Francine Marchese is the Director of Early Childhood Education for Urban Teachers, Baltimore. She has extensive experience as a curriculum specialist, mentor, and coach for early childhood and literacy teachers. Most recently, she served as the literacy coordinator and literacy coach at Bridges Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. She is a former curriculum specialist and teacher at the University of Maryland, College Park’s Center for Young Children.
She holds a masters in early childhood and elementary education from the Bank Street College of Education in New York, where she also completed a post-graduate program in reading and literacy. She believes one of a teachers’ most important roles is to shape attitudes around learning. She guides new teachers to create environments where children will learn how to innovate and explore, not just prepare for tests.
Education
• University of Maryland, College Park, Doctoral Student, Curriculum Theory and Development, 2005-06
• Bank Street College of Education, New York, Post-Graduate Program in Reading and Literacy, 1995-96
• Bank Street College of Education, New York, Master of Science in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, 1989-91
• Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Art History and Art Education, 1983-87
Academic positions
• Director of Early Childhood Education, Urban Teachers Baltimore, 2017-present
• Adjunct Instructor, University of Maryland, College Park, College of Education, 2003-2006, 2017
• Curriculum Specialist and teacher, University of Maryland, College Park, Center for Young Children, 1998-2006
Other professional positions
• Literacy Coordinator, Bridges Public Charter School, Washington, D.C., 2015-17
• Literacy Coach, Bridges Public Charter School, Washington, D.C., 2014-15
• Pre-K Lead Teacher, Bridges Public Charter School, Washington, D.C., 2012-14
• Second Grade Teacher, Highlandtown Elementary, Baltimore City Public Schools, 1997-98
• Second Grade Teacher, Gifted and Talented, P.S. 261, New York City Public Schools, 1994-96
• Lead Teacher, Pre-K and Kindergarten, Washington Market School, New York, NY, 1990-94
• Kindergarten Teacher, P.S. 46, New York City Public Schools, 1988-90
Research, Publications, Presentations
• Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY, Mathematics Leadership Conference. Presenter: Mathematics, Block Building and Gender Issues
• Board of Jewish Education of Greater Washington, D.C., Presenter: Real World Studies in Preschool and Kindergarten: The Meaning of Play in the Early Childhood Classroom
• Bridges Public Charter School, Washington, D.C., Presenter: Real World Studies in the Early Childhood Classroom
• City College of the City of New York, Presenter: Mathematics and Gender Issues in the Early Childhood Classroom
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Presenter: Annual Conference: Mealworms for the Preschool and Primary Age Child
• National Child Research Center, Washington D.C., Presenter: Art in the Classroom
• National Coalition for Campus Children’s Center, Annual Conference, Presenter: The Philosophy of John Dewey and the Early Childhood Curriculum
• OCDLS (National Organization of Child Development Laboratory Schools) Bulletin, Student Run Businesses as a Cumulative Project
• Prince George County Interagency Early Childhood Committee, Celebrate Children Early Childhood Conference, Presenter: Mealworms: A Science Study in the Early Childhood Classroom, Real World Studies and the Student Run Business, Real World Studies at Center for Young Children
• University of Maryland, Center for Young Children, Presenter: Literacy in the Early Childhood Classroom, The Project Approach: Moving Deeper into Study Topics
• University of Maryland, Early Childhood Conference, Presenter: Authentic Art in the Early Childhood Classroom