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My niece, a first year, first grade teacher (and a loyal Lead Your School reader), is getting ready for her end of year summative assessments. As part of this process, she has had to do some reflection on what she has learned this year. Here is my niece’s, “Five Simple Truth’s I’ve Learned in My First Year Teaching.”
Number 5: “Planning is the key to survival in my classroom.”
Number 4: “I have to allow my students to explore the world, even if it means bringing it to them one piece at a time.”
Number 3: “The greatest gift I can give my students is to teach them to become independent thinkers.”
Number 2: “I am laying the groundwork for how my students will view education for the rest of their lives.”
Number 1: “Teaching is a privilege, not a right.”
Obviously, my niece is a genius and is a better teacher than all of your first year teachers.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Expulsion Documentation
I’m working with a district that is revamping it's discipline procedures. Since adopting some of the recommended changes, a common staff compliant is that now it requires too much documentation to expel a student from a campus.
To which I reply, that’s the point.
It should and must be difficult to expel a student. We have a responsibility to educate and mentor all of our students, not just the easy ones. Before we give up on students and place them on the “drop-out” track (don’t fool yourself, once a students has been expelled it is a safer bet that he will drop out, than graduate) we need to document the steps that we took to try to prevent their failure.
Gone are the days where an individual teacher or assistant principal gets to serve as judge, jury and executioner of a student’s future. The stakes are too high and frankly it is too much to expect for an angry and frustrated adult to make consistently rational and objective decisions.
The discipline system has to err on the side of students and hold adults to the highest of professional standards, even when it is inconvenient.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
To which I reply, that’s the point.
It should and must be difficult to expel a student. We have a responsibility to educate and mentor all of our students, not just the easy ones. Before we give up on students and place them on the “drop-out” track (don’t fool yourself, once a students has been expelled it is a safer bet that he will drop out, than graduate) we need to document the steps that we took to try to prevent their failure.
Gone are the days where an individual teacher or assistant principal gets to serve as judge, jury and executioner of a student’s future. The stakes are too high and frankly it is too much to expect for an angry and frustrated adult to make consistently rational and objective decisions.
The discipline system has to err on the side of students and hold adults to the highest of professional standards, even when it is inconvenient.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
We Reap What We Sow - Dress Code
Recently, I was in a district, troubleshooting with some assistant principals. We were focusing on the issues that were taking up too much time. It was universally agreed that the biggest issue they faced was dress code violations. This district has a fairly strict uniform dress policy for students and the AP's are the one's that enforce it.
Unfortunately, for these AP’s, their problem really isn’t student dress. For the most part, students follow the requirements. In terms of meeting the basic parameters of the policy, compliance is probably over 80%. Which is darn near a miracle considering there are very few adult role models within the system. The issue isn’t student dress at all, the issue is adult dress.
As a staff, this district looks downright shabby. Untucked t-shirts, pants with no belts, jeans, shorts and sandals are the norm. There are more students dressed professionally than professionals dressed professionally.
Here’s a universal rule of schools. If a student expectation is important, it must be taught. If it must be taught, it must be modeled. Modeling is the most effective way to teach a skill. If you aren’t willing to teach and model the expectation, then don’t have the expectation. It is that simple.
So my advice to the AP’s was this; either get your staff on board and start modeling the student dress code expectation - everyday, or jettison the dress code. Any other action is hypocritical and a waste of time.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Unfortunately, for these AP’s, their problem really isn’t student dress. For the most part, students follow the requirements. In terms of meeting the basic parameters of the policy, compliance is probably over 80%. Which is darn near a miracle considering there are very few adult role models within the system. The issue isn’t student dress at all, the issue is adult dress.
As a staff, this district looks downright shabby. Untucked t-shirts, pants with no belts, jeans, shorts and sandals are the norm. There are more students dressed professionally than professionals dressed professionally.
Here’s a universal rule of schools. If a student expectation is important, it must be taught. If it must be taught, it must be modeled. Modeling is the most effective way to teach a skill. If you aren’t willing to teach and model the expectation, then don’t have the expectation. It is that simple.
