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      Achievement First

      Engaged Employer

      Achievement First reviews

      3.0

      35% would recommend to a friend

      (999 total reviews)
      avatar

      Fatimah Barker

      39% approve of CEO

      21% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Achievement First has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 999 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average 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
      Jan 17, 2018

      Principal

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      AF is committed to continuous evolution -- everyone at every level of the organization strives to improve their practice all in the spirit of fulfilling of providing scholars with a great education.

      Cons

      The education reform movement needs more people that are committed to working in schools over the course of their career. As a long-time employee, it can at times be disheartening to see people move on to do other work in education outside of schools. While there is certainly room for all types of work, in my own experience the flow of traffic out of schools outpaces the flow of traffic into schools. I don't think this is unique to Achievement First.

      5.0
      Jan 11, 2018

      Elementary Ed Teacher

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      -Excellent teacher development (real-time coaching, weekly coaching sessions, almost daily intellectual lesson prep) -Leadership transparency (I have never felt that my school leaders were dishonest) -People are genuinely passionate and excited about the work they’re doing

      Cons

      -As with most big CMOs, the hours are very long and the work is very demanding. The school days are from 7:15-4:15/4:30 with 90 minute preps. That being said, that comes with the territory of working in charters and leadership will help you to maintain a work/life balance if you voice that this is important to you early on.

      avatar
      Achievement First Response
      8y
      Thanks for sharing your feedback here! It’s great to hear that you’ve had a positive experience teaching with us. I also appreciate you describing our leaders and staff as both transparent and passionate, because I completely agree. Building schools that will prepare kids for college isn’t always easy - but doing the work alongside people who are just as passionate as you makes it a heck of a lot more enjoyable! I also agree that this work is incredibly demanding. We work long hours and the bar for teachers is set really high. But everything we do is to ensure that we are giving our students the best education possible to put them on the path to and through college graduation. Thanks again for your feedback and for your commitment to our kids. -Tom Kaiser, Chief Talent Officer
      2.0
      Jan 7, 2018

      Too Stressful

      Middle school math teacher
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      There are several job openings to work at AF. They also introduce growth mindset and provide lesson plans for some subjects.

      Cons

      It is military-style. Some AF schools take it more seriously than others. As a teacher with experience in regular public schools, I felt very uncomfortable with some of the classroom behavior management techniques that we were forced to implement. They also group students with IEPs and 504 plans together in classrooms, which is generally not an acceptable solution in public schools. Hours are long and you find yourself getting there early and staying late to get work done. If you consider that you are working 60+ hours a week, you are only getting paid $15 an hour (if that). You are observed daily/weekly by administration and your scores are based on factors that are rather insignificant (if 100% students' eyes are on you, if 100% of students have their chairs pushed in, if you "narrated" and commented on behaviors immediately within 3 seconds). They care more about those factors (students' sitting and acting like robots) than your actual teaching.

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      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.