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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
      4.0
      Dec 19, 2016

      Working with AF

      Director of intervention
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I was a teacher with Achievement First at Endeavor Middle for 6 years. AF and the school gave me the skills and support I needed to become a highly skilled teacher and eventually, a school leader. This is where I developed who I was as an educator and learned I truly had the power to make a difference in closing the achievement gap in our country. The organization provides opportunity for growth in and beyond the classroom, as well as the community that is so needed to raise and grow children.

      Cons

      The workload can at times seem overwhelming, but really, the more vetted you get in the work, the more manageable it becomes.

      5.0
      Oct 24, 2016

      Incredibly reflective organization with great professional development

      Principal in residence
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I have worked at Achievement First for the last 5 years and previously worked at a different CMO in New York City. During my time at AF I have watched network and school leaders constantly reflect on what is working and areas of growth. This has led to continual improvements in student achievement, student culture and adult culture. Another huge strength of Achievement First is the quality of professional development provided at all levels. Teachers, Deans, Principals, Operations Team etc. all receive high quality professional development throughout the year. As s result of these characteristics I feel like I am growing, learning and improving every year in my role. Lastly, the people at Achievement First are all very mission driven. They are very committed to closing the opportunity gap between the students we serve and their peers in more affluent areas. Discussions about social justice are frequent between staff members.

      Cons

      Working to close the opportunity gap is hard! There are times during the year when I feel tired because of the difficult work we do.

      4.0
      Oct 19, 2016

      Influential experience, pushed me to grow to become a strong teacher, leader, and advocate for our students

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I was supported consistently by my academic dean and was able to grow my skills as a teacher that resulted in incredible growth of my students' mathematic ability and performance. This was a direct result of the professional development I received and the constant feedback and push to be better. I found my passion for working in schools, saw how an effective school can run, and saw what a real dedicated team looks like. They consistently grow year to year and improve in areas they know are weaknesses.

      Cons

      Very hard to balance needs of job and personal life. The day started extremely early with very few times during the day for planning and consistently stay late for tutoring that ultimately was needed to support our goals. The environment is a high-stakes work environment (both pro and con). Some schools are still in the early stages of development and are still learning and as a result current teachers pick up the slack. We were understaffed and didn't have enough man power to do the amount we were asked to do at times. This causes exhaustion and burnout and unfortunately at the cost of amazing teachers that can't live out their full potential because of the circumstances of a still developing school. The team is ideal and has so much potential they just need to continue discovering what works and what doesn't and it takes time. I am confident they will but they haven't quite yet. But amazing teachers with their top notch professional development is what makes them better ever year!

      avatar
      Achievement First Response
      9y
      I can't thank you enough for capturing your experience so clearly for us. What you described very much resonated with me. Someone once told me that AF was the hardest thing they'll ever love, and it sounds like you had a similar experience. It's a gift and privilege to be surrounded by an amazing team doing the country's most important work, with the goal of accomplishing something many people would wrongfully say is impossible. But it's a privilege that has a cost: it's very hard work. And this is especially true at our newer "founding schools," as you described. I was lucky to be part of founding an AF school and I think it can have all the excitement, challenge, and fatigue of a start-up. We are trying to change this at AF by significantly reducing the number of new schools we open each year (we've grown at less than 10% for the last three years), and getting way more systematic about the support we give those schools with guidance, curriculum, proven school systems, and very intentional training for all of its leaders and teachers. We've seen a big difference in the last couple of years but as your experience obviously shows -- there is more work to be done. -Tom Kaiser, Chief Talent Officer
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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.