Carol Ann Tomlinson is Wiliam Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education where she is also Co-Director of the University's Institutes on Academic Diversity. Prior to joining the faculty at UVa, she was a teacher for 21 years. During that time, she taught students in high school, preschool, and middle school and also administered programs for struggling and advanced learners. She was Virginia's Teacher of the Year in 1974.

Kath Murdoch is an experienced teacher, author, university lecturer and popular consultant who has worked for many years in schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia, America and Europe. She is widely respected for her work in the field of inquiry based learning and integrative curriculum in which she has taught, researched and published for well over 25 years.

Jim Knight has spent more than two decades studying professional learning, effective teaching, and instructional coaching. He is a Research Associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and the President of the Instructional Coaching Group.

Dylan Wiliam is one of the world's leading authorities on the ways that assessment can be used to improve student learning and has authored or co-authored over 300 articles, books, and book chapters on education. After 7 years teaching English, mathematics and science in urban secondary schools in London, he joined Chelsea College,University of London, which later merged with King's College London. During his time at King's College London, he ran the mathematics teacher education programme, co-ordinated a large scale testing programme, served for five years as Dean of the School of Education and from 2001 to 2003, was Assistant Principal of the College.

Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. He is also a professorial fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University in Australia and Global Chair in Education at East China Normal University. He previously served as the Presidential Chair and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership.

It’s funny. These days a lot of folks are calling me “Dr. Hammond” since the book has become required reading in many teacher education programs and school districts. Well, to set the record straight, I am not a PhD. I do have a Master’s degree, but I consider myself a “boots on the ground” teacher. I call myself a former writing teacher turned equity freedom fighter. My heart is forever with children and teachers in the classroom, not in an ivory tower, even if these days most of my “students” are new leaders and pre-service teachers. [A quick note:Not throwing any shade at all the PhDs out there doing the work.]

Dr. Rojas conducts professional training on effective programs and strategies for English learners from pre-school through grade 12 for ESL (EAL) and classroom teachers. She has worked with over 300 international schools on language education policies, programs, and instructional practices. Dr. Rojas specializes in developing academic English as an Additional Language (EAL) and in providing access for English learners through teacher collaboration and effective instructional practices for teaching English learners in mainstream classrooms. She provides professional development sessions, job-embedded coaching, demonstration lessons, and conducts linguistic audits of ESL/EAL programs.

Ron Ritchhart spent years in the classroom as a teacher before joining Harvard Project Zero where he is now a Senior Research Associate. Over the past 16 years, Ron’s research has explored such issues as teaching for understanding, the development of intellectual character, creativity in teaching, and the development of thinking dispositions.

Jay McTighe brings a wealth of experience developed during a rich and varied career in education. He served as director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, a state collaboration of school districts working together to develop and share formative performance assessments. Prior to this position, Jay was involved with school improvement projects at the Maryland State Department of Education where he helped lead Maryland’s standards-based reforms, including the development of performance-based statewide assessments.

Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs is internationally recognized for her seminal work in contemporary curriculum design, vertical mapping and modernizing responsive school environments. She prizes her work directly with schools in all settings of every kind, whether public, private, secular, sectarian, on-site, or virtual. Dr. Jacobs’s models on curriculum mapping world are the basis for software solutions used throughout the world.

Alfie Kohn is an American author and lecturer in the areas of education, parenting, and human behavior. He is a proponent of progressive education and has offered critiques of many traditional aspects of parenting, managing, and American society more generally, drawing in each case from social science research.

Guy Claxton is a cognitive scientist with a long-standing passion for bringing the mind sciences to bear on the improvement of schools. His main research interest is in the expandability of human intelligence in all its forms: intellectual, practical, social, emotional and spiritual.

Thomas R. Guskey is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky where he served as Department Chair, Head of the Educational Psychology Area Committee, and President of the Faculty Council. He has been a Visiting Professor at ten universities in the U.S. and a Visiting Scholar at universities in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he began his career in education as a middle school teacher, served as an administrator in the Chicago Public Schools, and was the first director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national research center.

I have learned one thing for certain during more than thirty years of experience leading Student Voice and Aspirations work: nothing is constant. At least this is true in regard to the actual implementation of our work and the organizational structure upon which it is based. Without doubt, the mission itself has always never waned.

Child centred learning has been Anne's passion for more than 25 years. Anne has worked in schools in the Netherlands, China, Singapore and Switzerland, where she took on various positions such as team leader, PYP coordinator and director. Anne used to work at the Canadian International School (Singapore) where she was part of the team that took the school to IB authorisation Anne has been an IB workshop leader since 2005, sharing her passion for young children and play with educators in international schools.

