Achievement First's 2021 Annual Report

THE T

OW

MI E IS N

TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from Leadership

3

Advocacy

39

Who We Are

4

Financials

40

Our Mission

6

Board of Directors

42

Where We Work

8

Donors

44

Who We Serve

10

Our Values

14

Lead for Racial Equity

15

Alumnus: James

16

Strive for Excellence

18

Student: Anila

20

Embrace Challenge

22

Alumna: Yashira

24

Care for the Whole Person

26

Student: Jae

28

Choose Joy

30

Teacher: Annalisa

32

Go Further Together

34

Teacher: Ricardo

36

All in-school photography—except for the photo on page 18—was taken in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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LETTER

P

A E L D E R M S O HI RF

Dear friends, As a leader, I have always prided myself on the ability to lead through challenge. The past two and a half school years have given me an unparalleled opportunity to do so.

Across the country and here at Achievement First, the 2020-21 school year was one of enormous challenge, change, and persistence. Our 15,000 students and their teachers were persistence personified as they pushed toward their goals through a year of school in a pandemic, an overdue national racial reckoning and the personal and collective grief we’ve endured throughout COVID-19. We were and are incredibly proud of what our AF family has been able to accomplish in unprecedented and often daunting circumstances.

In August, after 15 years in a variety of leadership roles at AF, I became your Interim CEO. As the circumstances around COVID-19 continue to change, we know we stand ready to pivot with excellence. We’ve proven so.

This school year, and every school year, we lead with love. Our top priority is ensuring that every student knows they are safe, loved, and learning.

AF students are back, in-person, across our 41 schools.

This year is one of the toughest years to be in public education. And we’re incredibly lucky that our organization is full of some of the most resilient, warmest, most dedicated educators you’ll find anywhere.

Through it all, we will never lose sight of our mission. That means continuing to build upon our successes and continuing to learn and do better when we’re challenged. It means affirming that Black Lives Matter, anti-racism is necessary, and internal and external change must happen not only with our words, but with our actions, our curriculum, and the way we approach teaching and learning every day.

As I approach each new challenge as Interim CEO, I’m fueled by the same passion that brought me to public education 17 years ago. Kids in Brooklyn, New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport, Providence, Cranston and Queens deserve the very best schools can offer. This is our sacred charge. The time is now.

With love, Fatimah Barker Interim CEO

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WHO WE ARE

We exist to address the legacy of racism in education and to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all of America’s children. As one of the top-performing public charter school networks in the country, that’s what we’re working for every day.

In our schools—where 75% of our students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and 97% are Black or Latinx—all students are supported in reaching their big goals in the classroom and beyond. That means reaching levels of achievement unconstrained by limited access to opportunity. It means finding and pursuing their dreams and passions.

And it means re-imagining what excellence and equity can look like as we support our scholars through college, career and life.

We’re 41 schools and 15,000 students strong across Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. We are New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford, Brooklyn, Providence and Cranston, and, as of this school year, we’ve opened a new school in Queens.

We want to help build a future where the boundless potential of children, communities, and our society isn’t limited by external forces like racism and inter-generational poverty. And we are aiming to upend these pervasive inequities both in the communities where our schools are located, and in schools with which we partner throughout the country.

We’re evaluating our policies and practices to ensure they are rooted in anti-racist thinking. We’re working hard every day to convey that every student belongs in our school. We’re learning, and we are not afraid to say we must urgently do better for our students and community.

— Tanesha Forman Elm City College Prep Middle Principal

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5

Our mission is to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all of America’s children. We know that every child—regardless of race, zip code or economic status—deserves access to great schools. ​

OUR MISSION

At Achievement First, our students realize their potential and develop the skills they need to graduate from college, succeed in a competitive world and serve as the next generation of leaders in our community.​

I have worked in Providence youth services for 10 years. I have strong feelings about affecting positive change. I know Achievement First does, too. Our school serves families of color and low-income families, and we all have to fight to make sure everyone gets what they need.

