About Me
I'm a son, husband, new father -- and lifelong educator. I've spent 18 years working in schools because I believe deeply that the highest-leverage opportunity we have to create transformational opportunity for kids is through a great school, something we've too often failed to provide for low-income kids of color in this country. I've devoted my life to rectifying that injustice. Ultimately, it's been this mission and the relationships I've been blessed to develop -- with amazing kids, families, and educators -- that drive me in my work each day.
Over the years, I've served as a district teacher in Oakland, California; a private school teacher in Mexico; resident principal at DC Bilingual Public Charter School; and, most recently, as the co-founder and CEO of Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.
With the birth of my first child, I transitioned from the CEO role at Ingenuity Prep and am now pursuing consulting and contract work that will allow me to support, advocate for, and celebrate exceptional educators serving our most historically-underserved student and family populations.
-AARON CUNY
My Work
Support
Strategic and technical, project-based support for school leaders, particularly senior executives at new and/or small CMOs and public charter schools
Advocacy
Policy advocacy, with a focus on high-at-risk-rate schools
Celebration
Celebration of exceptional educators and schools defying expectations & trends
Results
From my time as both a teacher and leader, I bring humbling lessons-learned from many mistakes. I've also experienced success. Amongst the leadership achievements of which I am most proud:
During my tenure as Resident Principal at DC Bilingual Public Charter School, I teamed with other school leaders to produce significant academic achievement gains:
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From 2010-12, DC Bilingual’s combined reading and math state test achievement gains ranked 4th of over 170 DC elementary, middle, and high schools.
As Co-Founder and CEO of Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School, I cultivated the vision for and oversaw an academic program that has achieved outlier results.
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Ingenuity is the only LEA (charter organization) approved by the DC Public Charter School Board over the past 15 years with an at-risk rate greater than 25% and at-risk ELA/math achievement greater than 30%.
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Of LEAs in DC with a minimum 25% at-risk rate, Ingenuity's at-risk math achievement ranks #1 (SY18-19)
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Of LEAs in DC with a minimum 25% at-risk rate, Ingenuity's at-risk combined ELA/math achievement ranks #2 (SY18-19)
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Ingenuity’s at-risk student ELA growth (median-growth-percentile) ranked #1 for all K-8 charter schools in the city (SY17-18)
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In a context where staff attrition is often high (high-at-risk-rate public schools), during my time as CEO, Ingenuity achieved strong retention of both teachers and leaders, averaging between 80-95% retention.
References
"I have had the chance to work with Aaron as he developed the vision for and ultimately opened Ingenuity Prep. He is incredibly focused on serving students well, especially students who are furthest from opportunity. He has worked tirelessly over the last 8 years and demonstrated incredible commitment in his work. In particular, he has focused on building an awesome team and thoughtfully using data to drive his decisions. Ingenuity Prep is now a high performing school, supporting students whose education options are often limited, and guiding them on their path to college and civic leadership. You'll find that Aaron is a values driven leader, and Ingenuity Prep's values mirror his own--ambitious aims; listen to lead; dedication to detail; and integrity always."
"It was my great privilege to work closely with Aaron for over six years as a board member at Ingenuity Prep, including four years as Board Chair. I enthusiastically and without reservation recommend Aaron as an amazingly talented, creative, and committed educator and executive. The school Aaron envisioned, started up, and built -- Ingenuity Prep -- serves one of the highest At-Risk populations in Washington, DC and in just a few short years has achieved stellar outcomes and drawn national attention. Aaron deserves great credit for the success of Ingenuity Prep. Aaron’s myriad talents/strengths include, but are by no means limited to: (a) deep education expertise; (b) a prodigious work ethic; (c) strong commitment to excellence and integrity; (d) proven ability to identify, attract, nurture/coach, motivate, and retain top talent; (e) strength in analyzing and using data to understand trends and drive thoughtful and rational decision making; and (f) ability to develop, maintain, and draw upon as needed his national network of high quality educators and leaders. He is a true star in his chosen field."
"I have had the pleasure of working over the past eight years with Aaron in many capacities, creating a full 360 relationship. Initially, I served on the founding group of the charter school Aaron co-founded. My role was much like staff and sometimes a peer level colleague, following his direction and leadership as he crafted the foundation of the school. After the school opened I served for years on the board as Vice Chair and now recently as Treasurer for the school, which put me in the roll of his supervisor, participating in his annual evaluations. Aaron is the total package; smart, thoughtful, reflective, focused and deeply passionate about educating children in one of DC’s most economically and academically challenged areas. I have limitless respect and trust in Aaron’s integrity, commitment and passion for anything he sets his mind to and highly recommend him for any role/position he decides to explore next."
"I had the privilege of working with Aaron first in my role of Chief of Research and Innovation at AppleTree, and later as a member of the Ingenuity Prep board of directors and chair of our education committee. In both capacities, I found Aaron to be fully engaged as a school and instructional leader, thought partner, and advocate for the highest quality educational opportunities for children most at risk when schools and systems fail them. Aaron asks great questions and shares nuanced insights addressing complex problems. Even through disagreements, and we've had a few (smile), I have never once questioned Aaron's belief in and commitment to the limitless potential of children who look like me. In a city and country that pays lip service to the American dream, Aaron has long been about the work of helping children from underserved communities see and prove what's possible. I would work with him again, and again, and highly recommend him for your next education project, too!"
"I worked with Aaron as a partner for five years as he founded and grew Ingenuity Prep. He is a visionary that is particularly strong in creating thoughtful systems to support and grow those he leads. He is relentless when it comes to innovating and improving in the name of students and families. I appreciated how he always pushed my thinking as a thought partner in the work."