Liz Pemberton (she/her) is the Director of The Black Nursery Manager Ltd - a training & consultancy company based in Birmingham, England which focuses on anti-racist practice within Early Years. With 20 years in the education sector, Liz’s roles have included Secondary School Teacher (QTS), public speaker and up until 2020, Nursery Manager, allowing her to teach, manage, support and educate Early Years Educators and students in a variety of forums.

Stephanie Harvey has spent the past forty two years teaching and learning about reading and writing. She received her BA from the University of Denver and her MA from the University of Colorado. After sixteen years of regular elementary and special education teaching in the Jefferson County Schools in Lakewood, Colorado, Stephanie became a staff developer forthe Denver based Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC), a partnership of leaders from education and business who support innovation in public schools.

Kathy Collins works in schools and presents in conferences all over the world to support teachers in developing high-quality, effective literacy instruction in the early childhood settings through middle school. She is the co-author, along with Janine Bempechat of Not This But That: No More Mindless Homework (Heinemann, 2017). She co-authored, with Matt Glover, I Am Reading: Nurture Meaning-Making and Joyful Engagement with Texts (Heinemann, 2015). Kathy's other books include Reading for Real: Teach Children to Read With Power, Intention, and Joy in K-3 Classrooms (Stenhouse, 2008) and Growing Readers: Units of Study in Primary Classrooms (Stenhouse, 2004). Kathy has worked closely with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University, and she taught in Brooklyn, New York. Kathy and her family live in Durham, New Hampshire.

Matt Glover has been an educator for over 30 years, as a teacher, a principal, author and consultant. He is the author and co-author of several books on teaching writing and reading including Projecting Possibilities for Writers.

Dan Feigelson has worked extensively in New York City schools as a teacher, staff developer, curriculum writer, principal, and local superintendent. An early member of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, he leads institutes, workshops and lab-sites around the world on the teaching of reading and writing.

Carl Anderson is an internationally recognized expert in writing instruction for Grades K-8, working as a consultant in schools and districts around the world.  A long-time Staff Developer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Carl is the author of numerous books on teaching writing, including the bestselling How’s It Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring with Student Writers, Assessing Writers and A Teacher’s Guide to Writing Conferences.

Jessica Martin is a former classroom teacher, Resident Advisor at University of California at Los Angeles Teacher Education Program, staff developer at Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Columbia University, and CEO of the education consulting organizationat Growing Educators.

Ralph Fletcher has been a mentor to teachers and young writers everywhere. He frequently works with young writers in schools, and speaks at education conferences in the US and abroad, helping teachers find wiser ways of teaching writing. Ralph is the author of many bestselling teacher professional books including Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide; Craft Lessons; What a Writer Needs, 2nd edition; and Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices.His most recent professional books include Joy Write: Cultivating High-Impact Low-Stakes Writing (April 2017) and The Writing Teacher’s Companion: Embracing Choice, Voice, Purpose and Play (July 2017).

Dr. Towanda Harris is currently the Director of Professional Learning and an adjunct professor of reading and writing and brings over twenty years of experience to the education world. Towanda is the author of The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices. Educators rely on her wisdom about how to find resources that meet their teaching goals and match their understanding of their students’ needs.

Mark Church works with schools throughout the world wishing to create cultures of thinking in their classrooms. He believes in the difference teachers can make for students when they strive to make thinking visible, valued, and actively promoted as part of the day-to-day experience of their learners. Mark encourages teachers to become students of their students, and more broadly, students of themselves and the choices they make to leverage the power of making thinking visible.

Fiona Zinn is an Education Consultant based in Australia. Drawing on 25 years experience in the early childhood, primary and tertiary sectors, Fiona works with educators around the world to boldly re-imagine early years pedagogy, curriculum and learning environments in response to research. Much of this work finds resonance with the educational project of Reggio Emilia but is also shaped by interpretation and experience across a wide range of contexts.

Kimberly, author of Experience Inquiry, is an internationally-recognized speaker on student-driven learning and inquiry-based instruction. Her workshops and videos are well-known throughout the international school community, and she is praised for her “accessible, engaging, and practical” approach to inquiry.

Susan Harris MacKay is the co-founder/director of the Center for Playful Inquiry, offering mentorship, consulting, and coaching in emergent design for a more courageous, creative, and compassionate future. As the co-host of Story Workshop Studio, an international community of educators, she facilitates experiences that support beauty and justice in the classroom. She is the author of Story Workshop: New Possibilities for Young Writers (Heinemann, 2021).