— Maridalia AF Promesa Elementary Parent

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WHERE WE WORK OUR SCHOOLS

HARTFORD

TORRINGTON

KENT

MANFIELD

WINDHAM

CONNECTICUT

NEW BRITAIN

NEW MILFORD

MIDDLETOWN NORWICH

WATERBURY

NEWTOWN

NEW LONDON

NEW HAVEN

DANBURY

MADISON MILFORD

BRIDGEPORT

Connecticut Schools

Achievement First Crown Heights Middle School

Achievement First Amistad High School

Achievement First East Brooklyn High School

Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Elementary School

Achievement First East New York Elementary School

Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Middle School

Achievement First East New York Middle School

Achievement First Hartford Academy Elementary School

Achievement First Endeavor Elementary School

Achievement First Hartford Summit Middle School

Achievement First Endeavor Middle School

Achievement First Hartford High School

Achievement First Legacy Elementary School

Amistad Academy Elementary School

Achievement First Linden Elementary School

Amistad Academy Middle School

Achievement First Linden Middle School

Elm City College Preparatory Elementary School

Achievement First North Brooklyn Prep Elementary School

Elm City College Preparatory Middle School

Achievement First North Brooklyn Prep Middle School

NEW YORK

FOREST E HILLS WILLIAMS MSBURG MS MSB S RIDGEWOOD

KEW E GA GARDENS

BU BUSHWICK BROOKLYN LY HEIGHTS S

BEDFORD-STUVESANT ESA

OZONE PARK

NEW YORK

PARK A SLOPE

CROWN HEIGHTS E

BROWNSVILLE OW

JAMAICA J A

QUEENS

RED D HOOK EAST NEW N YORK

BROOKLYN EAST FLATBUSH L SUNSET PARK

Achievement First Ujima High School New York Schools

Achievement First University Prep High School

Achievement First Apollo Elementary School

Achievement First Voyager Middle School

Achievement First Apollo Middle School

Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Middle School

Achievement First Brownsville Middle School

Achievement First Promesa Mayoral Academy Elementary School

Achievement First Bushwick Elementary School

Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy Elementary School

Achievement First Bushwick Middle School

Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy Middle School

Achievement First Crown Heights Elementary School

Achievement First Providence High School

FEDERAL HILL HARTFORD D

SILVER LAKE

WEST END

UPPER SOUTH PROVIDENCE

LOWER SOUTH PROVIDENCE

CRANSTON

ELMWOOD RESERVO VOIR IR R

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DOWNTOWN

ER

Achievement First Brownsville Elementary School

RHODE ISLAND

PROVIDENCE E

RIV

Achievement First Iluminar Mayoral Academy Elementary School

CE

Achievement First Brooklyn High School

OLNEYVILLE

EN

Achievement First Envision Elementary School

ID

Achievement First Aspire Middle School

OV

Rhode Island Schools

PR

Achievement First Aspire Elementary School

COLLEGE HILL

SMITH HILL

WASHINGTON ON PARK

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WHO WE SERVE

75% of AF students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch

15,000

students served

Teacher & Leader Spotlight 57% of new instructional hires identify as Black, Latinx or Multi-racial

As a dark skinned Black young woman, I experience racism, sexism and colorism in the world.

However, I have learned that my experience and voice matter no matter who I am speaking with.

— Kelly-Roland AF East Brooklyn High Alumna Cornell University

97%

Black & Latinx

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College acceptances 2,448 Total acceptances

90% of graduates were

451

5

Total high school graduates

Average acceptances per graduate

accepted to a four-year college.

20% of our students applied early decision, and 76% of those who applied early were accepted.

Our students pursue a variety of post-secondary pathways. Some are attending two-year colleges, trade schools, beginning careers,

At Achievement First, I’ve definitely experienced a different level of teachers who really pushed me to succeed. My college advisor in particular was crucial to my success and she helped me transition from high school to college.

Seeing what a huge support she was for me definitely helped me become the college success advisor I am today.

or entering the U.S. military.

I want to be able to join conversations that people like me are often left out of or not considered in. I want to be able to help change and lead conversations about health care systems so that when we walk into a hospital, we know we’ll get the help we need regardless of our gender identity, race, or sexuality. That’s why I’m studying neuroscience and behavioral biology on a pre-med track.

— Jordan AF Hartford High Alumnus Emory University

— Connie Preparation for Excellence Advisor AF University Prep & John Jay College Alumna

Advanced Placement 12

100% of high school graduates took at least one AP class

7 Average number of AP classes taken per graduate over high school career

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LEAD FOR RACIAL EQUITY If 2020 was the year of America’s overdue national racial reckoning, 2021 was the year we grappled with what to do now that the reckoning has come.

OUR VALUES

Our core values define and reflect who we are, what we stand for, and what we’ve committed to do in service of our vital mission.

