From Wikipedia

Dr. Barbara R. Blackburn has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies.^[1] She is a best-selling author of a variety of educational reference books.Blackburn has extensive experience working with K-12 teachers and administrators providing staff development in the areas of classroom motivation, school reform, instructional strategies, literacy for all areas of the curriculum, and working with at-risk students. In addition to speaking at state and national conferences, she also regularly presents workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools.^[2] Her workshops are lively and engaging and filled with practical information. Her most popular topics include: rigor, engaging instruction, increasing achievement and setting higher expectations for students, content literacy strategies, motivating self and others, and effective staff development.

Educational career

Blackburn 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, where she coordinated a graduate program for teachers, taught graduate classes, supervised student teachers, and collaborated with area schools on special projects. She is now on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes and collaborates with area schools.^[3]

Publications

Blackburn is the author of seven books, all published by Eye On Education. These books include Classroom Motivation from A to Z, Classroom Instruction from A to Z, and Literacy from A to Z. Her bestselling book, Rigor is NOT a Four Letter Word shows teachers how they can raise the level of rigor in their classrooms and provide challenging learning experiences for their students. Her most recent book is The Principalship from A to Z, which she wrote with Dr. Ron Williamson, Eastern Michigan University.^[4]

Media

Blackburn is a contributor to Eye On Education’s video series, Tales from a Teacher’s Heart.^[5] She also has her own blog which focuses on practical ways teachers and schools can simultaneously support students and implement rigor.^[6] In March 2009, Blackburn and co-author Williamson wrote an article on their book The Principalship from A to Z. The article was titled "The Principals' Role in Increasing Expectations for Rigorous Classroom Instruction." It was published as the feature article on The Principal's Partnership website.^[7]

Press Coverage

The South Carolina Middle School Association Journal excerpted a chapter from Blackburn's book Classroom Motivation from A to Z in February 2008. The excerpt was from Chapter M, titled “Motivating Middle School Students: It Really Is All About Them!"^[8] In April 2008, Blackburn was featured as a "Local Newsmaker" in The Herald newspaper, published in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The Herald mentioned her then new book; Literacy From A to Z.^[9] Pro Principal interviewed Blackburn in June 2008 on raising rigor in the classroom.^[10] The article was in response to her book Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word. In February 2009, Hamilton County Public Schools in Tennessee were awarded a grant for faculty book clubs and choose Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word as one of two selections. The Chattanoogan featured an article about this selection.^[11]

References

External links

• Barbara Blackburn's website
  
• Eye On Education, publisher's website
  
• Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word book page, publisher's website