Deborah Meier

Who is Deborah Meier?

Deborah Meier is an American educator often considered the founder of the modern small schools movement. After spending several years as a kindergarten teacher in Chicago, Philadelphia and then New York City, in 1974 Meier became the founder and director of the alternative Central Park East school, which embraced progressive ideals in the tradition of John Dewey in an effort to provide better education for children in East Harlem, within the New York City public school system.

Meier then served as founding principal for two other small public elementary schools, Central Park East II and River East, both in East Harlem. In 1984, with the assistance and support of Ted Sizer's Coalition of Essential Schools, Meier founded the Central Park East Secondary School. The success of these schools has been documented in David Bensman's Central Park East and its Graduates: Learning by Heart, and in Frederick Wiseman's documentary film, "High School II", among many other publications. During this time, and after, Meier helped to establish a network of small schools in New York City based on progressive principles. Among the many boards on which she has served was the founding board of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. In 1987 Meier received a MacArthur Fellowship, the first teacher or principal so honored.