We saw the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd and kicked off a revolution that demands we all acknowledge Black Lives Matter and act accordingly. We saw a repudiation of our country’s long and disgraceful history of antiAsian violence and hate that has heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have not, yet, seen justice.

Our schools exist because of the legacy of racism and inequity in education. Every day, personally and collectively, we’re striving to change the systems of oppression that pervade our society. And, we’re looking inward, to alter and improve our own organization.

We spent this year laying the groundwork for impactful change—ensuring our students feel known and seen in our schools, engaging students, staff and families in an organizationwide vision process that explores what we want for the future of our schools, and building our capacity for differentiation and change.

Throughout the past year, our progress has looked like increased opportunities for our students to see themselves mirrored in high-quality texts, increased awareness and reflection around issues of race and power, and the flexibility for students to present their ideas and learnings in more ways than had been previously offered. We honor and appreciate the progress we have made. And we know there is much more work to be done.

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As an anti-racist educator it’s been really important that I lead not by what I say but what I do.

It’s not about what I say or post on Instagram, it’s how I lead in my everyday actions with my students and myself.

— Susie Kim AF Ujima High 9th Grade History Teacher

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Four years before James began attending Dartmouth College and eight years before he entered the working world during a pandemic, he was sitting at the AF Brooklyn High freshman orientation when organizers put a number on the board. The number was 8.

At first, no one knew what it meant. When the leader explained, based on data they drew from at the time, that only 8 percent of students of color graduated with a college degree—James was shaken. And inspired. James knew he wanted to be a part of the solution.

He combined his love for math with his passion for sociology and African-American studies, and became a quantitative social science major so that he could analyze data in areas like education and family life. He studied abroad in Paris—he was there when the French national team won the World Cup—and learned about the African diaspora.

He went on to do his senior research project on college drop-out rates, delving into the disparate challenges students from low-income backgrounds face. And he promised himself that he would do something about it, that any mentorship he could give, he would.

James 16

College Coach aF BROOKLYN HIGH '16 Dartmouth college '20

Through his involvement in Basta—an organization whose mission is to create a bridge of opportunity between employers and first-generation college goers of color to increase diversity of the knowledge workforce—he landed his first job after graduation at Donors Choose working on the marketing and partnership management teams.

James gravitated to Donors Choose because of the interest in education he cultivated as a student at Achievement First. He recently transitioned to a new role in this sector: he currently serves as college coach for Beyond12. As a side project, he’s writing a sitcom focused on a middle-class Black family, a project he envisions as a modern “Boy Meets World” that centers Black characters.

James is just getting started. He didn’t get to walk across the graduation stage because of COVID-19. But, he says, he knows what it means for a Black man from East New York, Brooklyn, to graduate from an Ivy League School, and that is enough. The number 8 did not limit him. And he’s dedicated to ensuring it doesn’t limit others, either.

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STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE Since March 2020, we’ve found out what perseverance looks like. It looks like our teachers and leaders doing everything in their power to make sure the strength of the AF school community—whether remote or in-person—stays strong. It’s our students, who persist through tremendous challenges to tackle rigorous material and engage in their own student-led groups to discuss and debate issues that matter to them most. Above all else, it is our class of 2021—who persevered through 1.5 years of school during a pandemic, racism-driven national unrest, and personal and collective grief all while plotting their courses after high school.

Our incredible group of 451 seniors garnered 2,448 college acceptances to state and private colleges and universities, Ivy League institutions, Historically Black Universities and women’s colleges, advanced in their pursuit of a trade or joined the United States Military. We are so proud of who they are and what they’ve done.

And, we’re proud of them for chasing the dreams for which they strive.

AF always kept me informed during COVID. They sent us letters, emails, and notifications on their app. They also sent parents surveys to get our thoughts about their remote learning plans and reassured us computers were available for students to use at home. Their system for moving to remote learning was excellent because they did not keep us in the dark and made sure we knew everything that was going on.

— Devonne Parent, AF Crown Heights Elementary 18

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Anila and her mom

When Anila needs to remember how capable she is, she just thinks back to her eighth-grade graduation. She was named the valedictorian of her graduating class, and she had only a couple of days to write her farewell speech, complete her last school assignments, attend the end-of-year class field trip, and prepare for the eighthgrade prom. It was a lot to juggle, but she managed to do it all successfully. The speech was a hit with everyone—Anila’s classmates, teachers, and family praised her heartwarming and inspiring message. She finished her assignments and had fun dancing the night away with her friends at prom.

