Her research focuses on racial and educational equity in rural schools and communities. Her book, Why Rural Schools Matter, an ethnographic study of two rural southern communities, examines how rural schools define and sustain their surrounding communities. She is currently working on a multi-year project, supported by a grant from the Spencer Foundation that explores the college aspirations, transitions, and persistence of rural, first-generation students. Mara also studies community organizing for education reform and works with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, where she supports organizing efforts in rural New England. Mara is the 2016 recipient of the Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement for Early Career Faculty. Before receiving her doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Mara taught elementary school in rural Tennessee.