Get to Know BRICK Avon Academy
Not long ago, Avon Avenue Elementary School was considered one of the lowest-performing K-8 schools in Newark and was among the 10 worst schools in New Jersey. In 2010, six Teach For America alumni assessed the situation and emphatically stated, “We must do better for these kids.” And so BRICK (Building Responsible Intelligent Creative Kids) Avon Academy was born.
With only one full year under its belt, BRICK has demonstrated that by doing things differently, all children can succeed. School leaders and Teach For America alumni Charity Haygood and Dominique Lee established a clear vision for a community of dual-language learners who graduate with International Baccalaureate accreditation. They began with the basics: painting, taking bars off the doors, holding block parties in an effort to reach out to the community. Today, with partnership across the school's staff, elementary students at BRICK Avon Academy are achieving double-digit academic gains—the first of what promises to be many successes for the school.
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