Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues has an extensive scientific and academic career, having authored a long list of publications.

[2] As Minister of Education of the 17th Constitutional Government of Portugal (Prime Minister José Sócrates's first Government) from 2005 to 2009, Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues launched a wide range of policies, some of which particularly controversial among teachers, unions, and even some sectors of the then ruling Socialist Party, such as the teacher career and performance assessment reform.

[4] In 2009, the Portuguese pupils performed the highest combined increase in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment exam scores as compared to 2006 results.

[5] Elementary education reform had two main goals: to broaden the scope of learning activities and to build modern school environments.

[10] After the end of the ministerial job, in 2009, Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues went back to the university, where she led a new master's program in public policy.