Barbara R. Blackburn

A Top 30 Global Guru in Education, Barbara has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara's 40 books are her easily executable concrete examples based on decades of experience as a teacher, professor, and consultant. Barbara's dedication to education was inspired in her early years by her parents. Her father's doctorate and life-time career as a professor taught her the importance of professional training. Her mother's career as school secretary shaped Barbara's appreciation of the effort all staff play in the education of every child.

Barbara has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. She holds a master's degree in school administration and is certified as both a teacher and a school principal in North Carolina. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2006, she received the award for Outstanding Junior Professor at Winthrop University. She left her position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to write and speak full-time.

In addition to speaking at state, national, and international conferences, she also regularly presents workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her workshops are lively and engaging and filled with practical information. Her most popular topics include:

Productive Struggle is for ALL Learners

Rigor is NOT a Four Letter Word

Increasing Rigor in Your Assessments

Motivating Struggling Learners: 10 Ways to Build Student Success

Motivating Your Kids: What Works...and What Doesn't

Engaging, Research-Based Instruction Leads to Higher Achievement

High Expectations and Increased Support Lead to Success

Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way