Achievement First reviews

3.0

35% would recommend to a friend

(998 total reviews)
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Fatimah Barker

39% approve of CEO

21% positive business outlook

Achievement First has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 998 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

998 reviews
1.0
Jun 13, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay and the kids

Cons

This has been the worst job of my life. Leadership is 100% incompetent and are only satisfied with their version of perfection. Two quotes from coworkers that accurately sum up my experience at this school are, "If you're not perfect you suck," and "We need to move away from being a school that relies on compliance." Stuff like this causes student investment and teacher investment to be terrible. It is common at this school that if you're not perfect, you will be removed from the classroom and replaced by a leadership team member, instead of being taught the correct way to teach. Also, the curriculum is set up in a way that allows no creativity in how the content is delivered. If you dont follow the pre-written questions, then the entire lesson will be sidetracked. Next, the discipline system is not even close to being age appropriate. Students are expected to sit in perfect posture with their hands folded all day, which is especially problematic when their only time to expend energy is routinely taken away from them. Overall, this school has a long way to go in providing a consistently high quality education for students that need it the most. Also, work-life balance doesnt exist. P.S. all the ridiculousness that I just listed only scratches the surface of what is commonplace at this place. It truly sucks to have worked here and I feel bad that the kids have to deal with this on a daily basis.

1.0
Aug 21, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Teachers and paraprofessional staff are dedicated to STUDENTS. Strong, positive vision.

Cons

Scripted lesson plans are not sustainable and do not allow for adjustment on the spot. No creativity allowed for teachers. The long school day does not take in to consideration stages of child development....is an academic day of 9 hours a reasonable demand for a 10 year old child? Students are not allowed to be "kids": forced, silent transitions in a straight line; no spontaneity; required silence for the duration of a class (90 minutes). Staff required to work 10 hours on site without breaks or scheduled duty-free lunches; high rate of turn-over in teaching staff (75 to 80% yearly); micro-management; loss of planning periods occurs frequently. Social promotion of students does them a disservice when it occurs year after year. By October the culture normally begins to fall apart and the administration reacts in a way that pushes the line of what is an abusive manner.

1.0
Aug 18, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great students. Great professional development. Mostly great colleagues.

Cons

Read the story in the New Haven Register about the student-led protest and walk out in New Haven at Amistad High School. Really really sad that the students felt they were so mistreated that they had to protest the "all white" staff. What they say about how they are treated is accurate. They are oppressed and disrespected. This alone should tell you that as an educator you would not want to be a part of treating other people this way.

Viewing 19 - 21 of 998 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,020 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.