Sandra N. Kaplan has been a teacher and administrator of gifted programs in an urban school district in California. Currently, she is Clinical Professor in Learning and Instruction at the University of Southern Californiäs Rossier School of Education. She has authored articles and books on the nature and scope of differentiated curriculum for gifted students. Her primary area of concern is modifying the core and differentiated curriculum to meet the needs of inner-city, gifted learners. Sandra is the past president of the California Association for the Gifted (CAG) and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). She has been nationally recognized for her contributions to gifted education.

Irene Guzman has been teaching in the Santa Ana Unified School District for 14 years. She is currently teaching third grade at Heninger Elementary School. She has dedicated her efforts to differentiate the curriculum for Gifted English Language Learners. She has worked closely with teachers to improve the specific needs for gifted students in the urban setting. Ms. Guzman has worked under the USC Javits Grant as a mentor and a coach. She has also been a demonstration teacher and presenter at the California Association for the Gifted Conference and the USC summer institutes.

Carol Ann Tomlinson is the William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the University of Virginiäs Curry School of Education and Department Chair of Leadership, Foundations, and Policy. Prior to joining the University of Virginiäs faculty, she was a classroom teacher for twenty-one years, working at the primary, middle, and high school levels. During that time, she also administered district programs for struggling and advanced learners and was recognized as Virginiäs Teacher of the Year in 1974. Presently, at the University of Virginia, Carol¿s work focuses largely on curriculum and differentiated instruction. She was named outstanding Professor at Curry in 2004 and won an All-University Teaching Award in 2008. Carol is the author of over 200 books, book chapters, articles, and professional development materials-many of them on differentiated instruction.