Mubina Hassanali Kirmani was born in Kenya with ancestry from India. She studied at University of Nairobi and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has worked and written vastly to promote multicultural education and is also co-author of the book, Oral Literature of Asians in East Africa, a recommended text for schools in Kenya. She has taught at elementary and secondary schools and is currently Professor of Education at Towson University, Maryland. She has been chair of Multicultural Committee at the College of Education and also directed the university-wide Multicultural Conference. She is often invited to conferences in United States and internationally to present on topics… related to teaching and learning in diverse classrooms. B. P. Laster attempts to touch students and teachers as a Professor, Co-Director of the graduate programs in Reading Education at Towson University, and her work in K-12 settings. She teaches courses on current topics in literacy, literacy interventions for special populations, new literacies, and diversity. Her publications include work on aspects of comprehension, teacher development, digital literacy, family literacy in reading clinics, service learning, and religious diversity in public school settings. She has published multiple book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles in such venues as Literacy Research Association Yearbook, The Reading Teacher, Journal of Language and Literacy Education, Literacy Research and Instruction, Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, Language Arts, and English Education. Among other service, she has served on the International Reading Association's 2010 Standards for Reading Professionals Committee, the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, and the IRA Commission on Response to Intervention (RTI).