Mary Ann Blank has spent most of her professional life as a teacher educator at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and as an educational consultant to numerous school systems in Tennessee and other states. Her current work is providing leadership, professional development, and assistance to schools and school systems in the areas of curriculum and instruction, teacher evaluation, and school improvement. At UT, she teaches courses in instructional theory and design, curriculum development, and analysis of professional practice. She is the clinical professor supervising and instructing teaching interns at Alcoa Elementary Professional Development School. She is collaborating with Cheryl Kershaw and others on a Title II teacher quality grant, focusing her work primarily on enhancing the practice of outstanding teachers in many of Knox County's inner-city schools. She is also a Dimensions of Learning trainer and works with educators in Loudon County Schools on systemwide implementation of this interactive and differentiated model of planning and instruction. Another of her responsibilities is as a developer and copresenter with Kershaw on Mentoring for the Tennessee Academy for School Leaders.

In the past, Blank has presented at national meetings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and others professional organizations. She has written a number of published articles and is a coauthor of several texts.

Carol Kershaw has served as director of University of Tennessee's Urban Impact initiative, which was funded through a federal grant seeking to improve teacher quality. She previously taught English and remedial reading at Fulton High School for nine years.