Rebekah Hornak, MA, is an implementation and communication specialist for the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), the State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices (SISEP) Center, and the Effective Implementation Cohort (EIC) at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). As part of our FPG Profile series, we recently spoke with Hornak to learn more about her work here at the Institute. Here’s what she had to say.

Tell us about your professional journey—what brought you to FPG?

My professional journey has been traditional―until I came to FPG! Trained as a K-12 educator, I had the honor of teaching English and history at the high school level. Always wanting to grow and challenge myself, I earned my master's in School Principalship and started down the path of administration. My most challenging position was as a high school assistant principal and athletic director; my life was student support, discipline, and athletics―and I lived in my building. My favorite position was as a middle school principal; I fit right into that age group. And it was my role as a regional service agency executive director of instruction that introduced me to NIRN and FPG. It was at this time that I met Caryn Ward, NIRN’s director, and learned about implementation science and the impact it could have on my work. I became an official NIRNian in October of 2021!

Describe a typical workday and tell us about the projects you're currently working on.

My current role as an implementation and communication specialist allows me to live each day in my dream job. As an implementation specialist, I provide support through the use of implementation practice with several agencies. On the SISEP Center Project, I work with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on its coaching systems and building internal capacity around the use of implementation science. I am also in the process of onboarding the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. As part of an intensive state with SISEP, we will be focusing on supporting the implementation of district reading interventions through the Alaska Reads Act. On the Effective Implementation Cohort Project, I support professional learning providers and selected districts in implementing a high-quality middle school math curriculum. I am currently working with the Achievement Network and Atlanta Public Schools, Instruction Partners, and Edcouch-Elsa Intermediate School District, and WestEd and Tucson Unified School District.

In addition to my work as an implementation specialist, I indulge my creative side as the communication lead for NIRN. In this role, I develop and monitor dissemination plans for all of NIRN’s large projects, develop content for five different social media platforms, maintain five websites, host and produce a podcast and develop content for a YouTube channel. Taking the work of others and telling their stories is a real passion of mine! I love that my position allows me to not only support and engage with those in the field but also tell everyone about their amazing work and impact.

What do you like most about your job?

Being a NIRNian has allowed me to expand my knowledge and has reinvigorated my drive to learn more.  I am pushed every day to think critically and creatively, all to support educators. I love our conversations as a NIRN team, how we support one another, learn from each other’s work, and how fast paced it is.  There is not a dull moment!  Since coming on board at FPG, I have had the opportunity to support, write, create, discuss, and challenge my thinking, all around implementation science and practice―what is better than that?

What do you find most challenging?

The research-to-practice-and-policy-gap. As a K-12 educator and administrator, I did not have time to read about new research let alone digest it and put it into practice. Now that I am in a position to assist educators with this, I still find it difficult. There are so many barriers facing educators daily that making time to implement―and implement effectively―in and of itself is a barrier. We need to examine our work, approaches, and strategies carefully to ensure they are feasible in the hands of those who need it most.

Additionally, I am feeling a growing sense to advocate more for policymakers to understand the importance of implementation science and help them realize real-world scenarios, such as that a school district can only partially implement a new literacy program within the one year of funding provided! As such, translation and dissemination science is a growing interest of mine; it would be great to have a division dedicated to this at FPG!

How does your work further the mission of FPG to transform children’s lives through innovation in research, practice, and policy?

Can I brag about NIRN here?  So, I came to FPG to be a NIRNian.  K-12 education needs support, but it often feels like that support comes from all different angles and never meets the actual needs or makes significant impact. Moving the needle is so hard. But I feel the approach we take at NIRN, focusing on systems work, developing infrastructure, and monitoring implementation all in a co-designed approach is very powerful. NIRN is also on the cusp of bridging the gap between research and practice. We have a diverse team with just the right experience, beliefs, and values that, I’m confident, we will shrink the gap.

Tell us about your biggest professional achievement since coming to FPG.

This question is not my cup of tea; instead of thinking about individual successes, I like seeing my professional achievements through NIRN's accomplishments and the agencies I support. For me, it’s always about being part of a team, supporting and encouraging the growth of our team members, that results in achievement. Let me share a few cool examples of those collaborations.

I love this brief I designed, and the interactive experience enabled through Shorthand.  While I did not write the brief, I was able to bring it to life for the authors. The brief is titled, Increasing Equity in Education: Through Stage-based Implementation of Universal Design for Learning in a Multi-tiered System of Support; check it out.

I also enjoyed working with a fantastic team to redesign the NIRN Active Implementation Hub.  As a hub user before coming to NIRN, I struggled to find what I needed. Through a collective approach, the team took feedback from focus groups and turned the vision into reality. We still have much to do, but I am pleased with how it turned out. The AI Hub is used internationally, reaching more than 200 countries, and has roughly 105,000 users annually. We needed to get this transition right, so I appreciate the work of Wendy Morgan, Andrea Wise, Julie Chin, and Kris Earl. Without them, the new hub would not be what it is today!  

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about your work at FPG?

I always tell people I am a jack of all trades and a master of none. The combination of my professional experiences, interest, and work in communications allows me to morph from a leader to support staff to storyteller, all in one meeting if necessary. I firmly believe in servant leadership, love listening to Adam Grant and learning about organizational psychology, and constantly learning to support individuals and agencies in their goals.