Deborah Meier was born on April 6, 1931 in New York City and received a master's degree in history from the University of Chicago in 1955. She began her career in education in 1963 as a kindergarten teacher in Chicago. In 1966, she returned to New York City, where she taught at PS 144 and was involved in open-corridor class experiments. In 1974, Meier started Central Park East, which was later expanded into three schools: Central Park East I, Central Park East II, and River East. In 1985, Meier and the Central Park East staff again expanded the school, this time adding Central Park East Secondary School for students in 7th through 12th grade. Her work at Central Park East brought her recognition in the form of a MacArthur fellowship, which she received in 1987. From 1992 to 1996, Meier also served as co-director of the Coalition Campus Schools Project, an initiative to restructure large, failing high schools into multiple smaller schools. In 1997, Meier left New York City to found Mission Hill, a pilot elementary school in Boston, where she served as principal until 2005. Meier has written numerous articles and several books on education, including The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America from a Small School in Harlem. She has received much recognition for her work, including honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Brown, and other universities.