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Expert on Educating Inner-City Students to Speak in
Mary Lyon Lecture Series

<<< Educator Lorraine Monroe transformed a school plagued with violence and poor academic standards into a model of academic excellence by acting on the belief that inner-city students can do as well as those at some of New York's most prestigious schools.

Lorraine Monroe, one of the nation's leading figures in meeting the challenges associated with educating inner-city youth, is the next speaker in the Mary Lyon Lecture Series. Her October 16 talk, "Nothing's Impossible: Leadership Lessons from the Field," stems from her experiences as principal of the renowned Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem. Monroe is also author of a forthcoming book with the same title as her lecture.

Currently executive director of the School Leadership Academy at the Center for Educational Innovation in New York City, Monroe served as principal of Frederick Douglass Academy for College and Professional Careers from 1991 to 1996. During this time, she was responsible for transforming a school plagued by violence and poor academic standards into a model of academic excellence. According to a 1996 article in Ebony, Monroe built at Frederick Douglass Academy "a public prep school that rivals some of New York's City's costliest institutions ... For way too long, she says, teachers have written off inner-city youths as underachievers. In order for students to feel confident in their abilities, teachers must first expect--and require--more of them."

Monroe has also taught at the Bank Street College Principals' Institute in New York City and the Harvard School of Education. Her work has drawn widespread attention and has been featured in such publications and news programs as the New York Times, Ebony, and 60 Minutes. Monroe holds a number of academic and honorary degrees, has consulted on educational issues throughout the United States and abroad, and served on a number of governmental commissions appointed by former Governor Mario Cuomo of New York.