Matt Karlsen dedicates his efforts to helping educational professionals reimagine how they might partner with children and colleagues to construct more just and beautiful worlds. For three decades, he has worked as a classroom teacher and provider of professional development - including a transformative period at Opal School.

Meet Holly, a passionate educator and digital learning pioneer who has made significant contributions to the field of educational technology. With over 25 years of rich experience, Holly is not only an international speaker and a bestselling author but also an influential advocate for technology-infused education. She was one of the first teachers to have a 1:1 classroom (1999-2000) in the country and has dedicated her career to equipping educators globally with blended learning strategies. Holly's insightful work has made her a trusted authority for those keen to upgrade their teaching techniques through technology.

Sara K. Ahmed serves as the Director of Curriculum Integration and Innovation at Catherine Cook School in Chicago. She has taught and coached in public and private, local, and international schools, where her classrooms were designed to help students examine their own identities and see the humanity in others. When she is not in the classroom or meeting with teachers, you can find her coaching the soccer/football teams at school.

Tricia Friedman has worked as an educator in The United States, China, Thailand, Ukraine, Morocco, Indonesia, Switzerland, and Singapore. Tricia is the founder of Allyed.org and the Be a Better Ally Podcast where she hosts conversations about the state of LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools. Currently, she is the Creative Content Director with Shifting Schools. Tricia lives in Ottawa with her wife, and their dog who reminds her that every day deserves a really good walk.

Mr. Trevor MacKenzie is a practicing high school English teacher, inquiry learning coach and consultant who works with schools and organizations in their adoption of inquiry. Trevor is the author of two books, Dive into Inquiry: Amplify Learning and Empower Student Voice as well as Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders and Curiosities of Our Younger Learners published by Elevate Books Edu.

Dr. Lucy Hoi Yin Wong, Ph.D., is a certified Dr H. Lynn Erickson and Dr Lois A. Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Trainer and Presenter, a teacher, an author and an action research coordinator.

Before transitioning to her current position, she taught as a PYP bilingual classroom teacher. Lucy currently facilitates the development of Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction, supports K-12 literacy across the schools, and assists with the teacher induction and mentoring program.

Paul Andersen is an educational consultant and YouTube creator living in Bozeman, MT. Paul is an experienced educator having taught science in Montana for 20 years. Paul was the 2011 Montana Teacher of the Year, and was also one of four finalists for the 2011 National Teacher of the Year.

Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is a neuroscientist, educator, and author of the best-selling book Stop Talking, Start Influencing: 12 Insights from Brain Science to Make Your Message Stick. He has conducted research and lectured at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, the University of Melbourne, and over 200 schools internationally.

Following 10 years of supporting teachers and students in inclusive education and success strategies for remedial readers and English Language Learners, Aaron brings this frame into his work with administrators, teachers, students, and community members within the three Inspire Citizens’ Impact Frameworks for school-wide visioning and strategic planning, teacher professional learning, and student global leadership and collaboration. Aaron’s experience at the innovative Futures Academy at the International School of Beijing also developed his expertise in Project-Based Learning, Inquiry, Design Thinking, and best practice pedagogies for implementing authentic and impactful action.

Ivy is a sought-after educational designer and facilitator based in Shanghai and Beijing. Advocating for happiness and wellbeing of human and nature as a whole, she works with schools and businesses on strategic consulting, leadership retreats, competency building, student-facing experiential programs and educator coaching.

Julie Stern is passionate about synthesizing the best of education research into practical tools that support educators in breaking free of the industrial model of schooling and moving toward teaching and learning that promotes sustainability, equity, and well-being. She is the best-selling author of Learning that Transfers, Visible Learning for Social Studies with Hattie, Fisher, Frey and Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding, Elementary and Secondary. She is the thought leader behind the global workshop series Making Sense of Learning Transfer and is a certified trainer in Visible Learning Plus. She is a James Madison Constitutional Fellow and taught social studies for many years in Washington, DC and her native Louisiana. Julie moves internationally every few years with her husband, a US diplomat, and her two young sons.

Misty is a teacher, parent, and certified, independent concept-based teaching consultant with over 20 years of experience across preschool, elementary, and university classrooms. She holds a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in cross-faculty inquiry, and is pursuing a PhD in Art Education with a focus on artistry. Misty is well versed in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and has facilitated pedagogical transformations in partnership with hundreds of educators, learners, and families across North America and beyond.

