Barbara R. Blackburn, a Top 30 Global Guru in Education, has taught early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students and has served as an educational consultant for three publishing companies. In addition to speaking at international, national, and state conferences, she also regularly presents workshops for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and high schools. She is the author of over 20 books, including the bestseller Rigor Is Not a Four-Letter Word.

Melissa Miles, coauthor of Rigor in the 6–12 ELA and Social Studies Classroom, is currently back in the classroom teaching middle school language arts after serving as Director of Educational Resources at a school in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has almost 20 years of classroom teaching experience. She is also twice credentialed as a National Board-Certified teacher for young adolescents, works as a SpringBoard Curriculum consultant to College Board, and is a certified member of the site visitation team for the Schools to Watch award.