Rachel Bates

Rachel Bates is the Chief Student Services Officer at Northside Charter High School and a lifelong educator and researcher. She holds a PhD in English with concentrations in Literary and Cultural Studies and Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse Studies. Her M.A. is in Liberal Studies with a concentration in creative writing from Dartmouth College, and she completed her B.A. in History and English at East Tennessee State University.

Her research focuses on the Anthropocene via Contemporary Appalachian literature and culture. She approaches these studies using ecofeminism, place studies, and affect theory methodologies. Additionally, she has a strong research interest in writing pedagogy with a focus on first-year composition studies. She frequently presents both her academic and pedagogical research and knowledge to professional colleagues. Currentlly, she serves as Modern Language Association's K16 Alliances Committee Chair.

Rachel is a motivated school leader and educator who inspires students, shares her knowledge, and often leads teams toward new curriculum and social endeavors. Her highest priority is creating equitable and diverse spaces for all students, and she works toward dismantling historical and contemporary barriers for historically marginalized groups. She also hires and develops talent, coaches, observes and evaluates teachers using the Danielson Framework, creates innovative professional learning opportunities for faculty and staff, and manages multiple projects and teams. Additionally, she supervises course programming, ensures New York state and federal special education compliance is met and upheld, implements documentation systems, and analyzes and presents data and strategies to school stakeholders such as staff, families, and the Board of Trustees. This and her many years as a secondary and postsecondary English and Writing teacher inform her pedagogy, research, and practice in her current role. Her organization, planning, and communication skills are excellent. She always meets deadlines and is an exceptional multitasker. Teaching continues to enhance her extraordinary conflict resolution, time management, and interpersonal communication skills.

Rachel's creative writing, a practice she enjoys in her spare time, is featured in several journals such as Appalachian Review, West Texas Literary Review, and Broad River Review, and Finishing Line Press published her debut chapbook, Dear River, in 2020. She draws inspiration from Appalachia, her family, her students, and life's general mundane and quotidian ongoings. 

Connect at rmbates423@gmail.com