Deborah Loewenberg Ball

Deborah Loewenberg Ball is the Jessie Jean Storey-Fry Distinguished University Professor of Education at the Marsal Family School of Education, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and a Research Professor at the Survey Research Center within the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. She also directs TeachingWorks, a program focused on defining and supporting effective teaching practices for educators. Ball began her career as an elementary school teacher, teaching for over 15 years, and continues to engage in summer teaching at the Elementary Mathematics Laboratory (EML), a space for observing and analyzing teaching dynamics.

Her educational background includes a doctoral degree in mathematics education from Michigan State University (1988), where her work emphasized the interplay between teacher knowledge and classroom practice. She has held significant leadership roles, including serving as dean of the University of Michigan School of Education (2005–2016), president of the American Educational Research Association (2017–2018), and currently as a member of the National Science Board and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Board of Trustees.

Ball’s research interests center on the practice of teaching, particularly in elementary mathematics, and its role in fostering student agency, equity, and collective learning. She explores how teachers’ decisions in 'discretionary spaces'—moments where they choose instructional approaches—impact educational justice and student outcomes. Key themes include leveraging curricula to support marginalized students, measuring teacher knowledge (e.g., Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching), and redesigning teacher education to prioritize practice-based learning.

Her recent articles and projects highlight the importance of formative assessments for teacher candidates, equitable discussion practices, and the influence of discretionary spaces in instruction. Ball has also contributed to state-level initiatives, such as the New York State Education Department’s numeracy briefs, which synthesize research for educators. Her scientific awards include prestigious recognitions like her election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2014) and National Academy of Education (2007), along with fellowships from the American Mathematical Society and the American Educational Research Association.

Ball’s advising and grant work emphasize practical, scalable solutions for teacher education. Major grants include projects to support multilingual early mathematics learners, pandemic-era teacher professional development, and strategies for implementing practice-based education. She emphasizes collaboration across disciplines and institutions to address systemic inequities in education. The Elementary Mathematics Laboratory (EML) serves as a central hub for her work, blending research and practice to model effective teaching and engage stakeholders in dialogue about educational justice.