David C. Barrett

Dr. Barrett is a Senior Field Trainer and Analyst for the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER) at The University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves as the Assistant Director for the Middle School Matters Institute within MCPER working with middle grades educators across the country to build their capacity to better prepare students for success in high school, college, and beyond. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana and a Master of Arts degree in Professional Counseling from Texas State University in San Marcos. In 2010, he was graduated from Texas A&M University-Commerce with a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership.

Since 1994, David has worked with adolescents and families in both therapeutic and educational settings to foster growth and development with youth and families in a variety of environments: therapeutic wilderness camps, emergency shelters, street outreach programs, family therapy centers and public middle schools. He has served as a special education teacher, school counselor, administrator, researcher, and adjunct professor. For the last 10 years, Dr. Barrett has researched, developed, and implemented innovative ways of using chess in education to promote self-efficacy, math achievement, and problem-solving with students who learn differently. He makes his home in Austin, Texas and enjoys biking, swimming, gardening, music, and, of course, chess.