Francine Johnston is retired from the Department of Teacher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she served as Director of Graduate Studies, Coordinator of the Reading Masters Program, and ran a clinic for struggling readers. Francine worked as a first grade teacher and reading specialist for 12 years before getting her doctorate at the University of Virginia where she first learned about a developmental approach to word study and worked with Dr. Marcia Invernizzi to develop word study materials and activities. She consults with school districts across the country and frequently serves as a professional development speaker. Francine is a co-author of many books, including Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction. Donald R. Bear is Professor Emeritus in Literacy and Director of Literacy Centers at Iowa State University and University the University of Nevada, Reno. A former elementary teacher, Donald currently researches literacy development with a special interest in students who speak different languages and he partners with schools and districts to think about how to assess and conduct literacy instruction.

Marcia Invernizzi is Henderson Professor of Reading Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. She and her multilingual doctoral students enjoy exploring developmental universals in non-English orthographies. A former English and reading teacher, Marcia extends her experience working with children who experience difficulties learning to read and write in numerous intervention programs, such as Virginia's Early Intervention Reading Initiative and Book Buddies. Shane Templeton is Foundation Professor Emeritus of Literacy Studies in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. A former classroom teacher at the primary and secondary levels, he has focused his research on the development of orthographic and vocabulary knowledge. He has written several books on the teaching and learning of reading and language arts and is a member of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary. Francine, Donald, Marcia, and Shane are the core authors of the Word Their Way® series.