ANN ARBOR—Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the University of Michigan School of Education, will be interviewed Sept. 23 on MSNBC as part of the NBC network’s Education Nation Summit.

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will talk to Ball about the changing landscape of teacher evaluation as part of a two-hour “Teacher Town Hall.” Ball is scheduled to appear in the first half-hour of the program, which will be broadcast live noon-2 p.m.

Education Nation is NBC News’ initiative to engage the country in a solutions-focused conversation about the state of education in America. The three-day event—with more than 300 of the country’s thought leaders in education, government, business, philanthropy and media—will take place Sept. 23-25 at the New York Public Library.

Those attending include presidential candidate Mitt Romney and actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, stars of the new movie “Won’t Back Down.” The film focuses on parent-trigger laws, which allow parents in a few states to petition to have staff at an underperforming public school let go, the curriculum overhauled and, in some cases, the school turned into a charter.

The summit will be streamed live on EducationNation.com and portions will be broadcast on the television and cable networks of NBC News.

In addition to her role as dean, Ball is director of TeachingWorks, a national organization housed at the U-M School of Education that is dedicated to improving teacher education in the United States. She taught elementary school for more than 15 years, and continues to teach mathematics to elementary students every summer.

Ball is an expert on teacher training and development. The perspective that underlies her work is that good teaching can powerfully affect young people’s futures. Skillful teaching, she says, is not common sense. It can—and must––be taught. Her research focuses on how professional training, experience and formative assessments combine to equip beginning teachers with the skills and knowledge needed to help every student succeed.

Ball has written or co-written more than 150 publications and has lectured and made numerous major presentations across the world. Her research has been recognized with awards and honors, and she has served on several national and international commissions and panels focused on policy initiatives and the improvement of education. Most recently, she was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to chair the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness, a group charged with designing Michigan’s system of educator evaluation.

Related Links:

• Deborah Loewenberg Ball: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dball/background/index.html
• U-M School of Education: http://www.soe.umich.edu
• NBC News Education Nation: http://www.educationnation.com