Dr. Ebel received his B.A. from the Iowa State Teachers College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the State University of Iowa. He taught high school in Iowa and Michigan from 1932-41, and was a principal in Dearborn from 1941-44. From 1947-57 he held various academic appointments at the State University of Iowa. From 1957-63 he was vice president for general programs at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ; and he came to MSU in 1963 as professor, assistant dean and director, School of Advanced Studies.

His professional memberships and offices are far too numerous to enumerate. He has received many awards and honors, including the MSU Distinguished Faculty Award in 1971, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Northern Iowa in 1966. He is the author of textbooks in the field including Measuring Educational Achievement and Essentials of Education Measurement, as well as numerous publications.

He has served as a consultant to a Ford Foundation Project in Brazil and is considered a national authority in the field of testing and measurement.