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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
      Sep 5, 2016

      Middle school teacher

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Achievement First strives to close the achievement gap. Teacher receive consistent feedback from their academic coaches, and have opportunities for weekly professional development. Achievement First schools maintain a joyful and rigorous culture both for educators and for students.

      Cons

      The hours are significantly longer than that of a traditional public school, so maintaining a strong work/life balance can be challenging.

      1.0
      Sep 1, 2016

      Stay Away

      Teacher
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Other than the other teachers there was nothing positive about working here.

      Cons

      Work-life balance is impossible. I commuted two hours each way to get to work and was still made to feel like I was somehow letting the team down by not working until 6 or 7 at night. I want to be clear that my team members never made me feel this way and like I said about, the teachers there are amazing people. Lessons are scripted for you and there is a plow forward attitude. They do not have the resources to meet the needs for special ed students. Expectations are the same for students K-8. Students are targeted for doing the smallest things like hands on their face, not making eye contact with the speaker within 2 seconds, etc. Completely unrealistic and ridiculous expectations for adults, never mind students. Students at the local high school walked out last year because they felt so disrespected. I wish I could have cheered them on.

      avatar
      Achievement First Response
      9y
      I'm so sorry to read about the experience you had with AF. I can't imagine doing work this hard and commuting 2 hours each way every day. That takes incredible committment and we deeply appreciate your efforts to contribute to AF's mission under those circumstances. I also appreciate you making sure we understood your perspective and why you are no longer with the network. That said, I would truly benefit from understanding more. Perhaps it goes without saying, but the things you describe (feeling like kids were "targeted," and not feeling like the resources were there for our special-ed students) run totally contrary to our mission and the work we're trying to do in the communities we're honored to serve. I am leaving my email address and if you have any chance to reach out then please know I would be grateful to learn more from your experience. -Tom Kaiser, Chief Talent Officer, tomkaiser@achievementfirst.org
      5.0
      Aug 30, 2016

      AF is a Great Place to Work

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I've worked for Achievement First since I graduated from college. I love working here because everyone is working together to do what's best for scholars. We have high expectations for our scholars behaviorally & academically and do whatever it takes to push them to meet those expectations. I particularly chose to work here instead of accepting offers at 2 other major charter school networks because it's clear that AF prioritizes teacher development. I wanted to be the best teacher (and leader) that I could be and appreciated that AF regularly provided high quality coaching to all team members (from teachers to grade team leads to principals). I also loved how there was a clear path to become a school leader (grade team lead positions, curriculum fellow positions, Leadership Fellowship, and Principal in Residency program) and a clear path on how to be recognized as a master teacher (Teacher Career Pathway).

      Cons

      AF really needs to work on helping teachers/leaders find a sustainable work/life balance. I've figured this out after 5 years but not everyone sticks around that long to figure it out. They are trying to make it more sustainable via early release days, Network provided LPs, etc but they still have room to grow. AF also has room to grow in terms of the professional development it offers - I wish they gave more development & support around differentiating instruction for scholars who struggle academically and behaviorally.

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      ReviewsAchievement First 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.