So my advice to the AP’s was this; either get your staff on board and start modeling the student dress code expectation - everyday, or jettison the dress code. Any other action is hypocritical and a waste of time.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Hoo-Rah!
The Marine Corp is going to sponsor / support / manage a public high school near Atlanta, Georgia. The following link will take you to an article that will give you more specific details, http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/04/06/marine0406.html
For the record, I love the concept and here are the reasons why:
First, a number of the significant role models that I had growing up were Marines.
Second, it has been my experience that former Marines make excellent teachers. I never had to either recommend termination or terminate a Marine.
Third, I use a number of Marine Corp management principles when I coach and train aspiring and new administrators. It is hard to argue against the long term success of the Corp.
Finally, I am a big believer in the value of JROTC. In fact, in my dream high school, 9th grade PE would not be offered. Instead, 9th graders would have to enroll in either a sport, a performance arts class, or JROTC. Not being connected to coaches and mentors would not be an option.
Other than the concept, there were two other things that bear conversation. First, in predictable fashion, there are people who are protesting the Marines involvement. It doesn’t matter that this is a school of choice, so the students who attend actually want to go to the school. It also doesn’t seem to matter that there is no requirement that the students enlist in the military after they graduate. Evidently, to the protesters, patriotism, freedom, discipline and security are just natural by-products of the human condition.
Second, the Marines get “it”. William McHenry, national director for the Marine Corps’ Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps states, “Our mission is to build leadership and character in the kids of America. And it provides a niche for kids. All kids need a niche. It might be on the football field, it might be on the stage as a member of the drama club. Or it might be in ROTC.”
Every student would be better served if the adults at their school understood the need to work everyday to build leadership and character in their students and to make sure that each student is intimately connected to the school community. Great schools and great principals make this happen.
I won’t be surprised if the Marine High School quickly achieves excellent results and that the neighboring schools create a long list of reasons why they shouldn’t be held to the same standard
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
For the record, I love the concept and here are the reasons why:
First, a number of the significant role models that I had growing up were Marines.
Second, it has been my experience that former Marines make excellent teachers. I never had to either recommend termination or terminate a Marine.
Third, I use a number of Marine Corp management principles when I coach and train aspiring and new administrators. It is hard to argue against the long term success of the Corp.
Finally, I am a big believer in the value of JROTC. In fact, in my dream high school, 9th grade PE would not be offered. Instead, 9th graders would have to enroll in either a sport, a performance arts class, or JROTC. Not being connected to coaches and mentors would not be an option.
Other than the concept, there were two other things that bear conversation. First, in predictable fashion, there are people who are protesting the Marines involvement. It doesn’t matter that this is a school of choice, so the students who attend actually want to go to the school. It also doesn’t seem to matter that there is no requirement that the students enlist in the military after they graduate. Evidently, to the protesters, patriotism, freedom, discipline and security are just natural by-products of the human condition.
Second, the Marines get “it”. William McHenry, national director for the Marine Corps’ Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps states, “Our mission is to build leadership and character in the kids of America. And it provides a niche for kids. All kids need a niche. It might be on the football field, it might be on the stage as a member of the drama club. Or it might be in ROTC.”
Every student would be better served if the adults at their school understood the need to work everyday to build leadership and character in their students and to make sure that each student is intimately connected to the school community. Great schools and great principals make this happen.
I won’t be surprised if the Marine High School quickly achieves excellent results and that the neighboring schools create a long list of reasons why they shouldn’t be held to the same standard
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
A Reader Writes...
In response to the post, “Master Schedule," a reader writes:
“In high schools that are ineffective I have found maybe 1 in 20 teachers who can use (time) effectively. Giving these teachers more time at an early stage of a growth (improvement) process can be a real problem in my opinion. Once you get teachers capable of effectively utilizing 50 minutes, then I agree that a more time effecient schedule should be explored. At the early stages of change there seems to be a balance between effective and efficient that must be carefully monitored.”
