Jacqueline Barber

Over the past 30 years, Jacqueline Barber has been involved in K-12 science and mathematics education, involved in promoting teaching and learning among children, teachers, families and parents. She currently serves as Associate Director of the Lawrence Hall of Science responsible for the Hall’s Curriculum Center. In this role, she is involved with all LHS instructional materials development programs, and is responsible for leading LHS in addressing shared issues and concerns related to curriculum development, curriculum implementation, and assessment. Barber is the Founding Director of the successful Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Program. GEMS is a collection of over 60 standalone science and mathematics units for teachers in preschool through grade 8. A robust network of over 70 GEMS implementation sites located across the nation and in 9 different countries from Japan to Jordan, ensures the regular use of these materials with hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students. Barber’s interest in promoting science at home led to the creation of an award-winning collection of home science kits and a series of materials for educating parents about ways they can promote their children’s interest and success in science and mathematics. In the past 7 years, Barber has collaborated with P. David Pearson, Dean of the UCB Graduate School of Education, to launch a new curriculum research and development program, focused on the integration of science and literacy, entitled Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading. Barber holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Hampshire College (1978), and conducted research in neuroendocrinology (Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Strasbourg, 1979) before turning to science education.