Francie Alexander is an industry leader in the fields of Early Childhood Education, Literacy, and Intensive Intervention for striving reading and math students. Francie provides inspirational and informative leadership on topics from early and adolescent learning to brain development and its influence on childhood and teenage learning. She works closely to listen to and learn from key school districts across the U.S. in order to lead Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s efficacy efforts.
Francie currently serves as the Chief Research Officer at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She is also on the Board of Directors for Child 360, formerly Los Angeles Universal Pre-K (LAUP), and TextProject. She served for almost 10 years on the PBS Next Generation Media Advisory Board. She was previously chief academic officer for Scholastic.
She has been a frequent guest on NBC’s TODAY Show, has written columns for The New York Post, and was “The Book Nanny” for Los Angeles Family Magazine. Additionally, Francie has authored more than 50 books for children, including new Curious George Readers.
Francie is a former member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress, widely known as “The Nation’s Report Card.” Prior to her time at HMH, Francie held key positions in both state and federal education agencies, including serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education’s research branch, where she led Department-sponsored standards efforts and campaigns in support of libraries and the arts. She is in the California Reading Hall of Fame and was associate superintendent for the state.
Francie’s work is grounded in the classroom, as she has taught students from kindergarten to college. She holds a CA Life Teaching Credential from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master of Arts degree in education and CA Administrative Credential from California Lutheran University, where she was a lecturer.