The reader’s points are valid, but here is how I would address the specific situation that he has outlined. Except for the most aggressive principals, schedules are inflexible in the short-run, yet flexible in the long run. The time to train staff on new techniques and expectations is while operating under the old schedule. Beta test new strategies and procedures before the structural change. Then, when the new schedule is rolled out in the new academic year, the learning curve is less steep and staff is better position to succeed.
Again though, the schedule is never “the solution”, but it can be “the problem.” And no matter how you schedule it, poor instruction remains poor instruction.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“In high schools that are ineffective I have found maybe 1 in 20 teachers who can use (time) effectively. Giving these teachers more time at an early stage of a growth (improvement) process can be a real problem in my opinion. Once you get teachers capable of effectively utilizing 50 minutes, then I agree that a more time effecient schedule should be explored. At the early stages of change there seems to be a balance between effective and efficient that must be carefully monitored.”
The reader’s points are valid, but here is how I would address the specific situation that he has outlined. Except for the most aggressive principals, schedules are inflexible in the short-run, yet flexible in the long run. The time to train staff on new techniques and expectations is while operating under the old schedule. Beta test new strategies and procedures before the structural change. Then, when the new schedule is rolled out in the new academic year, the learning curve is less steep and staff is better position to succeed.
Again though, the schedule is never “the solution”, but it can be “the problem.” And no matter how you schedule it, poor instruction remains poor instruction.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Instructional Leadership in Action
I was recently on a campus that I work with and I witnessed a package of leadership and teacher actions so out of ordinary, yet so sublimely easy and effective, that I have to share it.
This campus is preparing for the state accountability test. Based on their state test results from last year and their current common assessment results, they know that math is an area of concern (Action 1: Using Data).
Based on their data analysis, they are conducting a math concept review for their students. Each day, for 15 days, the math teachers are rotating through the math classes to re-teach 1 identified weak key concept (Action 2: Adjusting Practice Based on Results).
During the first day of the rotation, the administrators went and observed the teachers in action (Action 3: Hyper-monitoring).
After the administrators completed their observations, they met as a team to discuss what they observed and what feedback they should give the teachers (Action 4: Instructionally Focused Administrative Team Discussions).
Then at the end of the first day, the administrators met with the math teachers and provided the teachers with feedback. As a group, they discussed and determined what changes they would implement to make the review sessions even more effective (Action 5: Using Feedback – Improvement Loops).
This in a nutshell is how you systematically and purposefully get a little better each day. It was so awesome that I cried one lone tear.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
This campus is preparing for the state accountability test. Based on their state test results from last year and their current common assessment results, they know that math is an area of concern (Action 1: Using Data).
Based on their data analysis, they are conducting a math concept review for their students. Each day, for 15 days, the math teachers are rotating through the math classes to re-teach 1 identified weak key concept (Action 2: Adjusting Practice Based on Results).
During the first day of the rotation, the administrators went and observed the teachers in action (Action 3: Hyper-monitoring).
After the administrators completed their observations, they met as a team to discuss what they observed and what feedback they should give the teachers (Action 4: Instructionally Focused Administrative Team Discussions).
Then at the end of the first day, the administrators met with the math teachers and provided the teachers with feedback. As a group, they discussed and determined what changes they would implement to make the review sessions even more effective (Action 5: Using Feedback – Improvement Loops).
This in a nutshell is how you systematically and purposefully get a little better each day. It was so awesome that I cried one lone tear.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Reader Writes...
In response to the post, "Our Own Worst Enemy," a reader writes:
"Well, at least the teacher said "my students", so maybe there is hope. The old paradigm is that we focus on students for the shortcomings in a classroom. Can't pass TAKS? Students are too low. Students won't act right? Students don't come with social skills.
