Tara Barnhart
Ph.D. Student
Department of Education
Email: tbarnhar@uci.edu
Biography
Tara Barnhart joins UC Irvine's doctoral program in education as a member of Cohort III with a specialization in Learning, Cognition and Development (LCD).
After growing up in San Diego County, a product of the public school system, Tara moved north to earn her BA in Biology and MA in Education from Whittier College. She spent the next 12 years teaching science at Pioneer High School in Whittier, California. During her tenure there, she served as Curriculum Coordinator, WASC Coordinator, and Interim Department Chair.
Tara earned her National Board Certification in Science for Early Adolescence and Young Adulthood in 2006. Currently, she is a lecturer in the Department of Secondary Education at California State University, Fullerton, where she teaches both in the Master’s degree program and the Credential program and is the Co-director of the Professional Teacher Development Center.
Tara's research interests include pre-service science teacher preparation and teacher reflection. She currently is co-authoring a book on National Board Certification. Post graduation, she plans to continue to learn and to improve public education by working with pre-service teacher candidates as well veteran teachers and National Board candidates.