Dr. Francois is the Associate Dean of Public Engagement, where her leadership guides the work of social justice educator preparation, development and support for urban school communities. Dr. Francois has 30+ years of teaching, teacher leadership and administrative experience in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the charter school community, and UCLA’s Department of Education. Dr. Francois is a pioneer in leading education innovation, having served as founding member of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, the first grass roots charter school in California; establishing IMPACT, an innovative, community-based urban teacher residency program; launching the California chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education; and co-visioning the UCLA and Mann-UCLA Community Schools, university-supported public schools in high-needs communities in Los Angeles. Her areas of interest and expertise are teacher development, community schooling, multicultural literacy, equity-guided instruction, and school-university collaboration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History (UCLA), a master’s degree in Administration, Supervision and Higher Education (California State University, Northridge) and a doctorate in Educational Leadership (UCLA).
