Achievement TV Overview

The lives of legendary achievers have endlessly fascinated the public. We marvel at George Washington's selfless commitment to his countrymen, Thomas Edison's ingenuity, Amelia Earthst's courage. Such passions, young people often believe, could only have been realized by someone born blessed or given lucky breaks. However, the lives and words of these heroes reveal a different story - they were people just like you, like your children, or like most of the students you see every day.

Founded on the belief that great achievers can motivate and educate others by serving as inspiring role models. Achievement TV introduces a revolutionary concept by bringing individuals who have shaped the history of our times directly into the classroom via live and interactive teleconferences that are simulcast nationwide. Extraordinary leaders and public figures, trailblazing scientists and explorers, innovative entrepreneurs, legendary athletes, and prize-winning authors and artists are featured on Achievement Television programs.

Achievement TV is an electronic forum that allows students to meet and learn from outstanding individuals of our time while at the same time, satisfying core curriculum requirements. In their own words, featured guests tell their experiences, struggles, dreams and personal paths to success. Students, from at-risk to advanced placement, can discover new role models.

Achievement TV is an extension of the Academy of Achievement's annual Salute to Excellence. For over 40 years, it has brought thousands of outstanding American students together with Academy members including Nobel, Pulitzer, National Medal of Sciences and Business Hall of Fame winners.

Visit the Achievement Store

Curriculum + Motivation

Each Achievement TV program addresses the six essential elements of achievement: passion, vision, courage, preparation, perseverance, and integrity. The lives of Achievement TV guests illustrate how they utilized these elements in varying ways to maximize their innate intelligence and strengths. The goal is to help students see that the "elements" help different people reach different destinations and that they can use them as a road map to their own destinations.

Program guests include the most eminent and distinguished individuals of our times. Past Achievement TV programs have featured poet and historian Dr. Maya Angelou; authors Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton; Harward Law Professor Alan M. Dershowitz; jazz musician Wynton Marsalis; former Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court Sandra Day O'Connor and Byron R. White; National Cancer Institute chief of surgery Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg; former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and media entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey; and many more.