Achievement First is a Connecticut-based charter chain known for its no-excuses style, akin to schools of the late 19th century.
Data released by the Rhode Island Department of Education show that one of the AF charters in Rhode Island has a sky-high suspension rate.
The school in question is a K-4 school.
PROVIDENCE — A charter elementary school run by Achievement First had among the highest out-of-school suspension rates in the state during the last school year, according to data recently released by the Rhode Island Department of Education.
The Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy, a kindergarten-through-grade-4 school, has the fourth-highest suspension rate in the state among all schools, at 47.5 incidents per 100 students. The rate represents the total number of suspensions, not the the number of students suspended. Some students may have been suspended multiple times.
The academy has 460 students. Achievement First has a total enrollment of 1,127 students.
The only schools with higher rates of suspension were an alternative academy in the Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton school district, the West Broadway Middle School in Providence, and Hamlet Middle School in Woonsocket.
Among elementary school children from low-income families, Achievement First has the highest rate of suspensions in the state, the second-highest rate among black students, the second-highest among students learning English and the third-highest among Latino students.
Elizabeth Winangun, the charter school’s director of external relations, said the mayoral academy suspended 14 percent of its students during the 2017-2018 school year.
“This [school] year,” she said, “we committed to significantly reducing that number. We put a plan of action in place, and I am happy to report that it is working. Year to date, our suspension rate is below 1 percent, an all-time low.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“This [school] year,” she said, “we committed to significantly reducing that number. We put a plan of action in place, and I am happy to report that it is working. Year to date, our suspension rate is below 1 percent, an all-time low.”
Another charter school miracle! Counseling the academically and behaviorally challenging students out. More amazing charter school ferry dust.
Fortunately for those children public school take them and help them become the best of who they are!
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This is the school I told you about that mayor Fung wanted in Cranston that I fought against with your blogs an comments on AF and charters a few years back. Instead they put AF across the border to Providence. Stefan Pryor owns an Achievement First charter school called Armistad to which Deborah Gist brought former governor Linc Chafee to visit when she was RI commissioner of elementary and secondary education. Mayoral schools were the rage in RI a few years ago. Not only the Cranston Fung but the former Warwick mayor, Scott Avedisian, also wanted one in his own city. I am glad the school never got the ok to be in Cranston. Alleluah!
On Thu, Dec 27, 2018 at 2:42 PM Diane Ravitch’s blog wrote:
> dianeravitch posted: ” Achievement First is a Connecticut-based charter > chain known for its no-excuses style, akin to schools of the late 19th > century. Data released by the Rhode Island Department of Education show > that one of the AF charters in Rhode Island has a sky-hi” >
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Here’s a quote from the linked article … HOLY COW.
“Among elementary school children from low-income families, Achievement First has the highest rate of suspensions in the state, the second-highest rate among black students, the second-highest among students learning English and the third-highest among Latino students.”
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These charters with high suspension rates know they can only get away with it because of the racism of those who oversee their charters. The CEOs may not think they are racist, but they would never dare to start a charter school in a middle class neighborhood that had at least 30% white students with disproportionately few poor students of any race and try those tactics. You think middle class white kindergarten children at charters with disproportionately few poor kids are being suspended at high rates? You think charter CEOs tell their governing boards that they couldn’t help suspending so many white middle class 5 year olds because they just happened to get so many violent ones winning their lotteries? Not a chance.
Very few public schools suspend 5 and 6 year old children at all. Some charter chains regularly do so, and it is almost always in charters with almost no white students.
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The high suspension rates of young minority students reflects poorly on the school. It is a “red flag” telling the world that this school does not know how to meet the needs of these students. Hiring inexperienced so-called teachers is not the best decision. Most veteran teachers are far more skilled at classroom management, and they have developed systems for dealing with diverse learners.
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