Alan November is an international leader in education technology. He began his career as an oceanography teacher and dorm counselor at an island reform school for boys in Boston Harbor. While Alan was a computer science teacher in Lexington, Mass, he was probably the first teacher in the world to have a student project on line in 1984, a database for the handicapped. He has been director of an alternative high school, computer coordinator, technology consultant, and university lecturer.

Debbie Miller is an experienced teacher, author, and literacy consultant who now works in schools across the United States and Canada. She is known for her work in the field of comprehension instruction, particularly in its application for children in the primary grades.

Sam Passeport (she/her) is an Education Consultant/Founder of No Borders Learning which supports Secondary Schools and Higher Education Institutions with Feedback Literacies, based on her Doctoral Research. She is also an Instructional Designer at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. With over 13 years of experience in international education, Sam promotes a relational and critical approach to coaching and dialogic feedback, creating space for connections and true dialogues between students and teachers. You can get in touch with her at: www.noborderslearning.com.

With a professional teaching and leadership background in both the private and public international schools (IB PYP Educator & PYP Coordinator), Jessica brings a unique perspective to her role as Enrichment & Environment Coordinator at the school in Austin, Texas.

Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., founder of CBK Associates, is an international education consultant, who gladly shares her expertise on service learning, effective approaches to teaching and learning, dynamic advisory programs, organizational development, innovative curriculum design, and social and emotional development to schools, universities and organizations worldwide. She is known for her engaging style of presentation whether during a conference keynote, a multi-day education institute, or on-site school workshop always providing theoretical frameworks with practical applications.

Ken (He/Him/His) currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and spent most of his classroom experience teaching technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator, a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, and a Google Certified Innovator.

Clare Landrigan is a staff developer who is still a teacher at heart. After years serving as an educator and administrator in elementary public schools, she is now a literacy consultant, spending her days partnering with school systems to implement best practices in the field of literacy. She believes that effective professional development includes side-by-side teaching, analysis of student work, mutual trust, respect, and a good dose of laughter.

Calder Cheverie is a non-binary artist, lands-based educator and filmmaker. They teach (W)holistic Approaches to Teaching & Learning in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University and are the Storywork Coordinator for Skwxwú7mesh Nation’s Language & Culture department. Calder is completing a doctorate in Arts Education at Simon Fraser. Their research focuses on creating circles of kinship in curriculum design and artistic pathways toward the ethical embodiment of two-eyed seeing in pedagogical practice. Calder holds an M.Ed. in Nature-Based & Place-Conscious Practices and a GDE in Indigenous Education.

Dr. Judy Halbert and Dr. Linda Kaser are the co-directors of the Networks of Inquiry and Indigenous Education (noiie.ca) and are faculty members at the University of British Columbia where they lead the Transformative Educational Leadership Program. (telp.educ.ubc.ca)

Linda and Judy have served as teachers, principals, district leaders and policy advisors with British Columbia’s Ministry of Education. They have consulted extensively with school systems internationally.

Dr. Judy Halbert and Dr. Linda Kaser are the co-directors of the Networks of Inquiry and Indigenous Education (noiie.ca) and are faculty members at the University of British Columbia where they lead the Transformative Educational Leadership Program. (telp.educ.ubc.ca)

Linda and Judy have served as teachers, principals, district leaders and policy advisors with British Columbia’s Ministry of Education. They have consulted extensively with school systems internationally.

Born in Canada to a diverse, cross-cultural family, Alice is a parent, teacher, Vice-Principal and global learner of Nêhiyaw (Cree) and Igbo ancestry. She has taught in public, private and international schools in Canada, Hong Kong, Japan and Switzerland. Alice believes in emboldening and inspiring learners to continually spark their curiosity through hopeful, challenging inquiry and action so that, together, we can positively transform our world.

Currently an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad is a leader who strives to shape the national conversation for educating youth that have been underserved.

Sean has been teaching for close to 30 years. Since 2009, he has worked in PYP schools in the UK, USA and France as an advocate for inquiry and conceptual learning through his roles as a homeroom teacher, PYP Coordinator and workshop leader. In recent years, Sean ventured into the Early Years to explore play and playful learning more intentionally and is currently the Grade Level Leader for Early Years at the International School of Paris.

Garfield Gini-Newman is an associate professor, teaming stream in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. His primary areas of research involve the pedagogy of critical thinking and ways to embed critical thinking in classrooms from kindergarten to graduate school; the intersection of effective assessment and instruction; and, learning through sustained critical inquiry. Prof. Gini-Newman teaches courses in social sciences, history, creativity and innovation and authentic assessment.

