James M. Kauffman is Professor Emeritus of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. He was the William Clay Parrish Professor of Education 1992-1994, he Charles S. Robb Professor of Education 1999-2003, and received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Gurry School of Education in 1997. He received the Research Award, Council for Exceptional Children in 1994 and the Outstanding Leadership Award, Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders in 2002. Jeanmarie Badar is Instructional Assistant in second-grade classrooms in the Charlottesville City Schools. She was a special education teacher for 25 years and served on the faculty of James Madison University. She completed her Master's degree in special education at Kent State University (KSU) and received her Ph.

D. from the University of Virginia. The Badar/Kauffman endowed Conference on Contemporary Issues in Special Education at KSU was named in her honor. She is co-author with James M. Kauffman, Daniel P. Hallahan, and Paige C. Pullen of another Routledge book published in 2018, the second edition of Special Education: What It Is and Why We Need It.