Alfie Kohn was recently described by Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores." He is the author of 13 books on education and human behavior, including The Schools Our Children Deserve, The Case Against Standardized Testing, and The Homework Myth. A former teacher, Kohn now works with educators across the country and speaks regularly at national conferences. He lives (actually) in Belmont, Mass. and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org. Patrick Shannon's latest book with Heinemann is Closer Readings of the Common Core, an analysis and critique the Common Core State Standards.

He and his colleagues seek answers to the big questions about standards (Common to whom? Core of What?) by examining the product and process of the CCSS document, its creation, and its adoption. A former preschool and primary grades teacher, Pat is currently a professor of education at The Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of numerous other Heinemann titles, including Reading Against Democracy (2005); Education, Inc. (2002); Becoming Political, Too (2001); iShop, You Shop (2001); Reading Poverty (1998); text, lies, & video tape: stories about life, literacy, & learning (1995); and Becoming Political: Readings and Writings in the Politics of Literacy Education (1992), all published by Heinemann.