Shorttitle: This book identifies the leadership traits of an African American female head basketball coach to succeed despite the odds. Using Kounzes and Posner's five leadership traits: challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart this book examines the leadership development of C. Vivian Stringer as educator, mentor, colleague, coach, friend, and mother. Coach Stringer is a great role model for girls and women, not only in athletics but in greater society.

According to the old adage, a dog is man's best friend. However, in small town West Texas, a dog is also young girl's best friend. Told through the eyes of an adolescent female narrator, Carol Thornton's "Tails on the Hill" depicts the happenings of the Hill Gang, an eclectic collection of dogs that wander in and out of her life. A refuge for all abandoned dogs, the narrator's home shelters all types of personalities. Told in brief tales, each dog's character seems more human and lovable than the next. Yet equally engaging and lovable are the glimpses the narrator offers of her family, especially her father. This is a book about love and loyalty.
There's Pobre, the peace-loving pound dog, and Posse, the stubborn husky. Then there's May-ree, the abandoned hunting dog, and Wookie, the German shepherd who always has a new litter of puppies. And who could forget Tootie and Katy, the schnauzers who cause such trouble in the pet parlor? With each tale, the reader is transported into the heartfelt experiences of a unique extended family that includes both people and dogs.
A narrative for any dog lover, Thornton's "Tails on the Hill" explores the complex, devoted relationship between dog and owner and will warm the hearts of all readers with its sometimes light and sometimes poignant tales.

Designed to help educators collect and use data more effectively, this guide enables the reader to develop three tools to use in decision-making. 1.) A Data Notebook to capture the charts, notes, and agendas created during the process along with goals, questions, and process information. 2.) A Master Data Directory for compiling the data sources that are available in the district and school, and, 3.) The Information-Based Decision-Making Roadmap that contains all the finished documents that have been used to make decisions. In addition to developing a toolkit there is also a Testing Primer with basic standardized test information. The primer can be used as a stand-alone document and is specifically designed to assist the reader in using test data accurately when making decisions. Refining Common Sense will help educators: Develop a clear roadmap to answering questions about his/her goals, Collect data to answer questions, Turn data into information, Use information in decision-making. Written for teachers, principals, program directors, superintendents, board members, and other educators, the book also includes an accompanying CD with templates for all charts, and blank charts in the appendix for copying.