Eloïse is a visionary educational leader and co-founder of Awesomenicity. As primary principal at the American International School of Mozambique, she champions barrier-free classrooms. With over 20 years in education across Europe, the U.S., Africa, and the Middle East, her roles as teacher, instructional coach, and principal bring a profound understanding of inquiry-based inclusive education, and she believes that all students can thrive in maths through differentiated, engaging instruction.

Hannah Woodhead is a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience in international schools across Kazakhstan, Czechia, and Malawi. A passionate advocate for inclusive learning, she specialises in designing differentiated maths lessons that meet students at their zone of proximal development, fostering critical-thinking, confidence, and a genuine love for the subject.

Caitlin is an innovative educator and co-founder of Awesomenicity, a maths learning platform dedicated to inspiring students and empowering educators through inquiry-driven, highly differentiated instruction. With extensive experience in diverse settings-from remote Indigenous communities in Australia to international schools - she designs creative, research-backed maths lessons that spark curiosity and build deep conceptual understanding.

Ken O’Connor is an independent consultant who specializes in issues relating to communicating student achievement, specifically grading and reporting. He is a strong advocate for standards-based teaching, grading and reporting. A graduate of the University of Melbourne (B.A. Hon) and the University of Toronto (M. Ed), he has been a staff development presenter and facilitator in 47 states in the USA, 10 provinces and two territories in Canada, and in 34 countries outside North America.

Katie Novak, Ed.D., is an internationally renowned education consultant, author, graduate instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. With 20 years of experience in teaching and administration, an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching, and fifteen published books, with over 280K books sold worldwide, Katie designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on the implementation of inclusive practices, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and universally designed leadership.

Nathan Lang-Raad, Ed.D. is a transformative education leader and author with over two decades of experience revolutionizing mathematics instruction, instructional coaching, and professional development. As the founder and CEO of Raad Education, he works with schools globally to implement systematic, evidence-based practices that drive measurable improvements in student achievement.

Ariel Raz designs transformative learning experiences that help professionals unlock their creative potential. He began his journey in education as a Teach for America corps member, teaching middle school math in Louisiana, where he discovered the power of experiential learning. After founding a middle school on Chicago’s South Side, Ariel pursued graduate studies at Stanford, immersing himself in the design-driven teaching practices of the d.school.

Dr. Jennifer Kelly has worked as a classroom teacher, an intervention teacher, a district literacy coordinator, an adjunct professor, and an independent literacy consultant. She currently works with the Provincial Outreach Program for the Early Years (POPEY) team as a teacher consultant in British Columbia, Canada. Jen completed her PhD through the University of British Columbia with a focus on professional learning for teachers.

Elena Aguilar is a writer, leader, teacher, coach and podcaster. She is the author of eight highly acclaimed books: The Art of Coaching (pub. 2013, retd. 2024), The Art of Coaching Teams (2016), Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators (2018), The Onward Workbook (2018), Coaching for Equity (2020), The Art of Coaching Workbook (pub. 2020, retd. 2024), The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development (2022), and Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching (July 2024). She has also been a frequent contributor to Edutopia, ASCD’s Educational Leadership, and EdWeek Teacher.

Jan has worked as a classroom teacher, an interventionist, a district literacy coordinator, a regional language arts consultant, a part-time assistant professor, and an independent literacy consultant. Jan is the author or co-author of five books on literacy, including Preventing Misguided Reading (Stenhouse, 2017) and Who’s Doing the Work? How to Say Less so Readers Can Do More (Stenhouse, 2016). Jan’s dissertation, A Meta-analysis of Phonemic Awareness Research (1999, University of Kansas) was a finalist for the International Reading Association’s Dissertation of the Year Award. Jan is passionate about helping educators navigate and understand the complex demands of teaching today while also honoring their inner teacher.

Liam Isaac is the Director of Learning and Innovation at Serious Work. He spent almost two decades as an international educator, teaching in the UK, Paris and Singapore. Now, as a learning designer, he specialises in the design and facilitation of professional learning experiences focussed on the power of purposeful play. As a trained architect and design-engineering specialist, Liam also draws on his design and systems thinking background to inform his program design.

Dr. Eowyn Crisfield is a specialist in languages across the curriculum (LAC), including EAL/ELL, home languages, bilingual and immersion education, super-diverse schools and Translanguaging. Her focus is on equal access to learning and language development for all students, and on appropriate and effective professional development for teachers working with language learners. She works with families, schools, and organisations around the world, and is engaged in research on language learning in multiple contexts.