The document describes the design of the Achievement First Greenfield School model. It aims to develop students' academic and character skills to graduate from top colleges and become future leaders through an innovative learning approach. This approach leverages new technologies, research on learning, and higher academic standards to personalized learning and maximize each student's potential through accelerated academics, developing habits of success, excellence in enrichment activities, and building a supportive community. The school design focuses on goal setting, self-directed learning, small/large group instruction, expeditions beyond the classroom, community engagement, and ensuring student well-being to support intrinsic motivation and high achievement.

1. ACHIEVEMENT FIRST
GREENFIELD SCHOOL DESIGN

2. AF Greenfield is a new school model
developed by Achievement First to foster
the best-prepared students in the world.
We believe Greenfield students will
develop the academic and character skills
they need to graduate from top colleges,
to succeed in a competitive world, and to
serve as the next generation of leaders in
our communities.

3. Now is the time
Education drives opportunity, personal
freedom, and individual and national
prosperity. Today, too many students in the
United States are not inspired or equipped to
learn at the same high levels of students in
other countries. We need to create better
schools for the future. With the north star of
the Common Core and the availability of new
technologies as well as deeper insights into
the science of learning, our opportunity to
create such a school is now.

4. New technologies enable
new learning
For the first time in history, technology
and connectivity make it possible for
knowledge to reach every student almost
anytime, anywhere, regardless of race,
income, and location. This technology is
increasingly smart—able to identify and
adapt to students’ unique learning needs.
We can now personalize the learning process
like never before.

5. We know more than ever
about how we learn
Advances and partnerships in neuroscience
and cognitive development have given
educators a deeper understanding
of the underlying brain processes,
motivations, and optimal conditions for
accelerated learning. Opportunities to
leverage these discoveries to enrich
instructional design are emerging and will be
able to help us better maximize each and
every moment of student learning.

6. We’ve raised our
expectations of ourselves
The wide adoption of the Common Core
Standards has aligned many of us around a
higher set of academic standards focused on
the development of critical thinking and true
preparation for college, career, and a life of
opportunity. These higher standards have
highlighted that the achievement gap is even
wider than we thought.
It will not be possible to achieve excellence
against these much more rigorous standards
by doing what we have always done. New
thinking is required.

7. We want to innovate
learning for the students
in our schools
We have seen firsthand how innovative
school models that leverage these
opportunities have advanced student
learning from California to Texas to New
York. We see our opportunity in learning
from these school models and applying
these practices specifically to the urban
communities we serve as we continue to
work to close the opportunity gap by
providing the highest-quality education.

8. Leveraging these
opportunities, how can we
prepare our students to
realize their full potential in
college and life?
Our school seeks to maximize
four outcomes:
Accelerated Academics
Habits of Success
Excellence in Enrichment
Student, Family, & Staff Motivation

9. To best prepare our students,
we aim to achieve four outcomes:
ACCELERATED ACADEMICS
We set the bar extremely
high and push students to
achieve excellence in
academics.
HABITS OF SUCCESS
Students develop the habits,
mindsets and life skills that
promote productive and joyful
lives including growth mindset,
curiosity, time management,
empathy and creativity.
EXCELLENCE IN ENRICHMENT
We offer students a chance to
experience the joy of
passionately pursuing an area
of enrichment beyond
traditional academics, such as
STEM Inventions, Martial Arts,
and Music.
STUDENT, FAMILY &
STAFF MOTIVATION
Our powerful community of
students, staff and families
will consistently inspire and
support each other.

