Dr. Mira Debs

Biography

Mira Debs is a lecturer in Education Studies at Yale University, with a focus on urban education, comparative international education, parent involvement, school choice, and school integration. She is an alumna of the University of Chicago, where she graduated and received a Rhodes Scholarship to complete her MPhil in European Politics and teacher training at Oxford University. Debs holds a PhD in Sociology from Yale University. Her research includes work on collective identity and the history of children’s schooling, with particular studies on school integration activism in New York City and the impact of historical events such as India’s independence struggle on contemporary educational practices. Her book, 'Diverse Parents, Desirable Schools: Public Montessori Era School Choice,' was published by Harvard Education Press in 2019 and featured in major media outlets including the New York Times and the Washington Post. Moreover, she co-edited the 'Handbook on Montessori Education,' published by Bloomsbury in 2023. Over the years, she has contributed to numerous academic journals and has been funded by organizations such as the Spencer Foundation and the Brady Foundation. Debs has also taught in diverse environments ranging from high schools to Wesleyan University and Yale NUS, and she was involved with the Yale Prison Education Initiative. She previously served as the director of the Education Studies program from 2017 to 2025.

Research Interests

Experience