Dr. Barbara Blackburn has dedicated her life to raising the level of rigor and motivation for professional educators and students alike. What differentiates Barbara’s 12 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, Bob and Rose. 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 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 recently left her position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to write and speak full-time.

In addition to speaking at state and national 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.

Areas of Expertise

Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word
Rigorous Schools and Classrooms: Leading the Way
Motivating the Unmotivated
Content Area Literacy for the Young and the Restless
Motivation + Engagement + High Expectations = Student Success
Common Core State Standards - Are They the Floor or the Ceiling?
Motivation + Engagement + Rigor = Student Success
Motivating At-Risk Students for Higher Levels of Learning
Motivating Yourself and Others

Affiliation

Blackburn Consulting Group

Website(s)

Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word Blog

Barbara Blackburn Online

Rigor In Education

Related News & Media

Listen to Barbara Blackburn's podcast on rigor!

Download the whitepaper, Common Core State Standards... Only the Beginning! by Dr. Barbara R. Blackburn and learn how you can create a rigorous environment to help all learners succeed.

Barbara Blackburn interviewed in School Leadership Briefing. Listen to the entire interview here.

Barbara Blackburn featured in Pro Principal Newsletter.

Download RIGORous Tools for English Language Learners.

Blackburn and Williamson's COMPASS model featured in SREB's HSTW newsletter, Schools Break the Mold to Produce Graduates Ready for Success in College and Careers.

Barbara Blackburn hosts live "rigor" chat on Teachers.Net. Transcript is available.

Barbara Blackburn and Ron Williamson published an article titled "Recognizing Rigor in Classrooms: Four Tools for School Leaders" in Principal Leadership online.

Barbara Blackburn co-writes article on literacy for The Principals' Partnership.

Barbara Blackburn co-writes "Motivation: It's All About Me" article for Momentum journal.

Ronald Williamson and Barbara Blackburn contribute to The Charter Voice.

Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word featured book in THE MAIN IDEA.

Barbara Blackburn's concept of "Rigor" discussed and implemented on the Voices of the Learning Revolution blog.

Spotlight On...

Barbara, our teachers at LHS didn't ask for in-service sessions until your visit. You left them begging for more! Some of our teachers went directly from your session and implemented your strategies in their classes. -Patricia Jones, Curriculum Specialist Loris High School, South Carolina	What you said applies to teaching inner-city students such as mine. Thank you! -Participant, Chicago Public Schools
She was able to truly differentiate her presentation to accommodate a varied group of teachers from across disciplines, grade levels, and schools. -Mike McElrath, Director of Middle Level Education Jamestown Public Schools, NY