Mark Berends is the Hackett Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a professor of sociology and directs the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO). He has written and published extensively on educational reform, school choice, the effects of family and school changes on student achievement trends and gaps, and the effects of schools and classrooms on student outcomes. His research focuses on how school organization and classroom instruction are related to student development, with special attention to underserved students and school reforms aimed at reducing educational inequalities. Within this agenda, he has applied a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods to understanding the effects of school reforms on students, teachers, and schools.

Stephen Lamb is Emeritus Professor of Education at Victoria University, in Australia. He was formerly Director of the Centre for International Research on Education Systems. Lamb has worked on a wide range of international and national projects on school funding, performance of schools and school systems, factors influencing student achievement, and social differences in school to work transition. His research is concerned with how well schools and education systems work, for whom, and why.