Dr. Rebecca Knighton
Rebecca is a lifelong learner with a passion for understanding humanity’s common needs, the barriers we face, and what motivates us. This drive led her to complete a PhD and study the teachers who are highly skilled at building relationships with, engaging disengaged secondary students, and changing the trajectories of students’ lives. Her findings led to the writing of her book, Flip the Script: Breaking Down Barriers, Building Relationships, and Engaging Secondary Students.
Her career began in middle school classrooms as a behavioral interventionist, gifted and talented specialist, and member of school-level student support teams. She later developed and taught social-emotional intervention courses that helped students re-engage in learning and change the trajectory of their lives.
As a senior consultant with a State Department of Education, she helps district and school leaders build capacity for humanistic leadership and navigate complex, system-wide change.
Rebecca has also contributed to state and national initiatives, including a state-level Dropout Prevention Frameworks, Landscape of Wellbeing and Belonging (a guide for systemic improvement in social-emotional wellness) and Knowledge Works Lead for Learners development project. She has led professional development across schools, districts, and states, and presented at state, national, and international conferences.