Hi, I’m Barbara

Trustee

Barbara Pape works at the intersection of research, practice, and advocacy to transform how diverse learners are understood and supported.

As the former Senior Director of the Learner Variability Project at Digital Promise, she authored a foundational paper defining learner variability, hosted a widely attended edWeb webinar series, and led a three-year national survey examining learner variability, educational technology, and teacher practice. She has written for numerous publications, presented at conferences across the field, and serves on several working groups, including Stanford’s Neurodiversity SIG, Children’s Health Council, the Jacobs Foundation, and CASEL.

Her work centers on learner variability through a whole-child lens—the understanding that each learner brings a unique combination of cognitive, social-emotional, and background factors that shape their learning experience. She supports educators and edtech developers in translating learning sciences research into classroom practice, with a focus on recognizing and leveraging student strengths, particularly for neurodiverse learners. By designing with learner variability and the whole child in mind from the outset, she advances more equitable and effective learning environments for all students.

She is currently a PhD candidate at University College London, where her research focuses on developing classroom strategies for belonging that center the voices of neurodivergent students.

A first-generation college student and former middle school teacher, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience—including her own and her children’s experiences with learning differences—to her work. She earned her undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and an EdM in Reading and Literacy from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

For more information, see her LinkedIn profile and Substack