Rachel Fidel

Rachel Fidel is a researcher and data analyst interested in access to publicly-funded early care and education. She will receive her PhD in Education and Social Policy from the University of Delaware in May. Her dissertation research involved describing variation in state approaches to public pre-K expansion and identifying the causal impact of state pre-K expansion on maternal employment. She also worked closely with the Delaware Department of Education on a project analyzing changes in kindergarten enrollment and retention during the pandemic and a research-practice partnership focused on improving early literacy. She received her Masters in Education and Social Policy from the University of Delaware and her Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. While at UCF, she worked on evaluations of an attachment-based parenting intervention in novel contexts, including with child welfare-involved parents and early educators.

PhD, Education and Social Policy, University of Delaware (Expected May 2026)

MA, Education and Social Policy, University of Delaware

BA, Psychology, University of Central Florida