S. Marie McCarther

Dr. S. Marie McCarther serves as tenured Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Education, Leadership and Policy Studies within the School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). She concurrently holds roles as Coordinator for PK-12 Educational Administration and the Interdisciplinary Doctorate Program (IPhD), leveraging 20+ years of K-12 leadership experience across Missouri, Iowa, and Ohio to inform her academic work.

Her research program centers on social justice and equity in educational contexts, employing narrative studies, ethnography, and historiography to amplify marginalized voices across race, class, and gender boundaries. Particular emphasis is placed on arts-integrated approaches to culturally sustaining pedagogy and leadership development in urban settings, with consistent exploration of how historical consciousness informs contemporary educational equity efforts.

Analysis of her 12 publications from 2010-2020 reveals persistent investigation of culturally relevant teaching methods, leadership capacity building for social justice advocacy, and the role of arts in creating equitable learning environments. Her scholarship consistently utilizes qualitative methodologies to document systemic inequities while proposing actionable frameworks for transformative educational practice.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement (2018)
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Diversity (2015)

As an academic leader, Dr. McCarther mentors EdD and IPhD students while securing significant external funding including a $499,759 NRT-HDR grant for interdisciplinary data training and a $499,625 NSF submission for nanoelectronics education. Her $20,000 Dean's Small Grant developed social justice assessment tools, and she previously served as Primary Investigator on a major unfunded U.S. Department of Education leadership grant.

Community impact manifests through co-founded initiatives including Kansas City Dreamkeepers (a social justice arts contest) and Project HEART (developing responsive teaching strategies for youth in correctional facilities), demonstrating her commitment to translating academic work into community-centered action through partnerships with the Missouri Division of Youth Services and local educational stakeholders.