Isabel Leite is Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Évora and Chair of the EDULOG Advisory Board. As an independent, she served as Secretary of State for Basic and Secondary Education in the 19th Constitutional Government, working on curriculum and assessment across different education pathways. In 2009 and 2010, she was part of the working group responsible for the psycholinguistic study establishing reference levels for reading and writing from Years 1 to 6, within the framework of monitoring the National Reading Plan.

Nadine Gaab is Professor of Learning Differences at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work focuses on typical and atypical learning trajectories from childhood through adolescence, with a particular emphasis on language, reading, and literacy development, as well as the role of environmental factors in shaping these trajectories.

Kate Nation is Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St John’s College. Her research focuses on language and literacy development in children. She completed her DPhil at the University of York, studying factors influencing spelling development, and later worked there as a Research Fellow and Lecturer in Psychology.

Nisreen Ash is Principal Impact Manager at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, where she leads impact evaluation studies assessing the effectiveness and long-term outcomes of educational programmes and innovations. With over two decades of international experience, she works with ministries of education, NGOs, and institutional partners to support evidence-based education policy and practice.

Jennifer Buckingham is Executive Director of Policy and Evidence at the NSW Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation. She was previously Director of Strategy and a Senior Research Fellow at MultiLit, and Director of the Education Program at the Centre for Independent Studies. She is also the founder of the Five from Five reading project, which aims to bridge research and practice in reading instruction.

Eliza Hilton is Head of Education Programme at the Fischer Family Foundation, where she leads the strategy of the APEX project, an initiative focused on developing system-level solutions to ensure all pupils achieve a secure foundation in reading by the end of Year 2. In her role, she also oversees the foundation’s support for research projects, educational products, and services developed by FFT Education Ltd. She works on building partnerships with policymakers and educational organisations to improve literacy outcomes across schools in the UK.

Caroline Lang is Headteacher of Longsands Community Primary School, with around 25 years of experience in education. Throughout her career, she has focused on promoting learning environments that value students’ interests and foster a lifelong love of learning, with a particular emphasis on reading. She advocates for the central role of schools in developing reading habits and creating meaningful educational experiences from the early years.

Alex Quigley is Head of Content and Engagement at the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), where he leads the strategy for content production and dissemination, including guidance reports and educational resources, as well as engagement with a wide range of audiences across the education sector. Prior to joining EEF, he was Director of Huntington Research School and held senior school leadership roles. He is the author of several books for educators and a regular columnist for TES magazine.

Ann Kennedy is Senior Research Director for Project Management at TIMSS & PIRLS. Before joining the ISC, she worked at ETS’s Center for Global Assessment, where she led the PISA for Development and PISA 2022 projects. She also served as a research project manager at OECD’s Education & Skills Online. Between 2011 and 2013, she was an assessment specialist at ETS, overseeing test development and scoring processes for NAEP Reading. From 2000 to 2011, she coordinated PIRLS at the ISC.