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This historical biography examines Sarah Raymond Fitzwilliam´s abolitionist roots growing up on a stop of the Underground Railroad, her training at a ´normal school,´ her tenure as a teacher, principal and the nation´s first city school superintendent (Bloomington, Illinois 1874-1892).

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PART II: THE EARLY YEARS PART III: ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY YEARS PART IV: TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL OF BLOOMINGTON SCHOOLS PART V: SUPERINTENDENT OF BLOOMINGTON SCHOOLS PART VI: THE RESIGNATION

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´Sarah Raymond was that rare figure who quietly, though powerfully, altered the contours of public schooling at a particularly crucial moment. As the first woman in the country to serve as superintendent of a city school system, she signaled a fundamental shift in how communities understood leadership and leaders. Noraian captures this intriguing story, freshly pieced together from as-yet little tapped sources, revealing an individual we should know.´ - Jackie M. Blount, Associate Dean, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, USA

´A gifted storyteller, Monica Cousins Noraian has written an engaging historical biography that illuminates the career of the country´s first female superintendent of city schools. Because Sarah Raymond was a woman leader who dared to trouble the status quo, her story provides a model for today´s social justice advocates, male or female, who would advance the broader cause of educational equity. The book is a major contribution to the research about women educational leaders, and makes a meaningful contribution to historical understanding of educational leadership in an earlier time.´ - Linda L. Lyman, Professor, Illinois State University, USA

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MONICA NORAIAN is director of the History-Social Sciences Education Program and Director of Student Teaching at Illinois State University, USA.

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