Maria Lewis conducts research that draws from her background in law and education, particularly as it relates to equity and diversity. More specifically, her research employs multi-methodological research methods to explore the ways in which laws and policies hinder or support the achievement of equity in an educational context. Her dissertation examined the implementation of a provision of federal special education law that concerns student discipline. Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State, Maria served as a School Administration Consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, where she was responsible for special education procedural compliance and complaint investigations.