ROSA AND ANGEL

Rosa has seen her son, Angel, grow into a young adult during their family’s time at Achievement First. She credits Angel’s academic and social development to her son’s teachers.

Throughout their nine years at AF East New York Elementary and Middle, Angel’s teachers possessed an unwavering commitment to ensuring he was the best version of himself inside and outside of the classroom.

However, Rosa deserves a bit of that credit as well. At Achievement First, we believe that parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. Close partnerships with families are core to who we are and why make our schools great. These close partnerships also deepen our scholars’ knowledge of self and community. That strong partnership and optimism of going forward together were put to the test during the pandemic these last few years.

Angel experienced most of his years as a middle schooler at home, living through a pandemic, and spending more time learning with his first and most important teacher, his mother. While Angel studied for tests and logged onto virtual classes, Rosa realized that her son had difficulty focusing and adjusting to at-home learning. She communicated these observations to AF East New York Middle and they swiftly took action: Teachers scheduled checkpoints throughout the year for Rosa and Angel and advisors provided study guides and focusing techniques to their family. As a result, Angel’s grades improved, and he developed a newfound confidence and motivation to do better in everything he did.

“It is always a two-way street (with Achievement First and Angel’s teachers),” says Rosa. “His teachers have always given him the care and attention he needs. And I always communicate to them on how he’s doing and areas where I know he may need extra support.”