Anila’s ability to manage all of her responsibilities isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows her. She is an intelligent, kind, and hard-working student—and those qualities shine throughout everything she does. Her guiding philosophy is not to try to be perfect and to see the goodness in everything.

She is also passionate about mental health and advocacy. She’s an active member of her school’s youth advocacy group, where she’s led several presentations and panels on diverse topics, including anti-gun violence, autism awareness, prison reform, and female empowerment. She’s a shoulder to lean on for others, and she finds it rewarding and gratifying to listen and offer guidance to her peers.

After high school, Anila plans to follow her joy and attend college to become a therapist with the hope of changing the perception of what it means to live with a mental illness and be a source of support for those seeking help.

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Anila

12TH GRADE at aF BROOKLYN HIGH 21

EMBRACE CHALLENGE When the pandemic changed life as we knew it in March 2020, we rapidly launched into ensuring every child had access to a laptop and to moving our high-quality school experience online. This was only the beginning.

As our New York students were remote for the duration of the 2020-21 school year, and our Connecticut and Rhode Island students were able to begin hybrid learning during the course of the year, we made school work in the circumstances before us. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute highlighted AF for recreating the structure of the regular school day—complete with 5+ hours of live instruction—online. We ensured that the feeling of school, both the academics and the sense of community, continued to live in a remote environment. And, when we brought our schools back together in fall 2021, we worked together to ensure our students’ needs were addressed so they can best learn and grow. And we continue to do so, every day.

Our communities were among the hardest hit by coronavirus both medically and economically. We know the challenges we will face in the return to inperson school have only just begun. And, we’ll be ready to embrace the challenges that will come—it’s who we are and what we do.

My teacher and I practice reading until I get better, and that makes me feel good. She also makes school fun—she sings songs to get us excited about learning math and reading time.

— Daniel AF Linden Elementary, 3rd Grade 22

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When Yashira was a child growing up in New Haven, the only lawyers she knew were the ones she watched on Law & Order. On nights and weekends, she’d watch the show with her mom. And she’d dream.

She quickly became enamored with the drama of a courtroom, specifically with the role of the lawyer. She would spend hours practicing her legal arguments and defending her make-believe clients in front of fictional judges. Yashira knew then she wanted to pursue a career in law. As a member of one of the first classes of Amistad Academy Middle School, she shared her passion with her teachers. Yashira credits them with helping her believe that even though there wasn’t a lawyer in her family, and that she’s from a lower-middle class family and neighborhood, she could still become whoever she wanted to be.

And she did. Yashira became a college graduate and the first in her family to receive a juris doctor degree. She is grateful to Amistad for helping with her entire college application process, showing her how to get fees waived, helping her find great colleges and write her college essay, and offering her a scholarship.

Today, Yashira is a college and law school graduate and a successful insurance coverage lawyer in Boston. She’s also never forgotten the school community that helped her pursue her passions. She serves on Amistad Academy’s Board of Directors to help give back to that community.

She knows there are many other little Yashiras out there – chasing their own dreams and goals—and that Amistad’s support can help a student progress in education and in life. And Yashira is proud to help them just as she was helped so long ago.

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YASHIRA

Lawyer & Board Member Amistad Academy ’05 SUNY Albany ’13 Northeastern University School of Law ’16 25

Care for the Whole Person What do our students, families, and staff need? Many years ago, we likely would have answered this question with detail about curriculum or professional development, or our commitment to parent partnership. That is all, of course, still crucial. It is also insufficient. We know we must care for the whole person—that includes making sure our school community’s social-emotional needs are met, especially as we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.

That means connecting our families with information about the vaccine for both children and adults, and carefully implementing a staff vaccine mandate to keep our schools safe. It means checking in individually with all our families and staff members to see how they’re doing and how we can help. And it means connecting our families and staff members with resources to meet their immediate needs, including groceries, housing, and medical expenses through our Team & Family Support Fund.

We are raising children who are watching us, and in order for things to move forward and for the world to be better, we have to teach them better and show them better.

— LaSharma Parent, AF Endeavor Middle 26

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JAE

THIrD GRADE at AF NORTH BROOKLYN PREP ELEMENTARY

To talk to Jae is to hear from someone who wants to embrace the whole world. He’s hungry for the knowledge it has to offer. If you ask him his favorite subject in school, he names four. There is too much for him to learn in math, writing, humanities and science for him to choose a single preference.

