Our Mission
The mission of FirstLine Schools is to create and inspire great open admissions public schools in New Orleans.
Our Vision
Our schools will prepare students for college, fulfilling careers, and a healthy life by nurturing students in mind, body, and spirit.
Mind
Strengthening the ability of students to succeed in rigorous academic classes by developing a love of learning, a foundation of basic skills, strong critical thinking skills, intellectual perseverance, curiosity, and creativity.
Body
Enabling students to be strong in body and ready to learn in class by promoting physical fitness, healthy eating habits, opportunities for movement throughout the day, and sufficient sleep.
Spirit
Individual: Developing strong character and good mental health
Community: Building healthy relationships and showing school spirit
OUR HISTORY
The roots of FirstLine Schools trace to the founding of this unique summer program designed to help 5th and 6th grade students gain acceptance into top middle schools. Working with a group of concerned parents, Jay Altman and the Summerbridge team founded this school, with 100 students and four teachers. Dr. Tony Recasner became the school’s Director in 1993. James Lewis Extension converted into a charter school and adopted a new name. NOCMS became the top-performing open admissions middle school in New Orleans. In August 2005, flooding from Hurricane Katrina destroyed the campus and led to NOCMS’ closure. Middle School Advocates (the former name of FirstLine Schools) was approached by the state and asked to take over the failing Green Middle School. Green opened as a K-8 charter school the week before Katrina. The school reopened in January 2006. Using the NOCMS charter to open a new K-8 school (later renamed Arthur Ashe), this school opened with 42 students and has grown to its current enrollment of over 650 students. In 2012 Ashe moved to a brand new campus in the Oak Park neighborhood of Gentilly. In 2010, we chartered John Dibert Community School (now Phillis Wheatley Community School) as a turnaround school to improve academic performance. Also that year, FirstLine began managing Langston Hughes Academy which is now a FirstLine school. In 2014, Phillis Wheatley Community School moved to their new home located at 2300 Dumaine Street. FirstLine began operating Clark as a turnaround school with a focus on Career Technical Education (CTE). Acknowledging the need for CTE on a larger scale, now provided by the New Orleans Career Center, and faced with declining enrollment, FirstLine decided to close Clark after the Class of 2019 graduated. School leaders and network leaders met to discuss issues of race and equity, along with FirstLine’s approach to race and equity, after the death of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. The National Equity Project partnered with FLS and provided training at Leadership Retreats. FirstLine formed an Equity Working Group and Steering Committees, which met to shape and guide the work at our network. Dr. Allisyn Swift, Race and Equity Coordinator, and the Equity Working Group created the FirstLine Commitments through collaborative work across the network. All FirstLine staff participated in Initial self awareness training at network PD day. FirstLine staff across the network participated in pilot Valor Circles, a key strategy in building relationships across lines of difference. FirstLine Live Oak joined the FirstLine network as a transformation school and was operated for four years, two of them during the COVID pandemic. FirstLine took a leadership role in right-sizing the Orleans Parish school district by deciding to close FirstLine Live Oak at the end of the 21-22 school year due to decreased enrollment in public schools across the city and state. Many Live Oak families chose to send their children to FirstLine’s other four schools. Network leaders and school leaders collaborated to reframe our race and equity work to be at the center of our work in Mind, Body, and Spirit. Network leaders participated in a series of trainings to be used to turn-key with staff over the summer and throughout the year. FirstLine’s Equity Working Group piloted Valor Circles with a race and equity focus. All-staff PD had race and equity choice sessions for all staff. FLS partnered with Beloved Community to spearhead diversity work at Green and at the network. FirstLine committed to creating a strategic plan related to diversity, equity, and inclusion from this work by early August. Beloved Equity Audit Review. Leaders identified Organizational Focus Areas based on Equity Audit. All FirstLine staff received Overcoming Racism training (July 2020 – February 2021). Virtual Learning & Afterschool Experiences. FirstLine hired its first Chief Equity Officer. FirstLine created its DEI Statement, Commitments to Act, and Diversity Goals with stakeholder input (organizational partners, parents, staff, leaders, FirstLine Board). FirstLine leaders presented the DEI Statement and Commitments to Act to the whole organization. FirstLine’s Chief Equity Officer presented the Diversity Goals to leadership and new staff at summer PD). FirstLine launched Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain book study and leader training (summer). Year of Action: Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain book study and leader and staff training continues. 1990: Summerbridge (Now called Breakthrough)
1992: James Lewis Extension
1998: New Orleans Charter Middle School (NOCMS)
2005: Samuel J. Green Charter School
2007: Arthur Ashe Charter School
2010: Phillis Wheatley Community School (formerly John Dibert Community School) & Langston Hughes Academy
2011: Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School
Summer 2016
2016-2017 School Year
2017-2018 School Year
2018: FirstLine Live Oak
2018-2019 School Year
2019-2020 School Year
2020-2021 School Year
2021-2022 School Year
2022-2023 School Year
