Alice Miel

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Alice Miel (February 21, 1906 - January 31, 1998) was an American educator and author of The Shortchanged Children of Suburbia, a study that has been characterized as a “groundbreaker” in its publicized stress on what suburban schools.

Miel was born in Six Lakes, Michigan, where she grew up. In 1928, she graduated from the University of Michigan. Three years following her graduation she received her master's. From that point in her life, she went on the get her doctorate in education at Teachers College, Columbia University in 1944.

Miel's career started at Tappan Junior High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she began teaching Social Studies and Latin in elementary and secondary schools. She later became the principal. An early landmark in Alice's life was in 1936 when she had a study session at Ohio State University with Laura Zirbes, a prominent figure in the field of elementary education. Miel left this meeting with an obligation to understanding children, not just content, and to providing for their individual differences. In 1945, Alice was appointed a professor at Teachers College and staff researcher at the Horace Mann-Lincoln Institute of school experimentation. In 1960, she took charge of the college’s department of curriculum and teaching. In 1967, Dr. Miel wrote the book, The Shortchanged Children of Suburbia, which became an award winning study that has been characterized as a “groundbreaker” in its publicized stress on what suburban schools were failing the educate about human differences and cultural diversity. Dr. Miel retired from the Teahcer College in 1971.

After many achievements, on January 31, 1998 Dr. Miel died at the age of 91. As a professor of education and an author who focused on curriculum development, Dr. Miel taught and left her impression on the subject matter throughout the country and around the world.