Deborah Loewenberg Ball is an

educational researcher ''Educational Researcher'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the field of education. The editors-in-chief are Carolyn D. Herrington (Florida State University) and Jason A. Grissom (Vanderbilt University). It was established in 1972 an ...

noted for her work in mathematics instruction and the mathematical preparation of teachers. From 2017 to 2018 she serves as president of the

American Educational Research Association The American Educational Research Association (AERA, pronounced "A-E-R-A") is a professional organization representing education researchers in the United States and around the world. AERA's mission is to advance knowledge about education and p ...

. She served as dean of the

School of Education In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences en ...

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

from 2005 to 2016, and she currently works as William H. Payne Collegiate Professor of education. Ball direct
TeachingWorks
a major project at the University of Michigan to redesign the way that teachers are prepared for practice, and to build materials and tools that will serve the field of teacher education broadly. In a sometimes divisive field, Ball has a reputation of being respected by both mathematicians and educators. She is also an extremely well respected mentor to junior faculty members and to graduate students.

Education

As an undergraduate at Michigan State University, Ball majored in French and then taught elementary school for seventeen years in

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

. Ball only started serious study of mathematics when she saw her students struggling in math. In 1988 she received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University from the department of teacher education. Her thesis was titled ''Knowledge and reasoning in mathematical pedagogy: Examining what prospective teachers bring to teacher education''.

Research

Ball's research focuses on improving the effectiveness and quality of mathematical instruction. Much of her work investigates the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching, and she was among the first to suggest that this knowledge is qualitatively different from what is taught in advanced mathematics classes.

Awards and Positions

In 2004, Ball and coauthors

David K. Cohen David K. Cohen (August 16, 1934 – September 23, 2020) was an American educational theorist. Between 1964 and 1966, Cohen was a consultant to the NAACP. He then served as director of the Race and Education Project, an initiative of the United St ...

and Stephen W. Raudenbush won the Palmer O. Johnson Award presented by the

for the best article published in an AERA journal in 2003 for their paper ''Resources, instruction, and research''. In 2007, she was elected member of the

National Academy of Education (NAEd) The National Academy of Education (NAEd) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in the United States that advances high-quality research to improve education policy and practice. Founded in 1965, the NAEd currently consists of over 300 elect ...

. In 2008, she won the Outstanding Contributions to Mathematics Education Award, presented by the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In 2009, she won the 19th

Louise Hay Award The Louise Hay Award is a mathematics award established in 1990 by the Association for Women in Mathematics in recognition of contributions as a math educator. The award was created in honor of Louise Hay. Recipients The following women have been ...

for Outstanding Contributions to Mathematics Education, presented by the

Association for Women in Mathematics The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is a professional society whose mission is to encourage women and girls to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences, and to promote equal opportunity for and the equal treatment o ...

. In 2012 she became a fellow of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

. In 1999, Ball was appointed by

U.S. Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities rel ...

Richard Riley Richard Wilson Riley (born January 2, 1933) is an American politician, the United States Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton and the 111th governor of South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Riley is the only D ...

to serve on the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, a committee chaired by Senator John Glenn. From 1999 to 2003, Ball served as chair of the RAND Mathematics Study Panel, whose work culminated in the publication ''Mathematical Proficiency for All Students: Toward a Strategic Research and Development Program in Mathematics Education''. In 2003, Ball was appointed to the board of trustees of the

Mathematical Sciences Research Institute The Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), is an independent nonprofit mathematical research institution on the University of California campus in Berkeley, Califo ...

, and serves as the chair of the Education Committee there. In 2006, Ball was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education

Margaret Spellings Margaret M. LaMontagne Spellings (née Dudar; born November 30, 1957) is an American government and non-profit executive who has been serving as President and CEO of Texas 2036 since 2019. She previously served as the eighth United States secreta ...

to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.

Family

Deborah is married to Richard and has 3 children. Daughter, Sarah, and sons, Joshua and Jacob.

References

External links

Deborah Ball's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Deborah Loewenberg Living people University of Michigan faculty American educational theorists Fellows of the American Mathematical Society American women mathematicians 21st-century women mathematicians Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American educators Mathematicians from Michigan 21st-century American mathematicians 20th-century American women educators Schoolteachers from Michigan 21st-century American women