Education Researcher and Technical Assistance Provider, SRI Education
Rebecca Valenchis, MS, has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education. She brings extensive expertise in early childhood, special education, data governance and management, program evaluation, project management, and communications to her work to help improve systems for all children and their families.
Valenchis has led, managed, and substantively supported an array of federal, state, and local initiatives. At the federal level, she has focused on designing and delivering dynamic and innovative technical assistance (TA) to build staff capacity around systems change, emphasizing data-informed decision-making and leveraging virtual platforms for professional growth and learning. At the state level, she has supported leaders and senior staff in implementing and operationalizing policies that change systems. At the local level, Valenchis has performed initial evaluations, provided special education itinerant services, and supported children with disabilities and their families to promote positive outcomes. She has co-taught in kindergarten through fifth grade and collaborated with her colleagues to provide all children and families with access to high-quality learning environments and experiences.
At SRI, Valenchis is deputy director for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Eddie Bernice Johnson Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) Coordination Hub, which facilitates the NSF Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES National Network. In this role, she co-leads and coordinates activities across five partner organizations to operationalize a collective impact approach that advances a national movement to broaden participation in STEM by increasing domestic talent production for STEM innovation and leadership.
As deputy director for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Data Governance Consulting and Support Project, Valenchis provided information-gathering, analysis, consultation, and technical support to the ACF’s Office of Research, Planning, and Evaluation (OPRE) and its partners to strengthen data governance practices, both within ACF offices and between ACF and its partners at the federal, state, local, and Tribal levels. Also, as an evaluator and TA specialist for the National Technical Assistance Center for Preschool Development Grants Birth Through Five (PDG B-5), Valenchis evaluated universal, targeted, and intensive TA events and analyzed the data to support continuous improvement.
Prior to joining SRI, Valenchis was a TA specialist for multiple national projects, including the Equitable Access Support Network (EASN); Early Learning Challenge Grant (ELC); Impact Evaluation to Inform the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL); National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (NCECDTL); and Region 5 Comprehensive Center (R5CC) in the Comprehensive Center Network. She worked at the New York State Education Department, addressing early learning standards, curriculum, and assessment. Valenchis was also a special educator serving children birth through grade 5 and their families. Valenchis holds a dual MS from Sage Graduate Schools and is a certified childhood and special educator. She also has an advanced certificate in program evaluation.
Key projects
Selected publications
- *Advancing early childhood integrated data in New Jersey (No. 21) [Audio podcast episode]. Early Childhood Policy Matters
- *Addressing the effects of trauma resulting from adverse childhood experiences [Presentation
- *Virtual engagement strategies to extend outreach to locals [Presentation]
- *Connected communities: Building a network of knowledge in early childhood education [Presentation]
