Along with bar rooms and bordellos, there has hardly been a more male-focused institution in Texas history than the Texas Legislature. Yet the eighty-six women who have served there have made a mark on the institution through the legislation they have passed, much of which addresses their concerns as citizens who have been inadequately represented by male lawmakers. This first complete record of the women of the Texas Legislature places such well-known figures as Kay Bailey Hutchison, Sissy Farenthold, Barbara Jordan, Irma Rangel, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Susan Combs, and Judith Zaffirini in the context of their times and among the women and men with whom they served. Drawing on years of primary research and interviews, Nancy Baker Jones and Ruthe Winegarten offer concise biographies and profiles of all eighty-six women who have served or currently hold office in the Texas Legislature. The biographies describe the women lawmakers' lives, campaign strategies, and legislative successes and defeats. Four introductory essays provide historical and cultural context for the biographies, which are arranged chronologically to give a sense of the passage of time, of relationships among and between women, and of the issues of their eras.

In the second half of the 20th century, men and women of uncommon vision and commitment drove the phenomenal growth of that uniquely American institution of higher education, the community college. Students of this movement are well aware of the contributions of the men who served as college presidents, researchers, and national leaders – but what women made significant contributions that have not before been brought to light? Mildred Montag envisioned and implemented community-college based programs to train nurses. Dorothy Knoell used her prodigious research skills to show that community colleges prepare students well to succeed after transfer. Mildred Bulpitt and Carolyn Desjardins helped create and run leadership workshops that resulted in hundreds of women moving up the administrative pipeline. And a dynamic group of women were behind the successful replication of community-based colleges through the establishment of the American Indian tribal colleges. These stories and a dozen more are captured in this book. Those who are familiar with community colleges will welcome having these stories documented at last, and those new to the field will be inspired by how these women came to exert such “unexpected influence” on these remarkable educational institutions.

Barbara Jordan spoke for many Texas women when she told a reporter, "I get from the soil and spirit of Texas the feeling that I, as an individual, can accomplish whatever I want to, and that there are no limits, that you can just keep going, just keep soaring. I like that spirit." Indeed, the sense of limitless possibilities has inspired countless Texas women—sometimes in the face of daunting obstacles—to build lives rich in work, family, friends, faith, and community involvement. In this collection of interviews conducted by PJ Pierce, twenty-five Texas women ranging in age from 53 to 93 share the wisdom they've acquired through living unconventional lives. Responding to the question "What have you found that really matters about life?" they offer keen insights into motherhood, career challenges, being a minority, marriage and widowhood, anger, assertiveness, managing change, persevering, power, speaking out, fashioning success from failure, writing your own job description, loving a younger man, and recognizing opportunities disguised as disaster—to name only a few of their topics. In her introduction, Pierce describes how she came to write the book and how she chose her subjects to represent a cross-section of career paths and ethnic groups and all geographic areas of Texas. A topical index makes it easy to compare several women's views on a given subject.

“Documents the achievements of Black women from slavery to modern times and provides a thorough history of Black women and heroines.” —Midwest Book Review Brave black women have played important roles in American history. Before the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, black women bore the bonds of slavery with courage and strength. Since Emancipation, black women have supported schools, churches, and civic organizations, entered many professions, and helped to build strong communities. This book dramatizes their impressive story and celebrates their achievements. Writing especially for students in grades four through eight, Ruthe Winegarten and Sharon Kahn trace the history of black women from slavery until today. Their story includes many heroines, from Emily Morgan, “the Yellow Rose of Texas,” to pioneer aviator Bessie Coleman, astronaut Mae Jemison, opera singer Barbara Conrad, actresses Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen, and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, whose life story forms the final chapter. In addition to these famous black women, the book also profiles teachers, businesswomen, civil rights leaders, community activists, doctors, nurses, athletes, musicians, artists, and political leaders. Adapted from the award-winning Black Texas Women: 150 Years of Trial and Triumph, it will be fascinating reading for children and their parents and grandparents, teachers, and librarians.

Addressing the growing concerns about reading, math, and writing skills of freshman-level students, this volume provides different perspectives and approaches to the assessment of basic academic skills in higher education. The book provides an in-depth investigation into the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP). More generally, the book provides insights into the construction of testing programs and their evaluations. The development and implementation of testing programs is discussed by outstanding educators involved and will be of great value to program administrators, policymakers, deans and faculty members of colleges, state legislators, and educational professionals working directly with institutions of higher learning.