Jeanne R. Paratore, EdD, is Associate Professor of Education at Boston University, where she teaches courses in literacy, language, and cultural studies. From 1989 to 1997 she was an integral member of the Boston University/Chelsea, Massachusetts, Public School Partnership, a comprehensive urban school reform effort, in which she focused her efforts on improving classroom literacy instruction and building strong home-school partnerships. She was a core advisor to Teaching Reading, K-2, A Video Library of Effective Classroom Practices, a project funded by the Annenberg Foundation and produced by WGBH television. At present, Dr. Paratore works with school-based literacy leaders in Lowell, Massachusetts, to support effective instruction in classrooms throughout the city. She has written articles and book chapters about family literacy, classroom grouping practices, and classroom assessment.

Rachel McCormack, EdD, is an Associate Professor of Literacy Education at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Her research interests include effective strategies for teaching comprehension using flexible grouping. Recent investigations have focused on finding ways to prepare preservice teachers to teach in diverse urban settings. A frequent presenter at national conferences, Rachel has coauthored and coedited several publications with Jeanne Paratore.