Daviess County Public Schools assistant superintendent for teaching and learning Jana Beth Francis has been selected as a 2020 “Leader to Learn From” by Education Week.
Francis was selected from a pool of hundreds of nominees submitted by readers, staff reporters and other education writers, state school administrator groups and experts in the field of K-12 education.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized as a Leader to Learn From,” Francis said. “My love of learning is why I’m an educator and I think we never stop teaching others. Reflection is such a key part of learning because you gain an awareness of your own thinking and that in turn makes you understand the ‘why’ to the ‘how’ of what you learned. The entire process with Education Week was reflective and I hope I will help others start to make sense of what they are working on in their districts.”
Her contributions to the Daviess County Public Schools district are profiled on the EdWeek website and will be featured in the print edition of Education Week.
EdWeek asked all honorees to provide three lessons to be shared as part of these profiles.
“The one that I think it most relevant for all stakeholders is Learn Together,” Francis said. “Take every opportunity to learn as a team. ‘Team’ could be your grade level, your family or your community. My role as a leader is to create the conditions for educators to learn together to solve problems. I try to model taking vast amounts of information and turning it into usable knowledge.”
Francis will participate in a Leaders to Learn From online summit on April 23, sharing her strategies with fellow honorees and other educators from across the country.
“I’m looking forward to participating in the Leaders Summit,” she said. “The 2020 leaders bring such a wide range of expertise to the table – from Career Education to finance and nutrition. I think it will be a summit on making schools really support the whole child. The summit is a wonderful opportunity to learn together. I will be able to share the amazing opportunities we have for students in our district and I hope to gather some ideas from my colleagues.”
Francis is currently in her 20th year with the DCPS district.
“We are lucky to get to work in such a supportive environment,” she said. “I tell people all the time that I have never lived in a place where K-12 education is so respected and valued. Daviess County has three amazing school systems and that gives parents choices to make the best decision for their students. We are lucky to be a part of a region that prides itself on excellence in education. I really believe I am where I am today because of the opportunities being a part of the Daviess County Public Schools have provided.”
