Rachel McMillian, Ph.D, is a curriculum theorist and educational researcher whose work broadly explores two intersecting avenues: Black Education and Critical Prison Studies. More specifically–through counterstorytelling–she focuses on 1) the schooling and educational experiences of Black people who were (wrongfully) incarcerated as children/youth and, 2) Black liberatory education and curriculum that occurs within spaces of confinement and enclosure.

McMillian's interdisciplinary scholarship and service are inspired by her years of experience as a social studies teacher in Cincinnati Public Schools, her relationships and work with both formerly and currently incarcerated people, and her lived experiences as someone directly impacted by mass incarceration. 

2022, Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association, Division B

2019-2021, Barbara L. Jackson Scholar, University Council for Educational Administration