Dr. Deborah Ball

Biography

Deborah Loewenberg Ball is a distinguished university professor at the University of Michigan's Marsal Family School of Education and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor. Additionally, she serves as a research professor at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, and directs TeachingWorks. With over 15 years of experience teaching elementary school, she remains actively involved in teaching children during summer sessions. Her research specifically concentrates on the practice of teaching, employing elementary mathematics as a crucial context to investigate challenges in helping children develop understanding and agency. Ball leverages the power of teaching to disrupt patterns of injustice and is recognized as an expert on the demands of teaching and the imperatives of teachers' professional education. She has published more than 200 works and given major presentations globally. Ball has developed collections of video records of practice that are widely used to make teaching practice visible. Her work has garnered numerous awards and honors, and she has served on various national and international commissions and panels aimed at advancing education. Currently, she serves on the National Science Board and the Board of Trustees for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. Previously, she held the position of president of the American Educational Research Association (2017–2018) and was dean of the University of Michigan School of Education (2005–2016). Ball is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Education, the American Mathematical Society, and the American Educational Research Association.

Research Interests