, everyone is focused on students and puts them first. Finally, there is a culture of constant improvement. Leadership is always looking for ways to improve the network and individual schools.

Cons

It has a start-up atmosphere in that there are growing pains to put up with. Each year there seem to be new systems, curricula, school culture systems, etc and you have to have a certain mindset to be ok with that. In regards to the work-life balance issues, it is spoken about and discussed as an area of growth in the school/network and what is encouraging is that in 3+ years here, I've seen major improvements. However, there are a lot of type A personalities here that work 12 hours a day because they are striving for perfection. It is possible to get your work done during the school day and be a great teacher, but at times you can feel guilty for not working 12+ hours a day because so many people are.

5.0
Jul 31, 2014

Best people I've ever worked with, great mission

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

After three years here I want to spend at least three years more here. My coworkers are warm, funny and CAPABLE - there is no weak link in the chain - I come to work excited to see people. The co-CEOs are warm, smart, thoughtful people who firmly have one foot still planted in the classroom. Families are wonderful. Benefits are really strong, as is comp.

Cons

Working here is a lot of hard work - but if you know that you have to define what sustainability means for you you will be successful.

4.0
Apr 5, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There is a palpable sense of urgency to provide the best possible education and college preparation for low income kids, because it is an issue of social justice. The common mission and importance of that mission creates a strong sense of community and support through the necessary long work hours; major social change dopes not happen in a 40 hour work week. There are many avenues to provide feedback and advance in your career. Leaders are never satisfied with so so; there is frequent and increasing training for teachers and school leaders to increase ownership of instructional planning and execution. Coaching model provides frequent and specific feedback to help everyone improve their work for kids.

Cons

There are a lot of young teachers and leaders-many of whom do not have kids, so while thinking and planning with the best intentions, they may lack the perspective and experience that would help them most.

Viewing 427 - 429 of 999 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,021 Achievement First reviews submitted anonymously by Achievement First employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Achievement First is right for you.