Francie Alexander is the Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Inc., and Senior VP, Scholastic Education. She is the author of many books for beginners including The Internet: A Kid’s Handbook, several of the Clifford® Phonics Fun readers, and books for the Sound-Out-the-Word series. She started at Scholastic as the publisher of multimedia reading instructional materials and programs that are research-based, get results, and positively engage children and young adults in learning. At Scholastic, she’s been involved in the publication of Scholastic Literacy Place®, Scholastic Phonics Readers, READ 180®, Text Talk (the 2006 AEP Golden Lamp winner for publishing distinction), and Scholastic RED® professional development. Recently, she has worked on the publication of an updated version of READ 180 that includes System 44, a breakthrough foundational reading program for teens and tweens, and Scholastic Expert 21™, completing an instructional and intervention suite of literacy materials that ensures today’s students are ready for tomorrow.

Francie is a recognized leader in educational thought, and she just completed a term on the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for “the nation’s report card.” She serves on two boards for the Public Broadcasting System and on the Youth Action Committee for the Institute on Library and Museum Sciences. She has been interviewed on NBC’s The Today Show and CNN’s American Morning about reading and other educational issues.

Francie is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, where she published new “ungovernment-like” publications including the very successful and still popular Helping Your Child Learn books. She was the Executive Director of the National Council on Education Standards and Testing, which published the report “Raising Standards for American Education,” a catalyst for the current standards movement.

As Associate Superintendent of Public Instruction in California, Francie played a key role in curriculum improvement and assessment development. She also managed very successful public awareness campaigns such as Healthy Kids Healthy California, History: A Story Well Told, and Arts Count.

Francie has extensive teaching experience from kindergarten through college. In California, she has also been a language-arts consultant for a large urban school district and a resource teacher in a suburban district. She completed a four-year term on the California Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission, including one year as chairperson.