Victoria Schaefer

REL Appalachia director, Strengthening Students’ Preparation for College and Careers partnership lead, Developing Resilient and Supportive Community Colleges partnership lead
Victoria A. Schaefer, PhD, leads REL Appalachia with a passion for the region, a commitment to improving the lives of its people, and a strong sense of place and how history shapes the context in which schooling occurs. Schaefer offers over twenty years of experience in education, including nearly five years leading training, coaching, and technical support activities for REL Appalachia. Having lived experience as both a classroom teacher and a researcher, Schaefer brings first-hand knowledge of the importance of bringing evidence-based practices to the region’s highest-priority needs. Her grassroots perspective of the day-to-day life of educators and students drives a commitment for creating relevant and useful materials based on solid research; that same grassroots experience informs her passion for applied research, knowing personally why finding ways to improve teaching and learning matters. Schaefer centers the needs of educators and students as she engages across the region. She has deep experience in college and career readiness, trauma-sensitive practices, rural education, and data-driven decision making. Schaefer holds a Ph.D. in Education Psychology, Measurement, and Evaluation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.