Success Academy Charter Schools reviews

several people have already noted that they disregarded the negative reviews on this site and regretted it. the positive reviews are a result of network mandating people to write them a few times a year. I worked at SA for four years. I wanted to stay for the kids. I would have no problem with the organization if it were straightforward about its methods and aims. methods: berating and muzzling children. aims: high test scores. If you are a person who wants to tell your class to be silent and still all day as they practice for the state test, you will love it here. some people did, honestly. the dumb, racist teachers loved it. they probably wrote some of these reviews. SA loves to promote those people, too, so if you're a dumb racist, you're looking at a really accelerated career track here. these people think that the dehumanizing management system equates to having "high expectations." the assumption being that children of color can't learn unless their bodies are policed every second of the day. it goes on. and on and on. SA is constantly being sued by parents. I saw a teacher throw a tissue box at a student with a severe learning disability because his nose kept running. I saw another teacher drag another first grader with an IEP down the hallway by the arm because he didn't finish a worksheet. She got promoted to principal. Students at the middle school level get retained for any old reason. Leaders go through summer training in which paid actors play upset parents. They are told to constantly deflect back to "school policy." And what is the school policy, inquiring minds want to know. Anything the school decides! That's the policy! You have high grades but you missed a homework assignment? You can't go to the next grade. Why? Because that's the policy! You scratched your knee because you have eczema? Detention! Why? That's the policy! The policy is whatever the dumb racist decides it is that second. It's an extraordinary exercise in petulant tyranny. If you understood any of this, SA is not the right place for you. If you don't get it, go on ahead, you're about to be promoted!

Impossible to finish work in the time allotted at the school level. Thus, you will work from home and have to finish work on weekends; this makes it impossible to have a family. Ironically, some employees who have kids at one of the success schools in network, have no time to help their kids with homework due to exhaustion. Systems, organizational and employee changes are the norm, which leads to a lack of stability across the Network. Thus, everything always feels in flux and the employee is often left in the dark about changes. Also, Principals are mostly young and inexperienced; this leads to a blame culture and everyone else is thrown under the bus in order to save their jobs. Micro-management happens at every turn, which impacts your decision making. In short, everyone is stressed and over-worked. 630am-630pm are normal work days and there is no real lunch break, which makes staff irritable as we try to hold it together for kids and families.