Today I witnessed a district level administrator reassure a teacher that the discipline problems in her classroom were because of the kids in the class. There are 5 kids in the class. The problem is the teacher does not engage kids, has a take it or leave it attitude, and is indifferent to accountability. The teacher found an ally in a central office figure who adheres to this old paradigm. We are our own worst enemy."
I have found in my dealings with schools across the country that it is where the staff places blame that is the critical variable in achieving greatness. When a great campus faces any adversity, the staff looks at what they do first and then they change their practice. At all other campuses, at some level, the staff blames some external factor(s) for their failures and then continues to do what they have always done.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
"Well, at least the teacher said "my students", so maybe there is hope. The old paradigm is that we focus on students for the shortcomings in a classroom. Can't pass TAKS? Students are too low. Students won't act right? Students don't come with social skills.
Today I witnessed a district level administrator reassure a teacher that the discipline problems in her classroom were because of the kids in the class. There are 5 kids in the class. The problem is the teacher does not engage kids, has a take it or leave it attitude, and is indifferent to accountability. The teacher found an ally in a central office figure who adheres to this old paradigm. We are our own worst enemy."
I have found in my dealings with schools across the country that it is where the staff places blame that is the critical variable in achieving greatness. When a great campus faces any adversity, the staff looks at what they do first and then they change their practice. At all other campuses, at some level, the staff blames some external factor(s) for their failures and then continues to do what they have always done.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
A Reader Writes...
In response to the post, Master Schedule, a reader writes"
"I think the effectiveness of any schedule depends on the strength of the classroom teachers to adapt and make the most out of every minute. I am at a middle school, and block scheduling is not good for these hyper-active kids. They need to move around, and a change of scenery works at this age. However, there is no cure all. Teachers need to be effective the entire period of instruction whether it is 50 minutes or 90 minutes. That is where we come in. Whatever my principal implements it is my job to support him, charge on, and be successful. Adapt, overcome, improvise, the Marine Corps way!"
As I stated in my post, no schedule is "the solution," but it can be the problem. The key is to build a schedule that maximizes instructional time and student success. There is no perfect schedule, but I think a lot of schools become penny wise and pound foolish. They want to get in a bunch of classes to meet district and state mandates but ignore the impact of that decision on the overall quality of instruction.
That being said, the reader is right in his statement on the need for teachers to use every available instructional minute. And he hit the nail square on the head when he states that it is his job is to run full speed and support the current schedule 100%. A bad plan aggressively executed will trump the unsupported perfect plan.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
"I think the effectiveness of any schedule depends on the strength of the classroom teachers to adapt and make the most out of every minute. I am at a middle school, and block scheduling is not good for these hyper-active kids. They need to move around, and a change of scenery works at this age. However, there is no cure all. Teachers need to be effective the entire period of instruction whether it is 50 minutes or 90 minutes. That is where we come in. Whatever my principal implements it is my job to support him, charge on, and be successful. Adapt, overcome, improvise, the Marine Corps way!"
As I stated in my post, no schedule is "the solution," but it can be the problem. The key is to build a schedule that maximizes instructional time and student success. There is no perfect schedule, but I think a lot of schools become penny wise and pound foolish. They want to get in a bunch of classes to meet district and state mandates but ignore the impact of that decision on the overall quality of instruction.
That being said, the reader is right in his statement on the need for teachers to use every available instructional minute. And he hit the nail square on the head when he states that it is his job is to run full speed and support the current schedule 100%. A bad plan aggressively executed will trump the unsupported perfect plan.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Data is a Mirror
When I begin working with a campus, one of the first actions undertaken is the collection and disaggregation of relevant data. This includes discipline data, assessment data and instructional delivery data. What is interesting is that when the initial results are shared with most staffs they get angry, question the validity of the collection instruments, blame external factors and argue that the whole exercise is a waste of time and should be stopped immediately.
What these staffs understand at a sub-conscious level but are working hard to ignore is that data is a mirror. Data shows us who we really are, warts and all. Unfortunately, who we really are doesn’t always match with who we think we are. And the fault isn’t with the mirror.
