Setting a new standard for success in education

In 2006, Eva Moskowitz opened her first school in Harlem, setting out to tackle the monumental crisis in public education in the largest, most prominent city in the United States. What began as a single elementary school has since grown to 34 schools serving more than 11,000 students. The largest network of charter schools in New York City, Success Academy serves primarily minority children from some of the city’s most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and consistently outperforms schools across the city and state. In fact, Success Academy ranks in the top 1 percent in math and the top 3 percent in English in New York State.

On September 9, the Brookings Institution hosted a special event to examine what sets Success Academy’s teacher and leader training apart and discuss the need for a high-quality teacher pipeline to support the American school system, economy, and overall competitiveness.

Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy, was joined in the discussion by Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Center on Children and Families. Michael O’Hanlon of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence—with its interests in science and technology education—moderated.