Carla Firetto

PI – Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, Arizona State University / Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation

Carla M. Firetto is an associate professor of educational psychology in the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation as part of the Division for Advancing Educator Preparation at Arizona State University, where she also serves as affiliate faculty with the Learning Engineering Institute and the Institute for Social Science Research. Her research focuses on how small-group discussion and multiple-text integration can be leveraged to support learners’ critical-analytic thinking and high-level comprehension. Recently, her work has extended to AI-driven approaches to examine and scaffold student discourse with particular attention to automated coding of discussion quality as well as AI-facilitated talk to support high-level comprehension and assessment. She is an Associate Editor for Contemporary Educational Psychology and contributes to the field through sustained service and leadership, including service as a representative to council from Division 15 (Educational Psychology) for the American Psychological Association and active involvement in Division C (Learning and Instruction) of the American Educational Research Association.

P. Karen Murphy

Co-PI – Distinguished Professor of Education and Associate Dean of Research and Outreach, The Pennsylvania State University

Dr. P. Karen Murphy is Distinguished Professor of Education and Associate Dean of Research and Outreach at The Pennsylvania State University, with appointments in Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education and the Social Science Research Institute. Her scholarship examines how critical-analytic thinking and academically productive talk support students’ comprehension and content-area learning, including the development and implementation of the Quality Talk intervention. Her research has been supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and numerous foundations, and includes international collaborations focused on reasoning and discussion in multilingual contexts. Dr. Murphy is a member of the National Academy of Education, a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association.

Michael Marchionda

Founder and CEO, WisdomEDU

Michael Marchionda is the Founder and CEO of WisdomEDU, where he leads the development of AI-powered tools designed to transform writing instruction and student discourse. With over 30 years of experience in education as a teacher, curriculum leader, and administrator, he brings deep expertise in instructional design and assessment. Michael previously served as a Senior Manager at the College Board, where he contributed to large-scale assessment and scoring initiatives, informing his current work in AI-driven writing and discourse evaluation. He also served as Vice President of SaaS Sales at Scantron, leading statewide assessment partnerships and large-scale implementations. His work focuses on leveraging AI to support authentic student thinking, improve instructional efficiency, and ensure equity in learning environments. Through partnerships with leading research institutions, he is advancing scalable models for writing growth and academically productive discussion.