The Achievement Network is featured in EdNext

The test question showed a carton labeled “15 pencils.” “Sharif sharpened 5 pencils,” the question continued. “Which fractions represent the pencils that Sharif sharpened?” Fourteen of the 4th graders at Washington, D.C.’s Hope Community Charter School had chosen the right answer—1/3 and 5/15—on a test written for the school by Boston-based Achievement Network (ANet). But 20 chose the wrong answer, and two didn’t answer at all. So on a bright November afternoon three weeks after the test, Hope’s math specialist, Christine Madison, and two of the school’s 4th-grade teachers huddled over five pages of test-score data assembled for them by ANet. Hope’s Tolson campus serves 420 youngsters in grades PreK–8, almost all of them African American and two-thirds of them from low-income families. It is one of three D.C. charters that are operated by Virginia-based Imagine Schools and are working with ANet. The city’s charter board calls Hope “mid-performing”—about 40 percent of its elementary-school children and 60 percent of its middle schoolers are considered proficient in math and English.

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Boston Prep wins The Achievement Network's Eastern Massachusetts Education Impact Award

The Achievement Network (ANet) is excited to announce Boston Prep as winner of the 2012 Education Impact Award for the Eastern Massachusetts Network. ANet is a national non-profit organization that supports schools to build a culture of data-driven instruction designed to increase student achievement. The Impact Award recognizes Principal Michaela Crowley and her team’s outstanding contributions to the Eastern Massachusetts Network.

John Maycock, Founder and Chief Growth Officer of The Achievement Network presents the Education Impact Award to the Boston Prep leadership team in the photo above.  (From left to right: John Maycock; Timothy Suba, Math Department Chair; Michaela Crowley, Middle School Principal; Scott McCue, Head of School.)

Boston Prep opened its doors to other leaders and teachers in the Network by hosting the first ever Learning Walk – an event that invites leaders and teachers to visit each others’ schools to observe data-driven best practices in action.  The Boston Prep team goes above and beyond to share their approach and cherishes feedback from others in the Network.  They’ve been critical thought partners in how ANet schools can most effectively transition to the Common Core. Boston Prep leaders have shared their data-driven best practices at Network Meetings and their teachers contributed over 350 Math and ELA lessons to The Achievement Network and BetterLesson websites.  They are effective leaders, humble practitioners and great neighbors in our collective charge to ensure all students achieve in our Network.  Join us in celebrating Boston Prep’s contributions and achievements!

The Achievement Network Joins Movement to Secure Excellent STEM Teachers

100Kin10 Making Quick Progress Toward Goal of Training and Retaining 100,000 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Teachers in 10 Years New York, NY, January 18, 2012— An innovative movement to recruit, prepare, and retain 100,000 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers in 10 years has achieved critical mass with the addition of new, quantifiable commitments by more than 30 educational and corporate partners. The Achievement Network (ANet) will support new STEM teachers to dramatically improve their effectiveness in the classroom by equipping them to set ambitious goals, plan backward from standards, track progress, and make data-driven decisions. Currently, ANet supports 2,500 STEM teachers in 250 schools across nine urban areas. “We are thrilled to expand our work with STEM teachers and join a network of over 115 other partners focused on excellent STEM teaching,” said CEO Mora Segal.

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The Achievement Network Named a "Priority Partner for Turnaround" by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) named The Achievement Network (ANet) a "Priority Partner" for turnaround schools in the category of Effective Use of Data.

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The Achievement Network Cited by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

The Achievement Network has been cited by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation as one of the Foundation's "investments to enhance educators’ abilities to better understand and use student data." The Foundation specifically mentions ANet's "efforts to build data analysis skills of school leadership teams." Click here to see the full publication.

The Achievement Network Cited in New Teach Plus Report

The Achievement Network has been cited in a new Teach Plus report, entitled "Our Own Best Resource: Utilizing the Collective Talents of Boston Teachers and Schools."  The report cites ANet as a "great example" of bringing schools together "around student data and sharing best practices" and details examples of ANet's integrated professional development opportunities. Click here to read the full report.

Ted Preston, Former CEO of The Achievement Network, is Interviewed by Carnegie Corporation of New York

Ted Preston, Former CEO of The Achievement Network, was recently interviewed by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Click here to read the interview.

The Achievement Network Named NewSchools Venture Fund's "Organization of the Year"

The Achievement Network has been named NewSchools Venture Fund's 2011 Organization of the Year. According to NewSchools Venture Fund, "the [award is] designed to recognize and celebrate the achievements of this important class of social innovators, who are making a difference in the lives of students in underserved communities across the country and changing the national conversation about what’s possible in public education." For the full press release, click here.