Edith J. Barrett

Professor Emeritus

School of Public Policy

Education

B.S., Baylor University, Psychology, 1982
M.S., Northwestern University, Psychology (Methodology and Evaluation Research), 1984
Ph.D., Northwestern University, Psychology (Methodology and Evaluation Research), 1987

Teaching & Research Interests

Urban public policy (esp. adolescent issues, education, housing, social welfare)
Methodology and program/policy evaluation
Political attitudes and behavior (esp. among under-represented groups)
Public opinion/survey research

Dr. Edith J. Barrett

Edith J. Barrett is Professor Emeritus in the School of Public Policy.  Dr. Barrett was formerly Associate Dean for social sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and was also Director of the Urban and Community Studies Program from 2011-2018.  Prior to joining the University of Connecticut faculty in the fall of 2011, she served as professor and director of the MA in Urban Affairs at the School of Urban and Public Affairs, The University of Texas, Arlington. She has previously held appointments as well at Brown University, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and the University of Southern California’s Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and has had a fellowship through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for study of political psychology in Cologne, Germany.

Believing that the ideal university works hand-in-hand with the greater community, she has been actively involved in a variety of projects addressing urban issues, including a 5-year Texas State Board of Education mandated evaluation of state charter schools; a study for the Department of Housing and Urban Development examining Latinos’ use of HUD-sponsored housing programs in El Paso; and a longitudinal evaluation of an urban residential drug treatment program for low-income teens. She was the principal investigator on a five-year study for the City of Fort Worth in which she evaluated the impacts relocation had on residents of a public housing development, and recently, Professor Barrett and colleagues completed a National Science Foundation-funded study examining the role of urban public schools in mediating the potentially negative impact on youths forced to relocate following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Most of these professional experiences have revolved around her central research interest: how public policy shapes the lives of urban residents, especially the lives of youth.