Brief Biography
Rachel Benzoni is a former secondary science educator with eight years of
experience teaching chemistry, AP chemistry, environmental science, and
science foundations. In addition to her teaching duties, Rachel was a member
of her school district’s curriculum writing team; most notably, she
spearheaded the development of district course standards and curriculum
designed to support science learning for newcomer and intermediate English
learners. Rachel was the first teacher in the Omaha Public School district to
engage in and fully integrate transdisciplinary place-based service learning
into their curriculum and pedagogy. Her students were involved in
service-oriented projects supported by their own results-driven research,
learning how to advocate for social justice and civic engagement and taking
on leadership roles in the classroom and community.
As a 2020 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, Rachel brought her
real-world experience as an educator to the office of Representative Raúl
Grijalva, serving as a legislative assistant and education policy advisor and
acting as a voice for teachers and students trying to adapt to unexpected and
unprecedented conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. She managed the
Congressman’s educational portfolio and several critical issues, including
early childhood, K-12, and higher education; science, technology, and
communications; child welfare and supplemental social insurance; arts and
humanities; finance and financial services; and gun safety regulations. She
took on an active role in developing and promoting legislation to address
constituents' concerns related to the pandemic, most notably addressing
issues regarding student loan forgiveness and the safe reopening of schools.
Additionally, she developed and promoted legislation to support English
learners and their families and expand federal investment in teacher
preparation.
Research Interests
Science Teacher Leadership
Education Policy
Teacher Advocacy
Publications & Conference Presentations
Lewis, E., Hasseler, E., Benzoni, R., Matkin, G., Smith, W., Claes, D.,
Harwood, D., and Helding, B. (Poster). Meeting the Needs of Diverse Students
through Science Teacher Leadership in Nebraska. NSF Robert Noyce Program
Annual Conference: June 26-28, 2023: Washington, DC.
Benzoni, R. (2022, October). Reimagining curriculum as transdisciplinary,
experienced-based learning [Conference presentation]. ASCD National
Convention, National Harbor MD, United States.
Benzoni, R., Jefferson, C., and Lockett, D. (n.d.) STEM 101: Federal tools
for moving STEM forward [Conference presentation].