He’s focused on showing empathy and love to everyone he knows, and on treating others the right way. His favorite thing about himself is that he’s kind to other people, and, he adds, that is something he will never change about himself as he gets older.

Jae is a kid who cares about people he knows, and about people he hasn’t yet met. He cares about his community, about identifying what it needs and how he can help the people around him. As a third grader, he already knows the kind of father and co-worker he wants to be someday—one who is fair, honest, and kind. He cares about his AF North Brooklyn Prep Elementary school community, a caring group of people who helped him to continue to love his classes throughout a year of remote learning.

And he cares about making an impact on the world by continuing to be a good person, and one day by pursuing a career he loves. As he dives into extra math studies – he especially loves subtraction—he’s thinking about future work in coding video games, fixing bugs to improve gameplay. That’s just one more way Jae plans to make the world around him better.

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CHOOSE JOY When our instruction went online, our joyful, vibrant school communities did too. There were community circles and check-ins. You could almost taste the frosted cookies shared during the remote baking club. You could feel the anticipation as scholars were “knighted” during a middle school honors ceremony. And on any given day, you could see smiling AF students engaging in martial arts, drama, chess, music or physical education—all online. Our teachers dressed up as anchors for their own daily newscasts, co-taught elementary math lessons alongside puppet assistants, and went all out for school spirit days that have become annual traditions.

And when our schools went back in-person, those traditions picked right back up in COVID-safe, face-to-face ways. It is no easy feat to make pandemic-era school a joyful, engaging place. And our teachers are incredible people.

The schools feel like family. The staff go to kids' events that aren’t even related to the school. My kids love every single one of the teachers from the past until now. It’s amazing. The schools are so happy and safe, I could go on and on.

— Adys AF Providence Elementary, Middle & High School Parent 30

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A natural lover of all things outdoors and nature, Annalisa had a hunch that being a science teacher would be her dream job. Part of what inspired her was the unforgettable experience she had learning science in middle school—thanks to her thoughtful, patient, and creative teachers. Annalisa wanted to emulate them. She wanted to share her love of science with students and be the kind of teacher who taps into their interests and curiosities to help propel them to achieve greatness.

What Annalisa’s hunch didn’t tell her was that her first year of teaching STEM at AF Iluminar Middle School would be during one of the worst pandemics in modern history.

The switch to hybrid learning didn’t stop Annalisa from figuring out ways to create a joyful learning community for her students. After multiple iterations, she built an environment that fostered trust amongst her and her students, made learning fun and interactive, and left room for students to explore their unique interests.

In-person parent-teacher conferences transformed into virtual spaces where students took ownership of their learning and presented their successes, challenges, and plans to improve. And traditional field trips turned into modified virtual field trips with opportunities for students to explore digital content together like computer programming and coding.

Annalisa’s commitment to providing her students with the best learning experience possible exemplifies one of the values of Achievement First—choose joy—and is something her middle school teachers would be proud to see today.

ANNALISA

Sixth GRADE Stem Teacher AF Iluminar MIDDLE 32

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GO FURTHER TOGETHER Since the beginning of the pandemic, schools across the country worked to figure out how to best serve thousands of students. They didn’t have to do it alone.

Our commitment to sharing and partnership pre-dated the pandemic; our curriculum is fully open-source and available online, and we partner with districts and public charter schools throughout the country through our Navigator and Charter Network Accelerator programs.

The 2020-21 school year was no exception. Through the Accelerator, we partner with public charter schools to help them grow with quality. This past school year, we served 22,344 students at 53 schools across the country. Our Navigator program, which provides schools with implementation support for AF curriculum, served 22,758 students at 78 schools nationwide. We also launched a new Community of Practice for Hybrid & Remote Learning with more than 25 partners. And we’re continuing to learn and grow every day. Members of our AF Accelerate team scour the country for bright spots in reading, socio-emotional learning, digital learning and everything in between.

At the end of the day, each principal has to ask, are we ensuring our students are safe, known, and loved? Are they connected to teachers?

Are they coming to do their best work and show who they are? At our school, that is who we’ve always been. That didn’t change on March 13, 2020. I do think the way we had to do it has looked different. And, it’s reaffirmed that we need to make sure everyone–adults and kids– knows that we have their back.

