Achievement Academy Charter School

A $2 BILLION DECISION: THE CASE FOR REFORMING NEW YORK’S CHARTER SCHOOL LAW, April 2010, New York State United Teachers

..One teacher resigned in protest and another teacher was fired at this Brighter Choice charter school after they discovered hidden cameras, covered by a sweater, in a bookshelf in their classrooms. A teacher said she quit after the videotaping incident because, “I don’t want to be part of a school that thinks they can violate the laws of the land just because they’re a charter school.” Although the charter board chairman said teachers had been aware of the videotaping, the teacher questioned why the cameras were hidden in a bookshelf under a sweater. The teachers also accused Achievement Academy administrators of telling teachers to allow students to see assessments 48 hours to a week in advance so it would appear their test scores would be higher than other Albany public schools. “I was not willing to let them cheat. They wanted teachers to feed test answers to kids. That’s not really a true measurement of education. It’s a charade for the charter review of the school,” the teacher said.