THE DEN: Achievement First's No Excuses Model Embraces Shunning

Achievement First's zero tolerance or "no excuses" model uses shunning and isolation to discipline its students. AF Brownsville describes this practice as being "put in the Den" by which it is, "in essence, isolating students from the rest of the school." The Achievement First Brownsville Family Handbook (included as an exemplar in the charter management organization's application to the RI Department of Education) describes how the school employs ostracism and isolation to manage student behavior.

HIGHLIGHTS: Once in the Den, students "are not allowed to communicate with their peers," are required to "sit in the back of the room" apart from their classmates, and have to wear "a practice shirt" that visually sets them apart from the rest of the school community. "At lunch, they must eat by themselves in the Den, while their teammates enjoy their lunch together." Students remain in the Den until they are "ready to fully embrace the school's values and rules."

This page includes screenshots of AF Brownsville's description of "the Den" (pp. 14-15 in Family Handbook). To learn more about AF's zero tolerance model as it is described throughout its Family Handbook, download a PDF of the full document here (all highlighted portions of the PDF were submitted as such by AF in its application to RIDE).