About 110 experts in education and educational law gathered this June for the 2026 Martha McCarthy Education Law and Policy Institute. This year’s institute focused on legal issues surrounding curriculum, instruction, and parental rights as well as other current discussions in education law and policy.

Participants included school leaders, school attorneys, academics, undergraduate and graduate students, and K-12 and higher education administrators—all with a vested interest in education law. Topics for keynote presentations and discussions included the evolution of parental rights, public employee speech and expression rights, and Indiana legislative updates, among other issues. Following a round of breakout sessions, a live podcast was recorded by Chalk & Gavel discussing the recent 10 Commandments legislation and litigation in Texas, particularly relevant as Indiana has considered similar legislation.

While educators should know the systems of government and how law is made in order to know how they can advocate for themselves, their students, and their institutions, they must also be able to apply that knowledge to real-world education scenarios and learn from others who have experienced legal issues in the past, according to Hannah Gahimer, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor.

“Bringing together the vast network of experts and experienced educators at the McCarthy Institute serves as an intentional, enjoyable, and affordable one-day lesson on legal literacy,” Gahimer said. “Even as a former school attorney and now clinical assistant professor of education law and policy, I learned a ton at the event. There is no such thing as ‘too much’ legal education because the law is always evolving.”

Gahimer said the McCarthy Institute is one of the few places in which academics, attorneys, school leaders, advocates, and school administrators come together to learn about applicable, emerging legal issues and share perspectives on responding to legal issues, giving those interested an easily accessible event, regardless of legal knowledge. 

The institute is named for Martha McCarthy, a faculty member at the IU School of Education from 1975 to 2011 who is internationally recognized as an expert in education law. Her research has covered a variety of educational leadership and policy matters, including student engagement, equity in schools, teacher preparation, and religion in schools. 

Gahimer wished to thank McCarthy for her continued contributions to IU and the education law field at large, Dean Robert Berry for making IU one of the premier institutions for education law, and the IU Maurer School of Law for hosting the event, as the Wright building is currently under construction.