teacher

elementary school teacher

assistant principal

operations associate

lead teacher

Ascend Public Charter Schools

When I joined the network it was a very different place. Teachers were provided with consistent support, coaching, and feedback. Students were also treated as more than just a data point. Ascend valued and fostered family/ community partnerships, social emotional learning, and high academic expectations. That is no longer the case. The only pros that remain are the students, families, and dedicated teachers who are on the brink of burn out.
Now:
-Extremely high turnover rate, some leave in the middle of the school year, many choose not to return at the end.
-Poor work/ life balance due to little support from leadership. I would typically have to stay at work until after 6:00PM. Other teachers come in early and take work home.
-Inefficient use of mandatory staff meetings and professional development sessions.
-New school leaders/principals are selected based on their ability to be manipulated. Ascend has replaced strong, experienced leaders with direct ties to the community with young, inexperienced leaders with no preexisting community or cultural ties and an unwillingness to put in the work to get to know our students, families and neighborhoods. 
-Lack of urgency when it comes to supporting our most vulnerable scholars.
-Huge lack of ELL resources and counseling services.
-No social studies curriculum in elementary school. Shared text and lit circle materials touch upon some social studies topics but leave our scholars with a very confusing and incomplete historical basis. 
-Many new hires are from success, and have taken their no-nonsense policies with them.
-Intense focus on standardized testing. Collecting data is so important but oftentimes Ascend takes it too far. For example, mandating a 2 day benchmark assessment the week students returned from a long school break.
-Commitment to DEIA is performative at best.
-All around toxic work environment. Sad for an organization that used to have such a strong adult culture.

I worked at Ascend Public Charter School for several years. One aspect that drew me to this charter network was the ability to grow your practice as a teacher. Teachers are observed pretty consistently--walk-throughs, visits, mentoring--and the feedback consistently helps you to strengthen as a teacher. In my school, the feedback had been punitive several years ago, but with a change of leadership, it has been warm and supportive for the past few years. The children in our school were lovely and the families were largely so supportive and caring. Ascend tries to show that they care about their teachers. After listening to feedback, Ascend has implemented wellness Fridays once a month (teachers can leave at 2:00 on these days) and recently decided to give all of Thanksgiving week off as a way to lessen the stress that many educators have been feeling recently.

While working at this network, it can be difficult to find a work/life balance. A lot is expected from teachers on a day-to-day basis. I appreciate that PD time on Fridays tries to allocate time to work; however, there have been many afternoon PDs that introduce deliverables that are due by closing time. Curriculum has been suddenly changed several times for a few classes. It is difficult to get ahead on work, let alone stay on track.  I do appreciate that the new CEO tries to listen to the concerns of individual Ascend teachers, and I hope there will be more positive changes.

There is a critical need for a structured onboarding process for new Assistant Principals. I received no formal training, role-specific orientation, or administrative guidance upon assuming the role. Clear expectations, mentoring, and regular check-ins should be standard practice. Additionally, my role shifted without notice or documentation—I was hired as an AP but reassigned to an ICT classroom without special education certification or proper support. The claim that three teachers were present was inaccurate; only a paraprofessional for one student, a new teacher, and I were in the room. I was also compared to a teacher who resigned under similar conditions. Evaluation standards, such as the "SMART classroom," have no supporting data, yet are used as performance benchmarks. Clear role alignment, training, and consistent evaluation criteria are necessary to ensure fairness and success. These structural gaps significantly hindered my ability to meet expectations and serve effectively in any assigned capacity.

Ascend, the organization that claims to prioritize children's education and limitless opportunities, falls short in every aspect, leaving a trail of disappointment. Their mistreatment of staff stands out as a major factor contributing to their failure. The so-called "fast-paced" environment demands employees to perform without clear expectations or adequate training. The turnover of leadership is alarmingly high, resulting in a lack of clear goals and expectations, which ultimately led to my dismissal without any prior communication or formal evaluation. The termination notice was conveniently delivered after a full workday, accompanied by a vague explanation that remained unaddressed despite my inquiries. It became evident that my contributions held no significance, and I was treated in a dehumanizing manner. Having spent a decade in the NYC education sector, I have never encountered such a disregard for relationship maintenance, especially in a time when referrals are highly sought after. Another reviewer rightfully highlights the organization's tendency to operate like a profit-driven company, displaying favoritism and neglecting professional development across the board. I wholeheartedly agree with their assessment. To those considering Ascend for their professional growth, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you are treated with the respect you deserve.

