Fran Hoch2005 State Supervisor of the Year
Fran Hoch, Section Chief, North Carolina State Department of Education, was recognized in November 2005 as an outstanding leader in world language education. Due to her innovative and noteworthy contributions in state, national and international arenas, Dr. Hoch received the State Supervisor of the Year award from Pearson/Prentice Hall at the annual meetings of the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) and the National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NADSFL) in Baltimore, Maryland.
Fran Hoch’s outstanding leadership is exemplified by her efforts to improve international education. These efforts resulted in the design of international studies curriculum standards, as well as a public engagement campaign highlighting education and economic ties between her state and the world. She also developed a third grade assessment that was piloted statewide. In addition, Dr. Hoch’s influence led to the inclusion of two years of foreign language as a graduation requirement for college/university preparatory study. Due to Dr. Hoch’s efforts, in 1987 North Carolina became the first state in the nation to mandate foreign language study by every child enrolled in kindergarten through grade five.
Dr. Hoch’s service to the field is unprecedented. She was the only State Education Agency representative to review the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP) proposal for foreign languages and to serve on national committees for the Praxis II in Spanish, French and German. Serving as the Commissioner for Language Services of the Special Olympics 1999 World Games, Dr. Hoch was involved in recruiting, training, and evaluating 1000 volunteer interpreters speaking 35 languages.
Dr. Hoch, who has been described by peers as “humble, trusted, approachable, energetic, enthusiastic and devoted,” has been employed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction since 1983. Prior to that time, she taught Spanish, French, foreign language methods, and other courses at the college level.