Kathleen deMarrais is professor and department head in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. After a 14-year career as a K-12 special education teacher, she earned a doctorate in Social Foundations of Education at the University of Cincinnati. She serves as a qualitative methodologist in UGA’s Qualitative Research Program. Her research is focused on qualitative methodologies, qualitative pedagogy, and the impact of philanthropy in educational policy and practice. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, her books include: Foundations for research: Methods of inquiry in education and the social sciences(with S. Lapan,), Inside Stories, Educating Young Adolescent Girls (with P. O’Reilly & B. Penn), The way schools work: A sociological analysis of schooling, 3rd Edition (with M. LeCompte), Life at the margins: Profiles of diverse adults (with J. Merrifield, D. Hemphill & B. Bingman) and Teach for America Counter Narratives: Alumni Speak Up and Speak Out (with T. J. Brewer). She was honored by her undergraduate alma mater, East Stroudsburg University, with the 2017 Excellence in Education Award for demonstrated superior teaching ability and extraordinary commitment to students at the elementary, secondary or college level.