The most manipulative, unorganized, incompetent people ruining our children. They hire people straight out of college and try to brainwash them into their method of teaching which is completely stupid given the fact these kids STILL can’t read. Their mission is truly great but they don’t believe in themselves. Principals, APs, APOs don’t know what they are doing and pile up teachers with unrealistic deadlines creating a cycle of burnout which eventually trickles down to our students. Students can tell when their teachers are frustrated. Management truly does not care about the needs of teachers and if we are here to serve the students we are putting them at a disservice. Let’s not forget to mention that they belittle teachers which is why majority of the teachers are SUBS. There is no work life balance and they try to butter you up by buying lunch from time to time. The amount of money they are paying doesn’t compensate for the amount of work they load on you. Only reason why I still work here is because I truly love my students but I will leave soon! I truly don’t know why they keep opening new schools. This network needs to shutdown!!!!

There was a heavy focus on only 2 subjects, especially during their "Up" season. We were told, "we're going to respect your time" yet in the same meeting we are kept up to 30 minutes longer.

Leadership would call meetings no less than 3-4 times a week, sometimes at the last minute. This throws off your little prep time you may have at the end of the day. Yet we are still expected to produce the same as if we did have our prep time.

Network list you as general teachers so they can remove us and swap us out if staff is short in other areas. Many students are not getting services due to staff being pulled in 10 directions daily. 

In a field that shows better results when things are consistent and clear, it can be extremely frustrating with all the constant (I mean CONSTANT) changes to the schedule, routines, and expectations that we impart on the students. Students are also confused and frustrated yet network is disconnected in so many ways.

What is the best part of working at the company?
seeing children who have different learning abilities grasp challenging content. working alongside other Black educators who are passionate about educating our own. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
working under the "network" that provide ridiculous and astronomical demands with little to no care of the mental health or even spiritual health of teachers. constantly changing things around last minute, focused on data in a way that profits them and not so much the children. lack of safety for teachers who dealt with threatening parents. little to no accountability for kids who harm other students and teachers. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
toxic, stressful, demanding, closed minded, and so many cliques (like high school mentality)

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
draining, exhausting, long, stressful, toxic, isolating

Workday starts at 7:30 and it ends at 4:30. Prep times are scheduled for 80-90 minutes a day but you typically get 15-20 minutes outside of lunch a day.  Materials are scarce at times as well as things out of your control as teachers. If you fail to meet expectations it is your fault and if you succeed then its management’s coaching that got you there. If you are a person that needs consistent validation and support it is not the job for you. With all that being said, I did learn so much during my time there and overall did make me a better educator but the overall stress/expectations and relentless feedback as a veteran teacher got to be too much so I departed to the DOE where things are much much better overall. 

A typical day at Ascend Charter School is following a militant script for classroom management, being micromanaged by admin, and if that script doesn't work for every single classroom management strategy, it is thrown in your face as your fault by admin. Kids, even from kindergarten, are expected to be silent for most of the day, from breakfast to dismissal and can only speak for 10 minutes of lunch and dismissal. There is no joy in this school, everything is structured, barely any school trips, maybe a pep rally once a month that they still need to mostly be silent at. You are told that if there are any behavioral management issues that you have to make kids listen. I learned that this organization is all about following orders, if you have a mind of your own, you wouldn't be happy here. Management and workplace culture is toxic, all they care about is Benchmark scores and data, not student happiness. The best part of this job are the students, everything else, I do not recommend. 

Ascend is a charter school network constantly opening new schools which provides for more opportunities for those who are career-driven and looking to enhance their resumes with advancement to leadership.  The turnover is high in many of their schools and there may be practices that seasoned teachers may not easily adapt to.  If you want a home-work balance, forget it.  There are many last minute assignments and events you will be asked to attend and there are many deadlines and protocols to follow from Day 1 which starts in August of each year.  Only the single, driven, and meticulously organized survived while I was there.  Many with families left early in the year due to being overwhelmed.  Compensation is what also keeps the teachers and leadership working there as it is excellent with great benefits.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Teacher 6 salaries reported	$69,250 per year
Elementary school teacher 3 salaries reported	$70,500 per year
Assistant principal 3 salaries reported	$100,667 per year
Operations associate 3 salaries reported	$62,000 per year
Lead teacher 5 salaries reported	$71,400 per year

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