Three Women Who Changed the Way the World Learns

When we look at leaders in educational practice and theory, three women stand out as being particularly transformative in their vision. Across different eras and contexts, their work demonstrates how access to education can reshape both individual lives and entire societies.

Maria Montessori (1870–1952)

Montessori revolutionized pedagogy with the construct of child-centered or inquiry-based learning. The Montessori method is based on the principle of choice and allows students to access different learning stations rather than dominating learning with a single didactic approach. Developed in the early twentieth century after Montessori became one of Italy’s first female physicians, the method emphasizes independence, hands-on learning, and carefully prepares learning environments that support self-directed exploration.

Montessori believed that children under six have particularly absorbent minds and are effectively capable of learning just about anything. This constructivist idea has been reinforced by theorists such as Jerome Bruner and Jean Piaget in modern developmental psychology. Indeed, the belief in a child’s remarkable capacity and the power of their imagination is a liberating thought, and we can thank Montessori for the steps taken toward this liberation. Today, there are over 20,000 Montessori schools worldwide across more than 140 countries. Many progressive educational models, such as the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) or tiered instruction as a dimension of the differentiated classroom, utilize Montessori principles such as experiential learning, student agency, and inquiry-based discovery.

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875–1955)

The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Bethune fought for equity and education as a source of opportunity and freedom. Born in South Carolina during the Reconstruction era, she believed that education was the most powerful pathway to social mobility and civic empowerment. As an advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt on minority affairs and a member of the informal advisory group known as the “Black Cabinet,” she worked to ensure that Black Americans were represented in federal policy discussions.

She founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls in 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman University. She did it as part of her vision to provide vocational and academic pathways for Black students at a time when educational opportunities were severely limited by segregation. Influencing major scholars such as Angela Davis, bell hooks, and Kimberlé Crenshaw, her legacy has been to leverage education for systemic social change and meaningful political influence. Bethune’s work also helped shape early civil rights leadership and contributed to a broader movement recognizing education as a cornerstone of democratic participation.

Malala Yousafzai (1997–)

Malala is possibly the most impactful modern figure advocating for the right to education. Raised in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, Malala began advocating publicly for girls’ education at a young age in response to restrictions imposed by extremist groups. The youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a survivor of an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012, her life has been a crusade to ensure that girls receive an education.

Through the Malala Fund, she continues to advocate globally for education access and policy change. There are currently roughly 129 million girls out of school worldwide, and the extraordinary fundraising and advocacy by Malala has raised global awareness and increased opportunities for young scholars. Her work highlights how educational access remains one of the most significant global development challenges of the twenty-first century.

The Ongoing Work of Educational Equity

There is still sexism in education: studies show that while teaching is dominated by women (particularly in primary schooling, where they make up 68% of the workforce), they represent a diametrically opposite proportion in school and university leadership. In higher education, women hold less than 30% of top leadership positions. As we work to reform education and ensure that we build a more peaceful and equitable world, let’s do what we can to empower women learners and leaders in the vein of the work these three examples give us. Expanding access to education for girls and supporting women in educational leadership are not only matters of fairness, but essential steps toward building more inclusive institutions and more resilient societies.

The work of expanding educational access continues today through institutions such as University of the People. By offering accessible higher education to students around the world, it opens doors for learners who might otherwise be left behind. In doing so, it reflects the enduring lesson these women demonstrated: when education becomes accessible, lives—and societies—change.