Rebecca A. Knighton

Rebecca A. Knighton is an educator and author who focuses on student engagement and teacher–student relationships, particularly with disengaged and hard-to-reach secondary students. She holds a Ph.D., and her doctoral research examined what highly effective teachers do to connect with and engage disengaged youth, work she now translates into professional learning for educators. Based in Colorado, she provides training and support for schools and districts on building students’ sense of belonging and improving relationships in secondary classrooms.

Knighton is the co-author, with Jessica R. May, of Flip the Script: Breaking Down Barriers, Building Relationships, and Engaging Secondary Students, published by Solution Tree in 2025. In this book, she draws on real classroom examples and her research to help educators examine their assumptions, model positive behaviors, address conflict productively, and foster authentic, trust-based relationships that increase engagement among secondary students.