Academic Achievements

Bachelor Degree/Major/Institution

B.A. cum laude, Program of Liberal Studies / Great Books, University of Notre Dame

Masters

M.A. cum laude, Interdisciplinary Studies / International Studies, Graduate Center, City University of New York

Doctorate

D.Litt., Liberal Studies, Casperson School, Drew University

Dissertation with Distinction: “Paradigm Shift in Public Education: Ridge and Valley Charter School 2000 – 2014”

Area of Greatest Professional Interest

Diversity, Equity, and Radical Inclusion; Non-Hierarchical Governance; Alternative Public Education; Nature in Children’s Literature; Disability in Children’s Literature; Service Learning with disabled adults through Abilities of Northwest Jersey; Writing and Thinking / Writing to Learn

Biography

Dr. Barnett joined the Centenary faculty in 1997, following ten years of teaching and administration of international educational exchange programs in Fukuoka, Japan, New York, and London. Interdisciplinary studies at the undergraduate and graduate level highlight her interests in classical and multicultural literature, intercultural experiences, and education; current research interests include representation of nature and of disability in children’s literature. She teaches composition and rhetoric, children’s literature, and humanities and partners with Abilities of Northwest Jersey in interactive service-learning projects. Dr. Barnett is also a founder and trustee of Ridge and Valley Charter School, an innovative K-8 public school in Blairstown, NJ, with a mission of ecological literacy and sustainability.

Publications/Presentations

The Sideshow Foreshadows the Main Event: The Carnival of Oddities in Elijah of Buxton, Children’s Literature Association Annual Conference

Unwilling and Unsung: Heroines of the Westward Migration, Western Literature Association Annual Conference

Picture Books Speak for the Trees, But What Do They Say?, Children’s Literature Association Annual Conference

Anthropomorphism in Picture Books and the Cultivation of Environmental Empathy: Was the Tree Really Happy?, Children’s Literature Association Annual Conference

Sensory Paths, Loose Parts, Nooks, and Nests: Creating Magical Outdoor Spaces With and For Children, Children’s Literature Association Annual Conference

Is Nature Unnatural for Picture Book Characters with Disabilities?, Children’s Literature Association Annual Conference

Short Quote

“Education for a hopeful sustainable future.” ― Ridge and Valley Charter School