Rebecca Kockler

Rebecca Kockler is the Director of Reading Reimagined, an inclusive R&D project focused on unlocking the great reader in every child. Rebecca formed this belief—and found the inspiration to do something about it—after decades supporting students, families, and teachers at the school, district, and state level. As the former Assistant Superintendent of Academics at the Louisiana Department of Education, Rebecca created a comprehensive, nationally recognized academic support model that provided teachers, principals, and districts unique resources and direct support to integrate assessments, curriculum, and teacher evaluation. This included redesigning the statewide assessment system, building a complete and nationally validated English language arts curriculum and aligned statewide interim assessment system, implementing a nationally recognized curricular and assessment review process, founding an advanced principal fellowship program, and training a cohort of over 5,000 teacher leaders each quarter. As a result, students in Louisiana achieved record-high college enrollment rates, graduation rates, TOPS-eligibility (state-funded scholarship) rates, postsecondary credentialing rates, and ACT scores. During this time, Louisiana was the fastest improving state in the country on Advanced Placement. Over the past decade, Louisiana ranked in the top ten for growth among states in all four core subjects of NAEP. Rebecca began her career as a middle school teacher in Newark, New Jersey. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and family.