— Zachary Segall, Principal, AF Aspire Middle 34

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When Ricardo was a young boy growing up in St. Albans, Queens, he never planned on pursuing a career in education or opening up a nonprofit organization one day. He was happily working as a counselor in his neighborhood’s afterschool program and debating whether to attend school to become a pharmacist or an x-ray technician. Ricardo’s path in life would drastically change when his friend and mentor, Chris, helped him see the potential to teach others that he couldn’t see in himself.

RICARDO

THRID & FOURTH GRADE TEACHER AF APOLLO ELEMENTARY

Chris noticed that Ricardo was a natural, empathetic educator and suggested he go to Howard University to study education. It was during his time at Howard that Ricardo developed his passion for equity and education. He’d never heard of Howard or an HBCU and thought—could a kid from “the hood” succeed at such a prestigious college? The answer was a resounding yes. He was surrounded by so many successful people of color from all different backgrounds.

It was awe-inspiring for Ricardo to be among academically and professionally thriving peers who looked like him and were from similar neighborhoods. He never thought this would be a possibility, but Chris had seen his potential.

While walking home one day, Ricardo reflected on how he wouldn’t have made it to Howard if someone didn’t give him a roadmap on how to get there. He thought about the countless others in his neighborhood who have the talent and intellect to achieve greatness but lack guidance or role models. That’s when Ricardo decided he would be a mentor and guide for other students.

Shortly after, he founded a nonprofit, H.O.O.D Educators (Holding On to Our Dreams through Education), which provides low-income families with resources and access to college tours to help students understand the options before them.

Now a teacher at AF Apollo Elementary, Ricardo is helping his students achieve their potential much like Chris did for him.

He wants to be the kind of teacher who evokes change in this community and brings out the best in his students. As for his legacy, Ricardo wants his students to remember him as an authentic teacher who was part of their community and someone who was always rooting for them.

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Charter schools are public schools. And, too often, our students don’t receive funding or facilities equitably compared to district schools. Our families, staff and friends are advocating for change that would ensure all public school students have access to equitable resources. And funding from generous donors helps us bridge the gaps we are working to eradicate.

Our leaders must fight for funding that is focused on the students’ needs regardless of zip code, class, or socioeconomic background.

Parents must demand, with me, that all students receive the same funding regardless of the Connecticut public school they attend.

— Bernadette Parent, AF Bridgeport Academy Elementary & Middle

Advocacy 38

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OUR SCHOOL FINANCES

NETWORK SUPPORT EXPENSES FY21 BUDGET

District spending per pupil*

NY

$20,724

CT

$18,607

RI

$16,362

AF revenues per pupil** Philanthropy Federal*** State/district Total per pupil revenues

-

$1,701

$116

$724

$1,342

$1,457

$18,012

$11,688

$15,852

$18,736

$14,730

$17,424

Non-personnel Total per pupil expenses

Network Support fee

$27,284,674

Public grants

$850,000

Philanthropy

$1,460,000

Other

$1,444,000

Total revenues

$31,038,674

Core Expenses

AF expenses per pupil** Personnel

Core Operations Revenues

$13,297

$10,713

$10,327

$4,619

$4,135

$7,041

$17,917

$14,848

$17,368

* District spending data is the most recent available reported through the National Center for Education Statistics and other publicly reported data. It is controlled for services provided in kind (facilities, food services, debt and pension costs). ** Achievement First data encompasses the 2020-2021 fiscal year and excludes AF programs and schools that are scaling (AF North Brooklyn Prep Middle, AF Linden Middle, AF Promesa Elementary, AF Iluminar Middle). *** Includes a portion of ESSERI federal grant for covid-response needs.

Personnel expenses Non-personnel expenses

Total Expenses

Surplus/(deficit)

Accelerate Initiatives

$25,972,577 $4,682,296 $30,654,872 $ 383,802

Accelerate revenues

$5,150,291

Personnel expenses Non-personnel expenses

$4,226,100

Accelerate Expenses Total expenses Surplus/(deficit)

$924,191 $5,150,291

$0

School Support and Curriculum Development

9%

Talent Development and Recruiting

10%

40%

School Support and Curriculum Development

40%

Talent Development and Recruiting

Development and Community Relations

Development and Community Relations Operations and Finance

Operations and Finance

Information Technology and Data

23%

Leadership and Administration

Information Technology and Data 5%

40

13%

Leadership and Administration

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IN PARTNERSHIP

Achievement First Brooklyn

Amistad Academy

Elm City College Preparatory

Carolyn Greenspan, Chair Patricia B. Sweet, Treasurer Lorraine Gibbons, Secretary Yashira Agosto, Director Jennifer Alexander, Director Jane Levin, Director Albert Maldonado, Director* Tyra Smallwood, Director Ethan Tyminski, Director Shannelle Whyte, Director

