Dr. Maria McKenna

Dr. Maria McKenna is an associate professor of the Practice at the University of Notre Dame. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Africana Studies and the Education, Schooling, and Society program. She is also a faculty fellow for both the Institute for Educational Initiatives and Notre Dame’s Poverty Studies program. As a qualitative researcher with particular expertise in child-centered research, Dr. McKenna studies the philosophy of educational care and space, youth empowerment, and the social and cultural contexts of education related to equity and inclusion. Dr. McKenna serves as a conduit between the Montessori community and mainstream educational researchers in a variety of arenas. She has been published in several academic journals and presses, and she serves on the editorial and review boards of various publications, including the Journal of Montessori Research.