Rebecca J. Tschinkel

Ruben P. Diaz Elementary School
Clark County School District
Las Vegas, Nevada
tschirj@nv.ccsd.net

Since 2014, Rebecca Tschinkel has served as principal at Diaz Elementary School, a high poverty Pre-K through fifth grade school in Las Vegas. An accomplished leader, Tschinkel has successfully rejuvenated Diaz Elementary School with thorough and well-researched professional development programs, an improvement task force, and the involvement of parents and community members. Tschinkel executed a complete culture overhaul to improve student achievement. Through her hard work and community engagement, Tschinkel was able to take Diaz Elementary School from an underperforming school to a top performing school. Under her leadership, the academic proficiency of her students has charted sweeping improvements, with proficiency in mathematics growing 14.5 percent and proficiency in English growing 12.9 percent between 2017 and 2019. Her efforts have resulted in numerous honors for school achievement, including five-star school ratings and numerous Nevada Shining Star awards. She has been recognized by her superintendent as a “visionary leader [with] passion ingrained in her mission.” Committed to both her community and her students, Tschinkel inspires those around her to strive for the best. Tschinkel holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University and M.S. degrees in Special Education and Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is a Ph.D. candidate for Teaching and Learning at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.