Former DISD Teacher Joins General Superintendent's Senior Management Team

5 Jan 2001

Returning to the school district in which she started her teaching career, Carol Francois joined the senior management team of the Dallas Independent School District Jan. 3, 2001 as the associate superintendent–Administrative Services.

She returned to one of the largest school districts in the nation because of a deep commitment to urban education and the impact the Dallas Independent School District has on its students, said Francois who was an English teacher in DISD from 1976 to 1987.

"I am an old teacher at heart. My main concern is what I can do for students," said the former Teacher of the Year for the Dallas Independent School District. "There is an incredible talent pool of people in DISD. This talent cannot be wasted. It has to be capitalized upon, so that children will get the best education that the district can provide."

Mike Moses, general superintendent, said that Francois will be an asset to the Dallas Independent School District. "I feel very fortunate that Carol has agreed to join our staff," Moses said. "I had the great pleasure of working with her at the Texas Education Agency [TEA]. I know that she will make an extraordinary contribution to our district."

As associate superintendent, Francois will focus on the priorities set by the general superintendent. Her responsibilities include creating and implementing a blueprint to improve student performance, encourage and nurture teachers and ensure the district's compliance with Texas guidelines for public schools.

Prior to accepting her position at DISD, Francois was the associate commissioner for the education of special populations at the TEA, the governing body that oversees public education for grades K-12. She was a member of the Commissioner of Education's senior management team and responsible for the distribution of $2 billion in federal funds.

Also, she supervised several major TEA divisions including special education, student support programs, migrant education, parent involvement and community empowerment and program evaluation. Her three-year tenure at TEA started in 1997.

From 1995 to 1997, Francois served as assistant superintendent for human resources for the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In 1992, she was a field service agent at the Education Service Center Region X in Richardson, Texas. Later she was promoted to director of support services department in 1994. From 1991-92, she was a grade-level principal for the Richardson ISD. She left DISD in 1991 after serving as dean of instruction at North Dallas High School.

Professionally, Francois has more than 20 years of experience in education, but she admits to starting her teaching career at the age of 3. As a child, she would line her dolls on the steps of her front porch at home and teach class. Francois even had a doll named Susie Smart that could sing, spell and add.

Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Francois graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science from Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa. She received her master's degree in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. Her doctorate in education is from Texas A&M University at Commerce.

Francois has been honored with several awards for her devotion to education. Some of those honors include being selected as Texas A&M University Alumni Ambassador, Meadows Foundation Principal Improvement Fellow and National Alliance of Black School Educators Teacher of the Year.

Francois has dedicated her professional career to public education. She believes it is society's responsibility to mold better leaders, innovators and citizens who will make a difference in their communities.

"Every thing a school district does has to be based on the need of the child to learn," she said. When Francois is not working on the behalf of students and public education, she can be found on the golf course or rekindling a childhood love: ice skating.