FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2022
Contact: Dominique Frascoia
ACTE Announces Oklahoma Instructional Coach as National Award Finalist
ALEXANDRIA, VA—Today, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Lucinda Francis, Instructional Coach at Moore Norman Technology Center in Norman, Oklahoma, as the 2022 ACTE Region IV Teacher Educator of the Year. This award recognizes the finest career and technical education (CTE) educators at the middle/secondary school level who have demonstrated innovation in the classroom, commitment to their students and dedication to the improvement of CTE in their institutions and communities.
“Service Above Self”, Rotary International’s motto, is the framework for Lucinda Francis’s work.
A Rotarian herself, she was awarded the “Friends of Children Award” from the Institute of Child Advocacy for her work with children and literacy. As an instructional coach, she creates a professional learning community for teachers, as well as weekly classroom observations and coaching sessions. She facilitates teachers on their way to becoming master teachers, individualizing each teacher’s plan. In her 18 years at Moore Norman Technology Center, she has worked with 75 teachers. As a literacy specialist, she worked with students in 50 different programs. She was instrumental in the initiative to move away from pullout remedial programs through strengthening teachers, adding rigor to programs, and teaching students how to learn. Lucinda believes education is a civil right. She also believes teacher success creates student success. When students are successful, we retain students and teachers. Lucinda earns hundreds of professional development hours to ensure she is teaching instructors the best pedagogy and strategies to help students succeed. Lucinda is a twice nationally board certified instructor with two M.Ed’s, and 34 + years of teaching experience. As an active member of the Educational Services-Special Populations Division, she held several offices, serves on that board, Diversity Action Committee, Conference/Symposium Committee, the Kaleidoscope Awards committee, and the Legislative Committee of the Diversity Action group. Ms. Francis is part of the state board of the Supervision and Curriculum Development Association where she serves on the finance committee and the conference committee. Locally, she serves on the Diversity and Inclusion team, various advisory boards, the Strategic Planning Team, and the Implementation Committee for an all-school initiative, Mark Perna’s Tools for Schools. She is a critical part of the Instructional Design and Development Team at her school. She boasts 15 years of perfect attendance with her Rotary club where she served as president. The club’s Nancy Chess award, the club’s equivalent to the Rotarian of the Year, was awarded to Lucinda for her community service efforts. She also led the club to receive Rotary International’s highest award, Rotary International’s Presidential Citation with Distinction.
Francis is one of five finalists for the 2023 national title. The national winner will be announced at the ACTE Awards Gala, an award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event will take place on November 30, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. The Awards Gala is sponsored by Express Employment Professionals, Goodheart-Willcox and Stratasys. For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit our webpage.
###
About ACTE
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, school counselors, guidance and career development professionals and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.
