Edith J. Barrett, Ph.D.

Dr. Barrett is Professor of Urban Affairs at the University of Texas, Arlington’s School of Urban and Public Affairs. Over the years, she has been awarded various research fellowships. These have included a fellowship at the Bunting Institute at Harvard’s Radcliffe College (now Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study), a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Fellowship for study of political psychology in Germany. Since arriving at UT-Arlington in 1996, she has been a consultant on a variety of projects including the State of Texas Charter School Evaluation, a school desegregation case, and a study for the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Latinos' use of HUD-sponsored housing programs in El Paso. She is currently the lead investigator on the Ripley Arnold Resident Relocation Evaluation Study for the City of Fort Worth as well as the principle investigator on an NSF funded study examining the role of public schools in helping Hurricane Katrina evacuated youth adjust to life in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Throughout these varied and rich professional experiences, Dr. Barrett has pursued and developed her research interests, most specifically in political attitudes among under-represented groups, and in social welfare policy, especially as it impacts adolescents and women. Her book, Support for the American Welfare State, co-authored with Fay Cook argues that the public is much more supportive of welfare programs than the government and media would have us believe. Her most recent articles and current book manuscript focus on the race, gender, and economic class differences behind blanket descriptions of political socialization.

At UT-Arlington, Dr. Barrett teaches courses in urban social policy, statistics, methodology, and evaluation research, and she was recently inducted into UT-Arlington’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from Baylor University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

CURRICULUM VITAE (pdf)