School Director Fellow

First Line Schools:
School Director Fellow

Creating and inspiring great, open admissions public schools in New Orleans

In 1998, First Line Schools started the first charter school in New Orleans. First Line now operates several (Pre)
K-8th grade schools. Our mission is to create and inspire great, open admissions public schools in New Orleans.

Our faculty is a diverse and talented group dedicated to our students’ success and to their own growth as teachers. Our schools are led by leaders who hold themselves accountable for student achievement and teacher development.

The School Director will lead a school that is committed to the high achievement of its students and the ongoing development and well-being of its students, teachers and staff. The Director is accountable for ensuring the school is characterized by:

• Positive school culture that is nurturing, calm and orderly, aspirational, and motivational
• Rigorous and engaging classes through excellent instruction
• Personalized learning through systematic use of formative assessment layers of learning support, technology-assisted instruction, and strong special education programming
• Focus on results, learning, service, and collaboration

A Leader Fellow serves in a leadership role for a defined one-year period as part of a structured development pathway. Fellows are expected to perform the full duties and responsibilities of the role while receiving targeted coaching and mentorship from a senior leader. The designation signals a developmental appointment focused on building leadership capacity while maintaining full accountability for role outcomes.

After the one year period, the goal of the fellowship is that the person is able to assume a leadership role at First Line Schools, so long as there is a position available.

• Creates a culture of achievement aligned around a shared set of values that nurtures healthy social and emotional development

• Ensures consistently strong teaching in every classroom through a shared vision of excellent teaching, engaging curriculum, and effective teacher professional development practices

• Recruits and retains highly effective staff
• Ensures consistent, high-value performance management practices

• Provides quality services to parents, students, and teachers
• Ensures a well-maintained facility
• Diligently manages the school’s budget

• Works with parents as active partners in their children’s education through creating an inviting environment, effective communication practices, and providing a variety of opportunities for parents to support the school

• Develops and maintains strong partnerships with community organizations to improve the quality education offered by the school and to ensure the school is a good neighbor

• Ensures the school is fully enrolled
• Manages the school’s participation in the citywide enrollment system

• Provides clarity for all staff around current priorities that will most leverage the school’s success

• Works with colleagues in other schools and the First Line Schools network team to continually improve the organization to help all of the schools in the network achieve their mission

• Demonstrated record of success raising test scores in an open-admissions urban school
• At least five years experience as a teacher in an open-admissions urban school teaching elementary school
• At least two years of principal experience (or five years of assistant principal experience) in an open-admissions, urban school, with experience in developing instructional expertise
• Record of success in leading adults; experience with management and supervision
• Leadership experience with significant responsibility, preferably in a high-performing urban public school
• Proficiency in using data in the decision-making process
• Preferred, but not required: MA, MBA or M.ED