10. To achieve these outcomes, the AF Greenfield
school is designed to focus on two areas:
MAXIMIZING LEARNING DEVELOPING INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
To help students be self-motivated and excited to learn more,
we are developing a strong practice of personal Goal Setting and
Reflection supported by rituals, tools and dedicated staff
members. This allows students to progress at their own pace,
rewarding their effort and achievement and showing them the
confidence we have in their ability to go far. Social rituals and
team activities give our students a deep sense of belonging and
accountability to our awesomely powerful community.
To maximize student learning, we have created a school where
learning is delivered in many different forms, each of them tailored to
the subject and content being taught. In small groups, students have
the opportunity to receive frequent feedback. Large groups enable
engaging discussions where students learn from each other’s different
opinions. Self-Directed Learning allows students to intensively practice
their reading and writing and explore content at their own pace. And
Expeditions allow students to deepen and apply their knowledge
outside of school. All learning is guided by a rigorous curriculum
ensuring students achieve at an accelerated level.

11. ACCELERATED ACADEMICS
We set the bar extremely high
and push students to achieve
excellence in academics.

12. HABITS OF SUCCESS
Students develop the habits,
mindsets and life skills that
promote productive and joyful
lives including growth mindset,
curiosity, time management,
empathy and creativity.

13. EXCELLENCE IN ENRICHMENT
We offer students a chance to
experience the joy of
passionately pursuing an area
of enrichment beyond
traditional academics, such as
STEM Inventions, Martial Arts,
and Music.

14. STUDENT, FAMILY & STAFF MOTIVATION
Our powerful community
of students, staff and families
will consistently inspire and
support each other.

15. To achieve these outcomes, our design
is anchored by a combination of three
guiding principles:
Accelerated Expectations
We support our students to
achieve at an exceptionally high
level
Awesomely Powerful Community
We give students a deep sense of
belonging and purpose
Ownership and Personalization
We build intrinsic motivation so
students feel agency over and
responsibility for their own
learning

16. To translate these guiding design anchors
into concrete learning experiences, we
have designed seven interrelated modules. Goal-Setting & Reflection
Self-Directed Learning
Small Group Learning
Large Group Learning
Expeditions
Community Connections
Learning Essentials

17. The central module is Goal-
Setting & Reflection, where
students pursue their dreams
by setting ambitious goals that
cover everything from
academics to habits to
enrichment. Together,
students encourage each other
and reflect on their successes
and stumbles along the way.

18. Four modules shape how students engage in learning:
Self-Directed Learning
builds student
responsibility, ownership,
and identity by giving
students control over pace,
sequence, and some
content.
Small Group Learning offers
hands-on and individualized
instruction to go deep and
receive lots of feedback.
Large Group Learning helps
answer key questions through
teacher-moderated discussion,
debate, simulation, and
experimentation.
Expeditions enable
students to deeply
experience content and
apply skills in a context
beyond the school.

19. Self-Directed Learning builds
student responsibility,
ownership, and identity by
giving students control over
pace, sequence, and some
content.

20. Small Group Learning offers
hands-on and individualized
instruction to go deep and
receive lots of feedback.

21. Large Group Learning helps
answer key questions through
teacher-moderated discussion,
debate, simulation, and
experimentation.

22. Expeditions enable students to
deeply experience content and
apply skills in a context beyond
the school.

23. Community Connections rally
students, staff, and families to
thrive together—linking arms
with high levels of trust and
motivation for students to
meet their goals and realize
their greatest dreams.

24. Learning Essentials ensure
that students sustain their
energy and focus by meeting
their basic needs for physical
activity, nutrition, and
emotional safety; they also
support students’ motivational
drive and focus.

25. Who are the teachers and how experienced are they?
Our vision is ambitious, and we know that none of this would be
possible without outstanding staff to instruct, coach, and inspire our
community. To give our scholars the highest quality instruction, the
Greenfield school design is deliberately investing in staff development.
Lead Teachers will have several years of
teaching experience and deep content
expertise. Their role is to tie content
together in engaging ways that help students
see the world anew.
Whenever possible, educators will also come from the
same communities as our students.
Instructors will have baseline content
knowledge and demonstrate an exceptional
passion to teach. Their role is to build deep
relationships with students and leverage
these connections in their instruction.