Best Leadership Practices for High-Poverty Schools

Lyman (educational administrations and foundations, Illinois State U.) and Villani (educational and educational foundations, Southern Connecticut State U.) have studied issues of poverty and educational leadership for four years, and here share the understanding they have acquired. They focus on elementary schools, where examples of successful high-poverty schools have been most plentiful, and particularly on two actual leaders they describe as exemplars of best practices. Distributed by Rowman and Littlefield. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Linda L. Lyman is a professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations at Illinois State University. Dr. Lyman was a faculty member at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, for nine years, before joining the faculty at Illinois State University in 2000. Her previous book is titled How Do They Know You Care? The Principal's Challenge. Lyman's career has included positions as a secondary English teacher, regional consultant in staff development and gifted education in Nebraska, and administrative assistant at the Nebraska Department of Education. As a professor her research, presentations, and publications have focused on leadership, with an emphasis on issues of gender, caring, and poverty. At Illinois State University Dr. Lyman teaches primarily in the principalship program. She serves as executive director of Illinois Women Administrators. Christine J. Villani is an associate professor in the Department of Education and Educational Foundations at Southern Connecticut State University. She has a B.S in Speech/Language Pathology, a M.A. in Speech/Language Pathology, a M.A. in Psychology, a Sixth Year Diploma in Administration and Supervision and an Ed.D in Administration, Policy and Urban Education from Fordham University. Villani is a former elementary principal and elementary assistant principal. She has taught and lectured on the topics of leadership, supervision, curriculum development, educational change and school law. Dr. Villani is the author of three earlier books and various articles on the above named topics.