Born in 1945, Martha M. McCarthy completed a B.A. in elementary education in 1966 and an M.A. in Curriculum Design at the University of Kentucky in 1969. She went on to complete an Ed. S. in 1974 and a Ph.D. in 1975, both in Educational Administration, from the University of Florida. Upon completing her doctorate, she took a faculty position at Indiana University in 1975 as Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, where she spent the entirety of her career. Her research focus is primarily on educational law and policy, and throughout her nearly forty years in academia, she has authored or co-authored nine books and more than 200 articles on topics from racial equity, church-state relations, and child abuse in public schools to teacher training and educational leadership. Other areas of research interest include challenges to public school programs, school uniform policies, school privatization, student engagement, anti-harassment issues, and students’ and teachers’ rights. Publications of note include Public School Law: Teachers’ and Students’ Rights (1981; 6th Ed. 2009).
McCarthy earned many prestigious awards for her teaching and research accomplishments throughout her career. She has received the Sonneborn Award for distinguished teaching and research at IU (1991), the McGhehey Award for outstanding contributions to the field of school law from ELA (1992), the Living Legend Award from the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (2002), the Bowman Award for exemplary teaching pertaining to American civilization across the IU System (2004), and the Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award from UCEA (2004).
At Indiana University, she was promoted to Associate Professor in 1978, Professor in 1982, and ultimately was awarded the prestigious rank and title of Chancellor’s Professor in 1995 for her distinction on campus and around the world in both teaching and research. She helped to develop the Educational Leadership Program at Indiana University and served as chair of this program from 1997-2001. She also served as Director of the Indiana Education Policy Center from 1986-1992.
In addition to her teaching and research, McCarthy was very active in professional organizations in her field. She served as President of the Education Law Association (ELA) from 1984-85, President of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) from 1985-86, and Division A Vice-President of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) from 1992-1994. Dr. McCarthy retired in 2011 with the title Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
From the guide to the Martha M. McCarthy papers, 1976-2011, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)
