Barbara Olin Taylor
Why did you choose Northwestern?
The Management School emphasized collaboration, and the theories of management functions, as well as case studies.
How would you describe your research and/or work to a non-academic audience? What was it then and/or what it is now?
I worked with about one hundred other researchers and practitioners on a process (the Effective Schools Process) that led to real change for the achievement of minority and low-income students, as well as positive communication structures and cognitive techniques to support and make possible participation of all stakeholders to improve/reform public schools. The method is still used for training in schools today.
Tell us who or what inspired your research and/or work.
I believed that managerial research could strengthen administrative work and improve outcomes in schools, especially K-12 schools. That is why I took the MBA degree first. I saw how important local and state policy considerations determined public school success with their students. Yet schools were structured for status quo existence. Any change would be difficult at best.
What are you most proud of in your career to date?
I am most proud of how our group held together and was able to influence policy at the federal level, as well as state and local level. Title 1 of the Hawkins -Stafford Act(1988)was created from our Research. It was updated in Title 1 of subsequent ESEA Acts as the years passed (1988-2018) Over 300 school districts correctly implemented this school reform process during the existence of our National Center.
Tell us about a current achievement or something you're working on that excites you.
With the pandemic and my retirement status, I am afraid that I have little excitement or achievement in my life today. Our children have done very interesting work, and our grandchildren are everything from computer nerds to dog trainers. We have nine great-grandchildren. The children who are old enough to be in school are lucky to have good teachers and schools. I have checked on that. Their parents are exceptional!
What advice would you give your younger self or someone considering a similar path?
Since I began grad school when I was 43, and graduated when I was 50 (PhD) I am afraid that my experience is not relevant. I only know that while at what became to be known as the Kellogg School of Management, I felt a part of my children's generation rather than my own. The students there wanted me to be in their study groups because of my experience. They also knew me to be very persistent in meeting goals.