Deborah Loewenberg Ball
Encyclopedia
Deborah Loewenberg Ball is an educational researcher noted for her work in mathematics instruction and the mathematical preparation of teachers. She currently is dean of the School of Education
at the University of Michigan
and William H. Payne Collegiate Professor. She directs the Teacher Education Initiative, 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.
, Ball majored in French and then taught elementary school for seventeen years in East Lansing, Michigan. 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.
won the Palmer O. Johnson Award presented by the American Educational Research Association
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). 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 for Outstanding Contributions to Mathematics Education, presented by the Association for Women in Mathematics
.
In 1999, Ball was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley
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
, and serves as the chair of the Education Committee there. In 2006, Ball was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.
University of Michigan School of Education
The University of Michigan School of Education is the education school of the University of Michigan and is located in Ann Arbor, MI...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and William H. Payne Collegiate Professor. She directs the Teacher Education Initiative, 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
Math wars
Math wars is the debate over modern mathematics education, textbooks and curricula in the United States that was triggered by the publication in 1989 of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and subsequent development and...
,
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 UniversityMichigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, Ball majored in French and then taught elementary school for seventeen years in East Lansing, Michigan. 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 and Stephen W. RaudenbushStephen Raudenbush
Stephen Raudenbush is the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Sociology and Chairman of the Committee on Education at the University of Chicago. He is best known for his development and application of hierarchical linear models in the field of education but he has also published on other subjects such as...
won the Palmer O. Johnson Award presented by the American Educational Research Association
American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association, or AERA, was founded in 1916 as a professional organization representing educational researchers in the United States and around the world....
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). 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 for Outstanding Contributions to Mathematics Education, presented by the Association for Women in Mathematics
Association for Women in Mathematics
The Association for Women in Mathematics is a professional society whose mission is to encourage women and girls to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences. Equal opportunity and the equal treatment of women and girls in the mathematical sciences are promoted. The AWM was...
.
In 1999, Ball was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley
Richard Riley
Richard Wilson Riley , American politician, was United States Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton and the 111th Governor of South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
to serve on the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, a committee chaired by Senator John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
. 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
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute , founded in 1982, is an independent nonprofit mathematical research institution whose funding sources include the National Science Foundation, foundations, corporations, and more than 90 universities and institutions...
, and serves as the chair of the Education Committee there. In 2006, Ball was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
Margaret Spellings
Margaret Spellings was the Secretary of Education from 2005-2009 under the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush and previously served as White House Domestic Policy Adviser to President George W. Bush....
to the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.