Nancy Hertzog is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education and director of University Primary School at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dedicated to serving the education of young children, Hertzog has become a sought-after specialist on the topic of early childhood education in smart children. She has studied young children both in role as the director of UIUC's University Primary School, an inclusive early childhood setting that serves a multiculturally diverse population of students from preschool to first grade and at the exemplary Reggio Emilia municipal preschools and infant/toddler centers in Italy. Her current research focuses on curricular approaches and teaching strategies to challenge and instruct children with diverse abilities, studying teacher's implementation of Project Approach in classrooms with both high- and low-achieving children from low-income backgrounds. Frances A. Karnes, Ph.D., is professor of curriculum, instruction, and special education at The University of Southern Mississippi.

She is widely known for her teaching, research, publications, innovative program developments, and service activities in gifted education and leadership training.