Franklin Thomas, Dr.

Degrees

Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, EKU

Rank I School Administration, EKU

M.S. Secondary Education, UK

B.S. Mathematics, UK

 

Certifications

Superintendent

Supervisor of Instruction

Director of Pupil Personnel

School Principal

Secondary Teacher (Mathematics/Physical Science)

 

Positions Held in P-12 Education

Director of Pupil Personnel, Director of Human Resources, Save-the-Children Grant Coordinator, Textbook Coordinator, Supervisor of Instruction, District Assessment Coordinator, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Curriculum Specialist, Middle School Principal, District Management Review Corrective Action Plan Officer, High School Interim Principal, High School Assistant Principal, Highly Skilled Educator at KDE (team leader), High School Teacher (science, math, computer programming)(department chair)(SBDM council member), Substitute Teacher

 

Assistant Graduate Chair, CU School of Education (1/1/21 to 7/31/23)

 

Current Memberships

Kentucky Association of School Administrators

Kentucky Directors of Pupil Personnel

Kentucky Colonels

Phi Beta Kappa

 

Publications Since Coming to CU

• Authored chapter (PSEL Standard 2 Ethics and Professional Norms) in the book School Leadership:  Let the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) Make Your Work More Effective
• Authored chapter (Protection from the Strong Hand of God) in the book Long Handled Hoe?
• Authored chapter (What Servant Leadership Is and Is Not) in the book Service in the Trenches:  School Principals Share True Stories of Servant Leadership
• Authored chapter (Baby Bear Wants His Porridge.  Now!) in the book School Safety: True Stories and Solutions from School Leaders
• Authored chapters (They’ll Be Fine. Kids Are Resilient. Please Stop Saying That.)(Trix Are for Kids. SEL Is for Adults Too.) in a book about SEL (Social Emotional Learning and Servant Leadership: True Stories from the Classroom)
• Allen, L., Wallace, J., & Thomas, F. (2023). Grow your own programs:  An opportunity for universities and school districts to collaborate and reshape principal preparation. AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, 20(2), 30-35. 

 

Presentations Since Coming to CU

• Introduction to Cognitive Coaching at Principal EdCamp (January 2021)
• CAEP Accreditation Visit Tips at a University Principal Preparation Initiative Meeting (January 2023)
• Grow Your Own:  Universities and School Districts Collaborate to Reshape Principal Preparation at the National Conference on Education (February 2023)
•      Fostering Mutually Beneficial Collaboration Between School Principals and District Directors of Pupil Personnel at Principal EdCamp (January 2024)
•  ’Grow Your Own’ Principal Preparation Collaborative Model Phase II at the National Conference on Education (February 2024)
•      The Big Picture of the Teaching Profession at the Kentucky Educators Rising Conference (March 2024)
•      Servant Leadership and Emotional Intelligence:  Fruitful Relationships and Personal Growth at Central Kentucky EDUCON (June 2024)

 

Dissertation Topic

The Relationship Between Advanced Academic Services and College Readiness Among Public High School Students in Rural Remote Appalachian Kentucky

 

Current Research Project(s)

• Improving Mentoring and Other Support of Alternatively Certified School Principals in Kentucky

 

Editor of the Journal of Advances in Education (a peer-reviewed journal based at CU currently under development with an anticipated November 2025 launch date) 

 

University Service

• Mentor for Option 6 (alternatively certified) school and district leaders
• Participant in the University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI)
• School of education representative on the CU Honors Council
•      Chair of the Advisory Council for Administrative Programs (2023-2024)
•      Chair of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Standard One Committee (2020-2024)
• Conducted site visits at other universities as part of their CAEP accreditation process (2020-2024)
• Conducted content reviews  of administrator preparation programs for KDE (2020-2021)