Professor Dr. Barbara Schneider

Biography

Barbara Schneider is the John Hannah Chair and University Distinguished Professor at the College of Education and Department of Sociology at Michigan State University. She has used a sociological lens to understand societal conditions and interpersonal interactions, creating norms and values that enhance human social capital for the past thirty years. Her research focuses on the social contexts of schools and families and their influence on the academic and social well-being of adolescents transitioning into adulthood. As a Principal Investigator for the College Ambition Program, she encourages low-income minority adolescents to pursue science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) majors in college and occupations in these fields. Schneider was awarded the National Science Foundation’s first-ever Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) award, which, in collaboration with the University of Helsinki and funded by the Academy of Finland, aimed to enhance adolescent engagement in secondary school science and physics education in Finland. She has served as the past president of the American Educational Research Association and is a recipient of an Honorary Doctoral Degree from the University of Finland. Her current research interests include the social context of schooling, the impact of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic equity issues, and STEM gender differences in education and careers.

Research Interests