Harlem Success Academy 1
Date Opened: August 21, 2006
Current Grades Served: K-4
Planned Grades: K-8
Enrollment: 530

Harlem Success Academy 2
Date Opened: August 25, 2008
Current Grades Served: K-2
Planned Grades: K-8
Enrollment: 361

Harlem Success Academy 3
Date Opened: August 25, 2008
Current Grades Served: K-2
Planned Grades: K-8
Enrollment: 249

Harlem Success Academy 4
Date Opened: August 25, 2008
Current Grades Served: K-2
Planned Grades: K-8
Enrollment: 249

Success Charter Network School Model

Replication:
We have developed a school model that sets the bar extraordinarily high in every subject and for every child that can be replicated across the city. We aim to start 40 charter schools in NYC.

Curriculum:
We use Success for All for our literacy curriculum in kindergarten and first grade, and balanced literacy in second grade and above. We use Investigations and EnVision for math.  The rest of our programs were developed on site. Teachers are directly involved in school design, and in writing, testing and improving curriculum. These programs include science, writing, geography, social studies, chess, dance, sports, and art. Science is five days a week and is hands-on and experiment-based. Every child has physical activity every single day.

Reading:
Our parents are actively involved in their children’s learning. They share the credit in our off-the-charts reading scores (at the end of last year, 96% of second graders at HSA1 were reading on or above grade level, with 82% reading above grade level).  By January of this year, parents across the four schools read over 110,000 books to their children.

What Makes us Different:

• Frequent Assessment: We assess our students every 8 weeks so that we can target our academic interventions and ensure real time response. No one slips through the cracks.
• Tutoring: We tutor not just our struggling students but also those who need an added challenge.
• Time Matters: How you use time and structure the school day has a tremendous impact on student performance. We maximize every minute and continuously review our schedule to ensure the most efficient use of time. We have a longer school day and year.
• School Culture Matters: We have a culture where intellectualism, academic dedication and excellent behavior are expected. We have what we call a “beyond z” culture as in the Dr. Seuss poem where readers are inspired to start where most people stop. We strive to go “beyond Z" at all times and believe there must be quality in every stage of the school experience.
• Authentic Parental Participation Matters: We work closely with our parents to achieve the highest levels of student learning. We do not ask our parents to sell candy or fundraise. We ask them to read with their child.
• Treating Teachers Professionally Matters: Our teachers are our professional partners and we work to unleash the talents our teachers bring to the experience. Our teachers are innovators and problem-solvers. All of our teachers have laptops and business cards. They are given the time and resources to plan collaboratively. Our teachers drive our continuous improvement academic culture.