*Outgoing board member

Thomas Lehrman, Director Managing Partner, Haystack Partners

Deborah Shanley, Chair* Romy Coquillette, Vice Chair Jonathan Atkeson, Treasurer Andy Hubbard, Secretary Rhonda Barros, Trustee Tamika Bradley, Trustee Justin Cohen, Trustee Desiree Dalton, Trustee Judge L. Priscilla Hall, Trustee* Theresa Hayes, Trustee Judith Jenkins, Trustee Christopher Lynch, Trustee Kevin Miquelon, Trustee Alison Richardson, Trustee William Robalino, Trustee Amy Arthur Samuels, Trustee Warren Young, Trustee

John Motley, Director Founder and CEO, Motley Consulting

Achievement First Hartford Academy

Achievement First Network Support Andrew Boas, Chair General Partner, Carl Marks Management Co., LP Tony Davis, Treasurer Founder and Managing Partner, Inherent Group, LLC K. Percy Ballah, Director Pastor, Impact Center PVD Greg Belinfanti, Director Senior Managing Director, One Equity Partners William R. Berkley, Director Chairman and CEO, W.R. Berkley Corporation William Buck, Director Treasurer, The Peter & Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation

Valerie Rockefeller, Director Chair, Rockefeller Brothers Fund Griselda Rodriguez-Solomon, Director Professor, City University of New York (CUNY) Ariela Rozman, Director Co-Founder, EdNavigator Anthony C. Thompson, Director* Professor of Clinical Law, NYU School of Law

Achievement First Bridgeport Academy Dick Kalt, Chair Michael Strambler, Vice Chair Rajeev Lakra, Treasurer Marlene Macauda, Secretary Kimberly Bruce, Director Ruben Felipe, Director Shalia Garnett, Director Debra Hertz, Director Ebrima Jobe, Director Dewey Loselle, Director

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Dick Ferguson, Chair Julia Halberstam, Vice Chair Laura Saverin, Treasurer Stephanie Ma, Secretary LaVonta Bryant, Director Patric Gregory, Director Katie Hagen, Director Prish Pierce, Director Tina Wright, Director*

bOARD OF DIRECTORS

Patsy Mundy, Chair Endia DeCordova, Vice Chair* Bildade Augustin, Treasurer Ja Hannah, Secretary David Dee, Director Jessica Glover, Director Erwin Hurst, Sr., Director Lisa Tanen-LaFontaine, Director Alice Turner, Director Celina Whitmore, Director

Achievement First Rhode Island Mayor Jorge Elorza, Chair Ben Smith, Treasurer Reshma Singh, Secretary Percy Ballah, Director* Maryellen Butke, Director Jorge Cardenas, Director* Susan Curtis, Director John Igliozzi, Director Mayor Charles Lombardi, Director Macky McCleary, Director Soraida Morales, Director* James Wiley, Director

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DONORS ORGANIZATIONS

4-CT AmazonSmile Foundation The Ashforth Company Aspen Institute Education and Society BMO Financial Group Excellent Schools New Mexico FIRST IBM Local Initiatives Support Corporation National Forensic League National Speech and Debate Association New Schools for New Orleans PayPal Research Engineering & Manufacturing Inc. Stop & Shop United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley Yale University

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FOUNDATIONS Anonymous (2) Ambler Family Giving Fund Ananda Fund Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Box Tops for Education Bluum Foundation Bright Funds Foundation Carson Family Charitable Trust The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation The Charter Oak Challenge Foundation Inc. Charter School Growth Fund The City Fund The Clark Foundation Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Credit Suisse Americas Foundation Daedalus Foundation The Darrell Harvey Family Foundation Inc. David and Geri Epstein Private Foundation The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation The Grossman Family Foundation H. A. Vance Foundation Haffenreffer Family Fund The Henry E. and Nancy Horton Bartels Trust Hyde Family Foundation J. R. Hyde III Family Foundation The Jane and William Curran Foundation The Joe C. Davis Foundation KeyBank Foundation Knowledge is Power Program The Kovner Foundation The Krupp Foundation Leo Nevas Memorial Fund The Louis Calder Foundation Lone Pine Foundation Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation Near & Far Aid Association, Inc Lise Strickler and Mark Gallogly Charitable Fund McAdams Charitable Foundation NewAlliance Foundation NewSchools Venture Fund

