The Success of Achievement First
In this film, Doug McCurry describes the ingredients that make Achievement First's schools work: excellent teachers, high expectations, school choice, and a school culture that makes learning possible.
Doug McCurry's Biography
Doug McCurry is the Superintendent and co-CEO of Achievement First. Mr. McCurry was one of the founders of Amistad Academy, serving as the school’s instructional leader for three years. In his teaching roles at Amistad Academy, Mr. McCurry achieved outstanding results. His math students achieved 100 percent proficiency on the Connecticut Mastery Test, and his reading and writing students consistently showed over two years growth in a single school year. Mr. McCurry led the development of Achievement First’s standards-based curriculum, including the interim assessment and data analysis system.
Mr. McCurry is now working with consultants to put AF’s curriculum and assessments on an online platform. Mr. McCurry also leads professional development efforts at Achievement First, and he is a sought-after presenter and coach of teachers.
Before coming to Amistad Academy and Achievement First, Mr. McCurry was a management and technology consultant in Atlanta and taught history and writing and coached basketball and tennis at Providence Day School in Charlotte. A Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina, he earned a B.A. in history and journalism there, and he recently was awarded the school’s distinguished young alumnus award. Through the Klingenstein Private School Leadership program, he earned an M.A. in educational administration from Teachers College, Columbia University.
