Instructor: Mabel Franks

Mabel Franks
 Dr. Mabel Franks brings more than 35 years of experience serving students, educators, and school communities across some of California's largest school districts. Her expertise spans English Language Arts, social science, elementary mathematics and science, organizational leadership, systems thinking, academic interventions, and school-wide improvement. As a CPD instructor at Fresno Pacific University, she teaches curriculum courses for K-12 educators, Restorative Justice practices, and leadership development. Throughout her career, she has served as a teacher, mentor, demonstration teacher, principal, administrator, assistant superintendent, curriculum developer, and presenter, supporting programs including AVID, Migrant Education, and GATE. Her research emphasizes uniting entire school communities around the shared mission of educating every child. Known for innovative thinking and a practical, teacher-friendly approach, Dr. Franks facilitates professional learning, develops instructional teams, and promotes research-based practices that strengthen student engagement and achievement. Her leadership and dedication have earned numerous district, county, and regional honors.

Classes by this instructor


EDU-907: Research-Based Thinking Strategies

Research-Based Thinking Strategies
Just think about it! Our students must learn to problem solve, apply, critically evaluate, create and collaborate to be successful in the 21st Century. Explore a rich variety of thinking-to-learn best practices. Turn your classroom into a thinking highly engaging learning laboratory. Learn to use mind mapping, scatter techniques, claims activities and integrated tech tools.

EDU-929: Real World Authentic Learning

Real World Authentic Learning
Inspire and encourage active meaningful participation, collaboration, and quality task completion. You will learn student-centered activities that motivate your students. Gather a wide variety of fresh resources, observe best-practice strategies and collect standards/CCSS-aligned lessons that meet your needs, any core area, K-12.

EDUC-913: Engage Students to Achieve Results

Engage Students to Achieve Results
Motivation, effort, interest and desire to learn are key to student success. Learn to maximize student potential using a variety of strategies designed to increase student engagement in relevant learning activities and raise student academic performance. You will learn to analyze the role student engagement, motivation and effort play in learning, apply research and evaluate current practices to determine instructional gaps.

EDUC-916: Strategic Planning for Restorative Discipline

Strategic Planning for Restorative Discipline
To plan effectively for change, leaders must know where they are, where they want to go and how they will get there. Strategic planning provides a framework to create, adjust, and align the organization's vision and beliefs with identified goals to sustain forward momentum and achieve desired results. The purpose of this course is to support the effective implementation of the Restorative Discipline program.

ELA-905: Make Meaning with Vocabulary Instruction

Make Meaning with Vocabulary Instruction
Learn to remember. Remember to learn. Learn to apply Sprenger's 7 stages of learning/memory and Marzano's strategies to develop academic language and retain information. Content is applicable, K-12, all curriculum areas and fully aligns with the Common Core Standards (CCSS) to support development of language, reading and literacy skills.