Julianne C. Turner is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame.  Professor Turner’s research investigates contextual affordances for learning, motivation, and engagement in school, and has focused on both students and teachers, especially in the areas of math and reading. Recently she has developed professional development interventions for supporting student academic engagement in middle schools. She has just completed a three-year intervention with middle school teachers, focusing on changes in teachers’ understanding of and application of principles of motivation in classroom instruction as related to student engagement.

Mark Berends is a professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, where he directs the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity. His research focuses on how school organization and classroom instruction are related to student achievement, with special attention to disadvantaged students and school reforms aimed at improving their educational opportunities. Currently, he is conducting several studies on school choice, including an examination of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program, parent decision making and satisfaction in a lottery-based study of charter schools, and how in-school enabling conditions and classroom instruction are related to student achievement gains in charter schools and traditional public schools. 

James G. Ladwig is an associate professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is internationally recognized as a leading researcher in school reform, the sociology of education, educational policy and the philosophy of education. Since the late 1990s, Ladwig's research has been specifically designed to have impact on the nature and direction of educational policy and school reform.

Francesca López is an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Arizona, where she co-directs the Center for Research in Classrooms. Dr. López is an educational psychologist who specializes in exploring how educational settings promote achievement for Latina/o children and youth. She is currently working on a 50-state report card for the Network of Public Education, which examines state policies (charter schools, class size, funding, teacher pay, etc.) and how they are related to students’ outcomes (i.e., reducing achievement gaps).

Sadhana Puntambekar is a professor in the learning sciences program in the educational psychology department at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research is in the field of design and use of technology enriched interactive environments in education. Her current research, funded by an early CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, is focused on understanding the cognitive and contextual issues in integrating digital text in middle school science classes.

Suzanne Wilson is a Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Connecticut where she currently serves as a professor in the curriculum and instruction department. She has written on teacher knowledge, curriculum reform, educational policy, and teacher learning. Her current work concerns exploring various measures of teaching and teachers’ understanding that might be used for teacher education and education research, as well as a study of the contemporary and jurisdictional battles over who should control teacher education and licensure.