Barbara Duffield is Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection. For more than 30 years, she has bridged policy and practice in early care, education, housing, and homelessness. Barbara began her career as a tutor for children experiencing homelessness in Washington DC in 1990. She was the Director of Education for the National Coalition for the Homeless from 1994-2003, where she collaborated with service providers, educators, federal agencies, and Congressional offices to address children’s issues. She served as the Director of Policy and Programs at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth in Washington D.C from 2003-2016, leading national efforts to strengthen federal protections and services for children and youth experiencing homelessness, from early childhood through higher education.
Barbara helped to establish and develop several national comprehensive scholarship programs for youth who have experienced homelessness and wish to pursue higher education. Her academic work can be found in Educational Studies, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, The Urban Review, and the Journal of Children and Poverty. Barbara has served on numerous commissions and advisory groups, including Sesame Street Workshop and the National Commission on Children and Disasters education group. She received her Bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Political Science from the University of Michigan.