The Opportunity Trust Ohnell Family Foundation, Inc. The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation, Inc. People’s United Community Foundation Pharos Foundation Pyramid Peak Foundation Rhode Island Foundation Robbins Family Foundation Robin Hood Foundation Jeffrey Family Foundation Schwedel Foundation The Seedlings Foundation Sea Cove Foundation The Stewart and Constance Greenfield Foundation Silverleaf Foundation Tennessee SCORE Tiger Foundation The Vince and Linda McMahon Family Foundation The William H. Pitt Foundation

INDIVIDUALS Yashira Agosto Bruce D. Alexander Jennifer Alexander Anonymous Bildade Augustin Lee Backus K. Percy Ballah Brian Barkley Eve and Frank Barron James Bennett William R. Berkley Eryn and Michael Bingle Andrew and Carol Boas Douglas C. Borchard and Barbara G. Talcott Kimberly Bruce LaVonta Bryant Julie Burton Guido and Anne Calabresi Lincoln Caplan and Susan L. Carney Allen Church Ann R. Cohen Justin Cohen William Cohen

Romy and David Coquillette Terence J. and Lou Ann Counihan Steven Crabb William Curran Tony Davis Nancy J. De Lisi David Dee Vincent J. Dowling Davide Dukcevich Susan and Thomas Dunn David Duseau Emily Eisenlohr Hope Arstrong Erb George W. Evans Thomas Farrell Richard and Marissa Ferguson Dorothy Fox Daniel Friedman Lee Gelernt Toddie and Chris Getman Lorraine Gibbons Marjorie and Frank Gillis Peter Goodwin Robert and Trudy Gottesman Joellyn Gray Melanie Green Carolyn Greenspan W. Patric Gregory Keon Gregory Michael D. Griffin Lauren Griswold Brooke Haber Dereje Haile Julia Halberstam Karen Hartman Sam Hartzell Jonathan and Beth Hayes Debra Hertz Karen Hess Andrew Hubbard David Hurley Dorothy Hurt Barry Jacobson Judith J. Jenkins Ebrima Jobe Elana Karopkin

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Michael and Shelly Kassen David Katzman Michael Katzowitz Thomas L. Kempner, Jr. Michael Kerin Rene and Marie France Kern Matthew Klein Jane Korn Carol Stock Kranowitz Rajeev Lakra William and Kate Lee Thomas and Mara Lehrman Michael Lengle Danna Lennon-Thomas Jane Levin Erika Long Dewey Loselle Matthew Lucke Christopher Lynch Stephanie Ma Marlene Macauda Sue and Steve Mandel Catherine E. Manion May McCarthy Sidney McCleary Grant McCracken Doug McCurry Kevin Miquelon John H. Motley Patsy Mundy David Newton Harold and Sandra Noborikawa Kenneth Oba Brian and Jill Olson Timothy Pavlis Claire Polcrack Barbara Porter Maury Povich and Constance Chung Michael Rabinowitz Alison Richardson Arthur Rock Valerie Rockefeller Patricia Pierce and Marc Rubenstein Ariela Rozman and Chris McGee Amy Arthur Samuels Ms. Laura Saverin

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Mr. and Mrs. David L. Savin Sally and Everett Schenk Kenneth Scheve Therese Schuele Gabriel Schwartz Erica and Andrew Schwedel Mahesh Seth Deborah Shanley Attallah Sheppard Pamela and Bruce Simonds Reshma A. Singh John R. Sinnenberg Mark and Judy Sklarz Ben Smith Elan Sofer Michael Sofocleous Carolyn Sola Christopher Sommers Jon and Cleo Sonneborn Aaron Stelson Michael Strambler Patricia B. Sweet Lisa Tanen-Lafontaine Sarah and Christian Taubman Graham and Molly Thomas Anthony Thompson Deborah Toll Kevin Trapp John and Callie Turk Alice Turner Ethan Tyminski Jajaira Ventura Lankford and Jamie Wade Richard Weiss Celina Whitmore Shannelle Whyte James Wiley Channa Williams MaryLou Winnikc Mr. and Mrs. Richard Witmer Jr. Eric Woodworth Thomas Yamin Kristin Young Warren Young David Young Won

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