When you start using campus and teacher data and you face this staff demand to break the mirror, you have two options. You can push through the opposition, insist that your staff engages in an honest dialogue, purposely work to improve and see the quality of instruction and student performance begin to rapidly improve. Or you can cave under the pressures of negativity and self-interest and sacrifice the long-term instructional needs of your students for the short-term self esteem needs of adults. Is that really a hard decision?
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
What these staffs understand at a sub-conscious level but are working hard to ignore is that data is a mirror. Data shows us who we really are, warts and all. Unfortunately, who we really are doesn’t always match with who we think we are. And the fault isn’t with the mirror.
When you start using campus and teacher data and you face this staff demand to break the mirror, you have two options. You can push through the opposition, insist that your staff engages in an honest dialogue, purposely work to improve and see the quality of instruction and student performance begin to rapidly improve. Or you can cave under the pressures of negativity and self-interest and sacrifice the long-term instructional needs of your students for the short-term self esteem needs of adults. Is that really a hard decision?
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Monday, April 6, 2009
Master Schedule
Recently I was at a high school working with a principal and the discussion came to the topic of the schedule for next year. Now I have two opinions on master schedules. The first opinion is that the schedule may be the problem, but it is never the solution. Poor instruction and leadership remains poor no matter how it is scheduled.
The second opinion is that the worst schedule is the 8 period day, which this campus is currently using. If anyone wants a complete essay on the weaknesses of the 8 period day, send me a request and I will oblige. For now, I will use the illustration that I shared with this principal and his assistants.
This campus had an 8 period day with a 5 minute passing period. If the campus would move to a modified block (still not the optimal schedule) and reduce the passing period to 4 minutes, they could add 40 minutes of instruction to the current school day. 40 minutes a day times 5 days a week is 200 minutes. 200 minutes times 36 weeks is 7,200 minutes. 7,200 minutes is 120 hours. 120 hours is equivalent to 20 days of instruction.
So the question becomes, “if you had 20 extra days of instruction, what could your students and your school accomplish?” The answer to that question is your school's instructional cost of the 8 period day.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
The second opinion is that the worst schedule is the 8 period day, which this campus is currently using. If anyone wants a complete essay on the weaknesses of the 8 period day, send me a request and I will oblige. For now, I will use the illustration that I shared with this principal and his assistants.
This campus had an 8 period day with a 5 minute passing period. If the campus would move to a modified block (still not the optimal schedule) and reduce the passing period to 4 minutes, they could add 40 minutes of instruction to the current school day. 40 minutes a day times 5 days a week is 200 minutes. 200 minutes times 36 weeks is 7,200 minutes. 7,200 minutes is 120 hours. 120 hours is equivalent to 20 days of instruction.
So the question becomes, “if you had 20 extra days of instruction, what could your students and your school accomplish?” The answer to that question is your school's instructional cost of the 8 period day.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Our Own Worst Enemy
This is a recent compliant that I received from a teacher.
“My students behave for the first week after they get back from the discipline program, but after that they go back to their old habits and get in trouble again.”
Let’s analyze this statement:
Student + this teacher + this teacher’s classroom = misbehavior
Student + different teacher + different classroom = good behavior + carry over good behavior
Student + return to the original teacher + return to the original classroom = more misbehavior
Where exactly is the problem? If this teacher was a member of your staff, how would you address her complaint?
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Great Advice - Hooper Wisdom
Dr. Don Hooper (former president of AASA, former Superintendent of the Year in Texas, and college professor) shared this with me when I was an aspiring administrator. He said, “You’ll go far in school administration if you’ll just remember this one thing. Don’t mess with the money and don’t mess with the honeys!”
Read the headlines concerning principals and superintendents who lose their jobs, and you will be surprised by how many would still be working if they knew and followed Dr. Hooper’s lesson.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Read the headlines concerning principals and superintendents who lose their jobs, and you will be surprised by how many would still be working if they knew and followed Dr. Hooper’s lesson.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
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