Paul Wilfred Armstrong is Senior Lecturer in Education at the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester. He has over 15 years experience in educational research exploring contemporary forms of educational leadership and management, in particular the means by which schools are managed and resourced and how organisational collaboration can support teaching and learning. His most recent publication is School-to-school collaboration in England: A configurative review of the empirical evidence with Chris Brown and Chris Chapman. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Sage journal, Management in Education.

Chris Brown is Professor in Education and Deputy Executive Dean (Research) at Durham University. Chris is seeking to drive forward the notion of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) as a means to promote the collaborative learning of teachers. The aim of this collaborative learning is to improve both teaching practice and student outcomes, not only in individual schools, but also in the school system more widely. Alongside his research into PLNs Chris also has a long-standing interest in how the collaborative use of research evidence can and should, but often doesn't, aid the development of education policy and practice.