How much privilege do you need? That was my first thought when news broke about the college admissions cheating and bribery scandal. The news was a painful reminder to me that the odds are stacked against you if you are poor or, even worse, a poor person of color in America.

One of our scholars was selected as one of just 80 participants (out of 2.400 applicants) for the prestigious Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES) program at MIT. High School of the Liberal Arts Principal Andy Malone shares two emails from the scholar recounting this truly special experience.

Success Academy Bronx 1 scholars had something besides the games to smile about at the school’s annual Field Day: They watched as their principal, Liz Vandlik, received the 2017 Ryan Award from the Accelerate Institute of Chicago!

Success Academy spoke to Ty Redmond about how he went from salesman to principal, and how starting as a Leadership Fellow paved the way for his unexpected future.

The day after the election, scholars had many questions about the future of our country.

The NAACP, arguably the nation’s most influential and long standing civil rights organization, approved a moratorium on public charter schools.

I recently borrowed an idea from SA Bronx 1 Middle School Principal Britney Weinberg-Lynn and asked parents at my school to write a thank-you note to a teacher.

They know that what matters most is not the score they get, but the effort they show and the real sense of accomplishment that comes with knowing they did their best!

I have been troubled by the recent negative news stories involving our schools.

We believe in teaching our scholars to be self-advocates, to respectfully but forcefully stand up for what is right and fair. That’s why it was so important for me and my fellow principals and other Success Academy leaders and parents to respond to false claims by the Alliance for Quality Education and other union-backed agitators last week.

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Success Academy Bensonhurst principal Jonathan Dant opened the school doors at 7:15 a.m. to greet scholars as usual, only to be surprised by a large crowd of families and scholars singing “Happy Birthday” and wearing outfits that looked, well, a little familiar.

Earlier this month, Success Academy Williamsburg Principal Abby Johnson received a touching email from a parent. Mary Bronstein’s daughter, Faye, is a scholar in Dana Baij’s kindergarten classroom.

When I first started teaching, two words bounced around my head hourly: “achievement” and “gap.”

We heard some great graduation speeches from our schools leaders this year. Here are some excerpts from speeches that made our graduates smile, reflect, and even cry a little. Congratulations to all our Success Academy graduates! Success Academy founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz spoke to the eight grade graduates I want to congratulate our scholars. […]

This is a school that the community continues to support and call out for. This past year, our school received more than 2.400 applications for fewer than 75 open seats in grades K-4. There were 395 applications for fourth grade seats alone.

As scholars enter the school each morning, I greet them with a handshake. This is my favorite time of day because it’s often when I learn special, little tidbits about my students’ lives. After we say good morning to one another, scholars excitedly tell me about tooth fairy visits or the books they read the night before. […]

Are you a principal looking for a New Year’s resolution that will improve teaching and learning in your school? Make 2015 the year of real-time coaching!

What made this year special for our Success Academy family? Find out here!

“In-the-moment” coaching is a hallmark of instructional leadership at Success Academy, and I have seen it work wonders for teaching and learning.