Barbara Schneider

Barbara Lynn Schneider (born June 9, 1946) is an American sociologist and education scholar. She is the John A. Hannah Chair and University Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Department of Sociology at Michigan State University (MSU). Early life and education Schneider was born on June 9, 1946. Growing up, Schneider missed much of her schooling due to illness and struggled academically. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree and Master's degree from National Louis University and her PhD from Northwestern University. Career Upon completing her PhD, Schneider became an assistant professor at Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy before leaving to become a research associate at the Ogburn-Stouffer Center for the Study of Population and Social Organization at the University of Chicago. She was brought to the University of Chicago after sociologist Jim Coleman became aware of her research on the effects of family, schools, and communities on students learning and achievement. He collaborated with Schneider on a major study with the new National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Schneider stayed at the University of Chicago, serving as director of the Data Research and Development Center and co-director of the Alfred P. Sloan Center on Parents, Children, and Work, until 2005. She left to join the faculty at Michigan State University (MSU) as the John A. Hannah Chair in the College of Education and the Department of Sociology. During her first year at MSU, she was appointed editor of the Sociology of Education journal by the American Sociological Association. In 2008, Schneider was named the inaugural director of MSU's "Center for Advancing Research and Communication in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics" and received a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation. The following year, she was the recipient of a $1 million federal grant to create a program designed to encourage high-schoolers for technical careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math courses) called the College Ambitions Program (CAP). Schneider also collaborated with researchers at Bar-Ilan University to gather data on working mothers and fathers which found that working mothers were more likely to multitask. In recognition of her academic research, Schneider was the recipient of the 2011 Elizabeth G.