FLI believes that strong teaching in a caring environment, combined with an intensive and extensive school day, empowers today's children to be the leaders of tomorrow. FLI's mission is to expand opportunities for students who historically have had limited access to rigorous academic instruction, and to empower them to make informed, deliberate decisions so that they may lead socially responsible, productive lives. FLI fulfills this mission by offering an innovative, academically rigorous learning community where students of all ability levels can meet academic success.

Description and/or History:
Future Leaders Institute developed out of the vision of a small group of New York City public school teachers who had seen the best and worst that the public school system had to offer. These teachers decided to start their own public school in Harlem-a school designed to become one of the first high-expectation, high-performing schools in the community.

FLI’s founders quickly determined that they could achieve even greater success through the autonomy, flexibility, and financial control provided by charter school status. On March 15th, 2005, the New York State Board of Regents approved FLI’s founding charter and the school officially converted on July 1, 2005. FLI could now maintain a stable class and school size, enroll students whose families endorsed FLI's core values and programs, update the school curricula, recruit and retain exceptional teachers, and implement an extensive professional development program.

The resulting school, Future Leaders Institute, is dedicated to providing exceptional educational opportunities to students in Harlem. It offers an innovative, academically rigorous curriculum, a mandatory extended school day and year, and a broad array of enrichment opportunities. Students excel in this environment and outperform other Harlem students in combined reading and math test scores.

Contact people:

Michael Pages, Director Of Institutional Advancement And Special Projects, (201) 819-6798, (email) Brieony Baierlein, Director Of Development, (347) 728-4969, (email) Patricia Charlemagne, Chief Operating Officer, (917) 495-9343, (email)

Address:

134 West 122nd Street New York, NY 10027 (See a map)

Directions:

From the 2 / 3 on 125th Street, head South on Malcolm X Boulevard. Make a right onto 122nd Street and head to the center of the block to the Hans Christian Anderson Complex. FLI Charter School is located on. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 2 / 3 (125th Street Stop),   Walk distance (in minutes): 5