Résumé / CV
Dr. Barbara Zá Franks, EdD
Curriculum and instructional design leader with 18 years across K-12, online, and international education, specializing in AI-powered, standards-aligned ELA curriculum — designing and quality-controlling standards-mapped courses, assessments, and multimedia lessons calibrated to state standardized-test rigor.
Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas · barbara.franks@mydreamedu.org · LinkedIn
Executive Summary
Profile
Curriculum and instructional design leader specializing in AI-powered, standards-aligned ELA curriculum. I design and quality-control standards-mapped full courses, assessments, and multimedia lessons calibrated to state standardized-test rigor.
I pair deep content expertise with data-driven personalization to build adaptive learning pathways that move every student to mastery and above-grade-level outcomes — and I lead at scale, from the classroom to multi-campus international networks to system-level strategy. My executive experience spans Chief Academic Officer, Academic Dean, Head of School, and Founder roles across China, the Caribbean, and U.S.-accredited online programs.
Professional Experience
18 years across K-12, online & international education
Chief Research Officer (Freelance Consultant) — Virtuous Sea Corporation 2025 – Present
Irvine, CA (Remote). Lead applied-research strategy on international education, workforce development, student outcomes, and labor-market trends — directing mixed-methods studies, a multi-year research agenda, and the publication of reports, white papers, and peer-reviewed articles that inform institutions, employers, and policymakers.
AI-Driven English Language Arts Learning Strategist — 2-Hour Learning / Alpha Schools 2025 – 2026
Austin, TX (Remote). Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for Grades 3–8 Language Arts & Vocabulary across 50+ campuses and thousands of students. Build standards-aligned ELA/Vocabulary courses and narrated video lessons mapped to CCSS sub-standards and calibrated to NWEA MAP RIT bands, Bloom's distributions, and STAAR-style tasks; run item-level assessment analysis, student placement reviews, and a mastery-based model driving above-grade-level achievement.
Founder & CEO — D.R.E.A.M. Education Solutions 2023 – Present
Freeport, The Bahamas. Founded an international education management company facilitating K-12 and higher-education pathways across Africa, Asia, Central America, and the Caribbean — dual-diploma and early-college programs, tailored curriculum models, partner onboarding, and B2B partnerships with schools and universities.
Chief Academic Officer — KnowledgeLink 2020 – 2025
Boston, MA & Ningbo, China (Remote). Directed academic operations for a multi-campus network of American international schools in China and a U.S.-accredited online program — curriculum development, accreditation, market expansion, faculty training, strategic planning, and consulting for new school launches and product development.
Academic Dean — KnowledgeLink (St. Mary's Online Academy) 2023 – 2025
Boston, MA (Remote). Directed academic operations for an online U.S. high-school diploma program serving international students — curriculum QA, instructional staff management, blended-learning models, and U.S.-accreditation-aligned policy.
Head of School — Omololu International School 2022 – 2023
Anguilla, British West Indies. Directed operations, instructional leadership, and strategic planning for a K-8 IB PYP school — data-informed curriculum, faculty development, community engagement, and budget management.
Regional Dean · International School Principal & Academic Dean — KnowledgeLink (Barstow Schools, China) 2020 – 2022
Ningbo, China. Academic and operational leadership across four campuses serving 1,200+ students (and middle/high school programs serving 900+) — curriculum alignment, cross-campus quality assurance, academic audits, and assessment-data-informed school improvement.
Founding Academic Dean — Barstow School of Cixi · Dean of Faculty — Barstow School of Ningbo 2019
Ningbo, China. Launched academic programs aligned to U.S. graduation standards; led instructional faculty management, teacher observation & coaching, onboarding, and professional development.
Instructional Coach & Curriculum Developer — New Stage Subject English 2017 – 2019
Shanghai, China. Built an early-years curriculum and instructor-training programs; delivered PD, classroom observation, and mentoring.
Founder — Shanghai D.R.E.A.M. Education Technology Co., Ltd. 2016 – 2019
Shanghai, China. Founded an education-consulting firm delivering custom curricula and teacher training for K-12, government, corporate, and private clients entering new education markets.
Elementary Teacher — Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School 2011 – 2016
Shanghai, China. Classroom teaching foundation that anchors the curriculum and instructional-design expertise across this portfolio.
Earlier roles (2005–2011, The Bahamas) include education, music instruction, and human-resources positions. Full detail in the downloadable CV.
Education & Certifications
Degrees & credentials
Doctor of Education (EdD) in Leadership — American College of Education 2025
Indianapolis, IN. Dissertation: The Influence of Leadership Behaviors on Teacher Retention: A Basic Qualitative Study.
Post-Baccalaureate Teaching Certification — Moreland University 2016
Washington, DC. District of Columbia Elementary Education certification.
Master of Education (MEd) in Educational Leadership — American College of Education 2014
Indianapolis, IN. District of Columbia Administrative Services certification (K-12 Principal / Assistant Principal).
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Relations — Lynn University 2004
Boca Raton, FL.
Curriculum & Instructional Design
Core experience
- Standards-aligned, standards-mapped full ELA courses (Grades 3–8) — grammar, writing, and vocabulary mapped to CCSS sub-standards.
- Assessment development & item writing calibrated to NWEA MAP RIT bands, Bloom's taxonomy, and STAAR-style revision/editing tasks.
- Curriculum QA & item-level analysis — surfacing mis-calibrated or decontextualized items and redesigning passage-based, balanced assessments.
- Competency-based and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) frameworks; synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid models.
- Multimedia and AI-enhanced narrated video lessons, interactive learning, and adaptive pathways.
Grade 4 Competency-Based Grade 10 Biology UDL Grade 5 Hybrid Grade 3 Asynchronous
AI & EdTech
Expertise
- AI-powered adaptive learning pathways on adaptive platforms — placing students at knowledge grade, not age grade.
- Responsible-AI strategy, governance, and implementation roadmaps for education.
- AI-powered teacher tools, student-support systems, and curriculum automation.
- Learning analytics, dashboards, and early-warning / decision-intelligence design.
National AI Strategy AI Teacher Assistant AI Curriculum Studio AI Early Warning
Research
Research experience
Doctoral Dissertation
The Influence of Leadership Behaviors on Teacher Retention: A Basic Qualitative Study (EdD, American College of Education, 2025) — the research through-line across the Educational Leadership & School Improvement Suite.
Applied Research (Chief Research Officer, VSC)
Mixed-methods research on international education, workforce development, student outcomes, and labor-market trends — reports, white papers, and peer-reviewed articles.
Consulting
Consulting services
Through D.R.E.A.M. Education Solutions I offer curriculum development, instructional design, AI education strategy, leadership development, school improvement planning, teacher retention strategy, online & hybrid learning design, learning analytics, professional development, ministry-level strategy, EdTech product design, and research & policy analysis.
The downloadable CV has full detail
This page is an at-a-glance overview. For complete employment history, dates, credentials, and references, please download the full CV (PDF) or request it by email.