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].