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Personal Profile of Dr. Deborah Loewenberg Ball

Biography

Deborah Loewenberg Ball is the William H. Payne Collegiate Professor of education at the University of Michigan, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, a research professor in the Institute for Social Research, and the director of TeachingWorks. She taught elementary school for more than 15 years and continues to teach children every summer. Ball’s research focuses on the practice of teaching, using elementary mathematics as a critical context for investigating the challenges of helping children develop understanding and agency and to work collectively, and on leveraging the power of teaching to disrupt patterns of racism, marginalization, and inequity. Ball is an expert on the demands of teaching and the imperatives for teachers’ professional education.

Ball has authored more than 200 articles and chapters and has lectured and made major presentations around the world. She has also developed distinctive collections of video records of practice that are broadly used to make teaching practice visible. Her research has been recognized with several awards and honors, and she has served on national and international commissions and panels focused on the improvement of education. She currently serves on the National Science Board and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute Board of Trustees and previously served as president of the American Educational Research Association (2017–2018) and as dean of the University of Michigan School of Education (2005–2016). Ball has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education, and is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society and the American Educational Research Association.

website: https://deborahloewenbergball.com/
Current/Future Committee Membership
Name Office Start Date End Date
Board of Trustees Mar 05, 2011 Feb 28, 2025
Committee on Trustees Apr 01, 2022 Mar 31, 2024
Educational Advisory Committee Chair (3/1/03-3/31/23) & Co-Chair (4/1/23-3/31/24) Mar 01, 2003 Mar 31, 2024

Past Committee Membership
Name Office Start Date End Date
Board of Trustees Feb 13, 2003 Mar 01, 2007
Board of Trustees Mar 01, 2007 Mar 01, 2011
Education Committee Chair Mar 01, 2003 Feb 28, 2015
Educational Advisory Committee Chair, EAC Mar 01, 2003 Mar 01, 2011
Educational Advisory Committee Chair, EAC Mar 05, 2011 Mar 01, 2015
Long Range Planning Committee Apr 01, 2005 Apr 01, 2006
  1. Workshop Critical Issues in Mathematics Education 2016: Observing, Evaluating and Improving Mathematics Teaching from the Early Grades through the University

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    Feb 11, 2016
    Thursday
    08:30 AM - 09:45 AM
      (How) Can we “see” the work of teaching mathematics?
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
    Feb 12, 2016
    Friday
    03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
      A conversation about practical next steps
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
  2. Workshop Critical Issues in Mathematics Education 2014: The role of the mathematics department in the mathematical preparation of teachers

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    Mar 26, 2014
    Wednesday
    04:45 PM - 06:00 PM
      Plenary Session: A conversation about the mathematical preparaton of teachers and the challenges universities face
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Herbert Clemens (Ohio State University), Hung-Hsi Wu (University of California, Berkeley)
    Mar 27, 2014
    Thursday
    08:30 AM - 09:30 AM
      Plenary Session: Panel - Understanding mathematics teacher education
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Linda Gojak (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), Diana Suddreth (Utah State Office of Education)
    Mar 28, 2014
    Friday
    04:35 PM - 05:00 PM
      Plenary Session (closing session): Reflections on ideas discussed at the workshop
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Jim Lewis (University of Nebraska)
  3. Workshop Using Partnerships to Strengthen Elementary Mathematics Teacher Education

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    Dec 11, 2008
    Thursday
    09:00 AM - 10:15 AM
      Introduction to the Workshop
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), William McCallum (University of Arizona)
    Dec 12, 2008
    Friday
    09:00 AM - 10:05 AM
      Forming Partnerships Across Institutional Boundaries (budgetary, departmental, college)
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Jim Lewis (University of Nebraska), William McCallum (University of Arizona)
    01:30 PM - 03:10 PM
      Learning Mathematics for Elementary Teaching at the University of Michigan
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Hyman Bass (University of Michigan), Tim Boerst, Laurie Sleep
    05:00 PM - 05:30 PM
      Closing Session
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
  4. Workshop Critical Issues in Mathematics Education 2008: Teaching and Learning Algebra

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    May 14, 2008
    Wednesday
    06:45 PM - 07:15 PM
      The National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report: Summing Up and Taking Stock
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
    May 16, 2008
    Friday
    05:15 PM - 05:45 PM
      Connections among the questions
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
  5. Workshop Raising the floor: Progress and setbacks in the struggle for quality mathematics education for all

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    May 08, 2006
    Monday
    11:30 AM - 11:50 AM
      Charge to the Workshop
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
    May 10, 2006
    Wednesday
    11:00 AM - 11:55 AM
      Seeking a Workshop Consensus
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
  6. Workshop The Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (K-8): Why, What and How?

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    May 26, 2005
    Thursday
    08:30 AM - 08:45 AM
      Teacher's Knowledge of Mathematics
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
    11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
      What Mathematical Knowledge, Skill, and Habits Do Teachers Need in Order to Teach Effectively?
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
    03:15 PM - 03:30 PM
      What Mathematical Knowledge, Skill, and Habits Do Teachers Need in Order to Teach Effectively?
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)
    05:25 PM - 05:25 PM
      Consolidation in Whole Group--What Mathematical Knowledge or Skill is Required to do this Work?
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Judith Flowers, Thomas Parker (Michigan State University), Akihiko Takahashi (DePaul University), Alejandro Uribe (University of Michigan), Cheryl Wilson
    May 27, 2005
    Friday
    12:00 AM - 07:00 PM
      What Can Mathematics Departments and Schools of Education Do to Help Teachers Develop Such Knowledge?
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Dan Fallon, Roger Howe (Yale University), Richard (James) Milgram
    May 28, 2005
    Saturday
    10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
      What Are the Critical Next Steps with Respect to Policy? What are Directions for Research? Come Back to Evidence.
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), Ruth Cossey (Mills College), David Eisenbud (University of California, Berkeley), Jeremy Kilpatrick
  7. Workshop Assessing Students’ Mathematics Learning: Issues, Costs and Benefits

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    Mar 07, 2004
    Sunday
    01:30 PM - 02:00 PM
      Opening Session
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan), David Eisenbud (University of California, Berkeley)
    Mar 08, 2004
    Monday
    08:45 AM - 10:00 AM
      Live Interview Session with 6th Grade Student.
    Deborah Ball (University of Michigan)