Peter F. Oliva is Professor Emeritus at Florida International University and Georgia Southern University. He has served on the faculties of the University of Mississippi, the University of Florida, Indiana State University, Southern Illinois University, and the University of Hawaii. As adjunct instructor, he has supervised interns at the University of Central Florida. He has published numerous articles in education journals and is author of several textbooks in the fields of instruction, supervision, and curriculum, including Developing the Curriculum. He has traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. He is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Phi Delta Kappa, the National Education Association, and Phi Beta Kappa. He holds an A.B. degree from Cornell University; an M.A.T. from Harvard University; and Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Since the publication of the 6th edition, George Pawlas was appointed to a special principal task force sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The task force is charged with making recommendations to strengthen principal preparation programs. Dr. Pawlas is known as the "supervisor" proponent in the programs. In addition, he has been contacted by the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation to update two publications he and a colleague co-authored in the 1989 Elementary Principal series: The Principal and Communication and The Principal and Discipline . He will also revise another publication in the series: The Principal and Supervision . All three of these publications' topics are part of Supervison for Today's Schools .