Sharon Walpole, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. She has extensive school-based experience, including both high school teaching and elementary school administration. Dr. Walpole served as a research assistant and as a research associate at the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA). She has also been involved in federally funded and homegrown schoolwide reform projects and participates in and studies the design and effects of schoolwide reforms, particularly those involving literacy coaches. The coauthor of two books and numerous articles, Dr. Walpole’s research interests include classroom- and school-level correlates of student achievement, particularly in schools engaged in improvement efforts.
 
Michael C. McKenna, PhD, is Thomas G. Jewell Professor of Reading at the University of Virginia. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of 15 books and more than 100 articles, chapters, and technical reports on a range of literacy topics. Dr. McKenna’s research has been sponsored by the National Reading Research Center and CIERA. He is the cowinner of National Reading Conference's Edward Fry Book Award and the American Library Association's Award for Outstanding Academic Books. He serves on the editorial board of Reading Research Quarterly, and has coedited themed issues of the Peabody Journal of Education and Reading and Writing Quarterly. Dr. McKenna’s research interests include comprehension in content settings, reading attitudes, technology applications, and beginning reading.