James Patrick Byrnes received his PhD in Developmental Psychology from Temple University in 1985. Prior to his return to Temple as Professor in the Psychological Studies in Education department in 2004, he held academic appointments at the City University of New York (Postdoctoral Fellow, 1985-1986), the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Visiting Assistant Professor, 1986-1988) and University of Maryland (Assistant through full Professor; 1988-2004). At Temple, he has held positions of Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Vice Dean of the College, Associate Dean for Research, and Chairperson. He has served as Vice President of the Jean Piaget Society and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Cognition and Development. He was elected Fellow of Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association in 2002 and has received grant funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Education, and William Penn Foundation. His other books have focused on cognitive development in children, language and literacy skills in children, and cognitive neuroscience. His current research primarily focuses on understanding why achievement gaps occur and how to eliminate them. He completed his Master's degree in Religion at Temple University in 2018 in preparation for writing this book. He has received awards for his teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.