named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Board of Trustees Governance
Public board meetings held monthly to oversee school operations, policy, and compliance, in accordance with New York State Open Meetings Law
Elementary and Middle School Education Program
Full-time academic program for students in grades K-8, aligned with New York State standards, emphasizing English Language Arts and mathematics achievement
activities · 8 groups
What they do
-
Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 1 activity
- Advocate for charter school expansion in New York CityEngages in advocacy efforts with families, charter supporters, and other operators to lift the cap on charter schools in New York City.
-
-
Individualized Academic Support 1 activity
- Deliver intensive academic instruction and intervention programsProvides more than twice the amount of English Language Arts instruction compared to traditional public schools, along with daily tutoring and homework help. Offers targeted academic interventions 2–3 times per week for struggling students, monitored every 2–3 weeks, with formal review by an RTI Team after six weeks.
-
-
Alumni Leadership and Career Support Programs 1 activity
- Offer post-graduation alumni support and development programsProvides an alumni support program including tutoring, college readiness assistance (applications, essays, recommendations), career mentorship, professional networking, and leadership development. Alumni also mentor current middle school students.
-
-
Charter School Operations 1 activity
- Operate K-8 public charter schools in Queens, NYOperates two tuition-free public charter schools—CQA I and CQA II—serving a total of 1,200 students across two campuses as of the 2025 school year. The schools follow a common annual calendar, require uniforms, refer to students as "scholars," and provide extended school days (2.5 hours longer than traditional NYC public schools).
-
-
College Preparatory Secondary Education 1 activity
- Prepare students for high school and specialized academic pathwaysConsistently outperforms city, state, and district peers on New York State ELA and Mathematics exams. In 2025, 90% of 8th graders passed the Algebra 1 Regents Exam and 76% passed the Earth Science Regents Exam, earning high school credit early. Over 75% of 8th graders are accepted into one of their top five high school choices annually, with up to 24% enrolling in selective or private high schools.
-
-
Family-School Engagement Programs 1 activity
- Provide comprehensive family and community support servicesEngages parents and families as education partners, achieving 95% parent conference attendance. Expanded services include after-school programming for 575 students, legal rights education, financial literacy workshops, food and technology distribution, and health insurance assistance.
-
-
ESL and Multilingual Language Support Programs 1 activity
- Support English Language Learners with accelerated literacy programsEnglish Language Learners achieve English proficiency in an average of 3 years—more than three times faster than NYCDOE averages—through personalized, targeted literacy instruction and early exit from ESL services.
-
-
Teacher Professional Development 1 activity
- Train new teachers through a residency programLaunched a teacher residency program in summer 2025, enrolling 14 residents pursuing dual certification and a Master of Science degree through training with master teachers and clinical coaches.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$31.02M
Contributions & grants$30.45M98%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$564K2%
Other revenue$6K
expenses
Total expenses$29.57M
Program expenses93%
Admin / overhead6%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$16.16M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$145.63M
Cash$26.13M
Investments$0
Liabilities$126.59M
Net assets$19.04M
Liquid reserves10.6 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +33.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 8
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLENN LIEBECK | DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS | 40 | $216K |
| ASHISH KAPADIA | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $199K |
| MICHELLE DALPIAZ | CFO | 40 | $198K |
| DEE ANN MARTELL | PRINCIPAL | 40 | $179K |
| MICHELLE FEIRMAN | PRINCIPAL | 40 | $178K |
| SHANNON-RE ISMAEL | PRINCIPAL | 40 | $163K |
| MELISSA KINSELLA | DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT | 40 | $157K |
| PETER MARGULIES | ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL | 40 | $134K |
board members · 12
- BRUCE SABER — TRUSTEE
- CATHY TSE — CO VICE CHAIR
- JOYCE WU — CHAIR
- LINDSEY M SEYMORE — TRUSTEE
- MICHAEL E LEE — TRUSTEE
- MICHAEL TANG — SECRETARY
- MICHELLE V HALLAM — TRUSTEE
- REBEKAH T COLEMAN — TRUSTEE
- RICK RUVKUN — TREASURER
- SONIA PARK — CO VICE CHAIR
- SUVADIP BOSE — TRUSTEE
- TOM NG — TRUSTEE
relationships · 19
Who they work with
- Bloomberg Philanthropies Funder — Financial supporter contributing to school programs and operations.
- Central Queens Academy Charter Schools Network — Operates as a unified network of schools under a shared mission and identity.
- Diverse Charter Schools Coalition Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing diverse charter school initiatives.
- Jazz Empowers Partner — Partner organization providing arts-based programming for students.
- New York City Charter Center Partner — Supports operational and governance functions for charter schools in New York City.
- New York City Department of Education Government — Source of accountability and performance reporting for CQA
- New York State Government — Administers state assessments used to measure student performance
- New York State Department of Education Government — Source of accountability and performance reporting for CQA
- New York State Education Department Government — Awarded CQA the Rewards School recognition twice for academic excellence.
- New York State Education Department Government — Designated CQA as a Reward School for high performance.
- Queens District 24 Partner — Serves families primarily in District 24 in Queens, including Elmhurst, Corona, and Woodside.
- Robin Hood Funder — Major donor supporting educational initiatives at the school.
- SUNY Charter Schools Institute Government — Authorizer that approved CQA's original and second charter
- SUNY Charter Schools Institute Government — Charter authorizer that renewed CQA's charter and recognized its high academic performance.
- South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) Partner — Provides youth development programs tailored to South Asian students.
- State University of New York Charter School Institute Government — Authorizer and performance evaluator of Central Queens Academy Charter School
- Touro University Partner — Academic partner supporting teacher development and student services.
- University Partner — Partnered to launch the CQA Next Teacher Residency Program, providing coursework and certification pathways for aspiring teachers.
- Walton Family Foundation Funder — Provides funding for charter school growth and innovation.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Curiosity-Driven Learning Progressionmethodology: curiosity-driven learning progressionBy fostering a progression from learning to read, to reading to learn, to developing a love of learning, the school cultivates sustained academic engagement and lifelong learning, because igniting student curiosity motivates deeper cognitive investment.
- Data-Informed, Tiered Academic Acceleration Modelmethodology: data-driven_instructionBy using data-driven instruction and Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks to identify needs and deliver targeted support, and by offering accelerated coursework (e.g., Algebra 1 and Earth Science Regents in 8th grade), the school enables earlier mastery of high school content, because early intervention and advancement opportunities compress achievement gaps and raise long-term academic trajectories.
- Whole-Child Education with Integrated Literacy and Cultural Responsivenessmethodology: whole_child_educationBy embedding literacy across all subjects, integrating social-emotional learning, enrichment, and culturally responsive practices, the school prepares students for holistic success in academics, workforce, and community life, because aligning academic, emotional, and cultural dimensions strengthens engagement and outcomes.