Posts
I’ve made a change to the “School News” ticker that has been on the left column of this page. Until the flu has burned out, of the end of school this year, whichever comes first, I have set the ticker to pick up any new stories relating to school closings. I hope that you find it useful. At least you can stay up to date and intelligently respond to the rumors that are running rampant.
There is one small piece of good news that has come from all the flu attention. It seems that a group of University of South Carolina researchers have discovered that a chemical found in red wine can protect you from the flu. So is the new saying, “A glass a day keeps the doctor away?”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
A Reader Writes... (DAEP - Part 4)
In response to the post, “And Your Point Is,” a reader writes:
“I recently had a student in a bad situation. The student had a long term placement due to an ARD decision. The long term placement was not working. We were on the verge of having a real failure to meet FAPE with no defense. I finally (read: much too late, I should have intervened much earlier) reviewed the case in detail. The descriptions adults gave me of the boy approached those of Hannibal Lecter from Silence of Lambs. When I mentioned bringing this student back I even had a staff member tell me he would resign if I did.
So I brought the kid back. To my surprise they presented me a frail 16 year old who stood up straight and said sir when I spoke to him. Punchline: The kid has been back in school for a week and so far is highly successful. I wish I could say it is because of the good his previous placement did reforming him, but from what I know that is not the case.
The difference you ask? I meet with him personally several times a day for a few SECONDS each time. Never underestimate the power of relationships. I do not consider what I do for the kid a relationship (less than 2 minutes a day total), but he does. My question is how much education did this youth miss so that adults could be comfortable?
Question two: is this kid worth two minutes a day (rhetorical)?”
SC Response:
I am not a Pollyanna. I live and work in the real world (actually, for those of you who know me, my real world begins where the typical educator thinks it ends). I know we can’t save every kid. On the other hand, we have to break the mindset that there is an “acceptable” number of failures.
Here are three secrets that most educators can’t seem to comprehend.
1. Adult practice drives student performance .
2. Behind every failed student is a line of educators that didn’t step up.
3. Educating tough kids is what we get paid for. The easy kids can be taught by computers and aides.
Think. Work. Achieve
Your turn…
“I recently had a student in a bad situation. The student had a long term placement due to an ARD decision. The long term placement was not working. We were on the verge of having a real failure to meet FAPE with no defense. I finally (read: much too late, I should have intervened much earlier) reviewed the case in detail. The descriptions adults gave me of the boy approached those of Hannibal Lecter from Silence of Lambs. When I mentioned bringing this student back I even had a staff member tell me he would resign if I did.
So I brought the kid back. To my surprise they presented me a frail 16 year old who stood up straight and said sir when I spoke to him. Punchline: The kid has been back in school for a week and so far is highly successful. I wish I could say it is because of the good his previous placement did reforming him, but from what I know that is not the case.
The difference you ask? I meet with him personally several times a day for a few SECONDS each time. Never underestimate the power of relationships. I do not consider what I do for the kid a relationship (less than 2 minutes a day total), but he does. My question is how much education did this youth miss so that adults could be comfortable?
Question two: is this kid worth two minutes a day (rhetorical)?”
SC Response:
I am not a Pollyanna. I live and work in the real world (actually, for those of you who know me, my real world begins where the typical educator thinks it ends). I know we can’t save every kid. On the other hand, we have to break the mindset that there is an “acceptable” number of failures.
Here are three secrets that most educators can’t seem to comprehend.
1. Adult practice drives student performance .
2. Behind every failed student is a line of educators that didn’t step up.
3. Educating tough kids is what we get paid for. The easy kids can be taught by computers and aides.
Think. Work. Achieve
Your turn…
A Reader Writes... (Leading Change)
In response to the post, “DAEP – Part 3,” a reader writes:
“I don’t think the poster demonized unions too much. Unions are about adults, by design and membership, not kids. I think that to some extent we have to get out of the "buy in" mentality. Buy into what? Doing the job you have been contracted and paid to do? Ridiculous.
Leadership has a duty to adhere to best practices and to lead from the front, not the rear. That leaves teachers fighting best practices, which is common. I cannot count the number of teachers who have told me they disagree with Marzano and Bloom. Forget the fact they never heard of Marzano before I introduced them to it; they disagree with him none the less.
Teachers in poor performing schools deeply desire autonomy. The same is true in good performing schools; teachers desire autonomy. This desire for autonomy is often so great that teachers (and administrators) isolate themselves from the best practices of their own profession.
The boot camp approach is interesting (yes, I have experienced it). The military understands that people are drawn together by common experiences. The military then develops a "boot camp" that exposes people to common experiences and draws them together. The problem with this model in public schools is that the military model of boot camp is contrived. The experience is very difficult to reproduce in the civilian world. That is I why I suggest that you let no major event go by without being utilized.
When situations come up that have the potential to have the faculty going through a common experience, capitalize on it quick. It can be as simple as celebrating success or mourning together. The point is, common ground is not found just on the battlefield, it can be a simple event such as learning how to hold a rifle and march. In education, common ground does not have to be built initially on curriculum and instruction; don’t hesitate to capitalize on simple events that bring people together.
By the way, I am passing on knowledge that I have learned the hardest way possible.”
SC Note:
When this reader writes, “I am passing on knowledge that I have learned the hardest way possible,” even he doesn’t appreciate how true that is. He is now in the midst of turning around his third unacceptable campus in his relatively brief career as an administrator. He isn’t the principal who drives the school into the ditch. He is the principal they hire to get the school out of the ditch. In the course of doing this, he can count on one hand the people in his districts who have publicly supported him during his tenures – his superintendents (kind of), his wife, and his dog.
In schools, doing the right thing for kids, all the time, is hard and lonely work.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“I don’t think the poster demonized unions too much. Unions are about adults, by design and membership, not kids. I think that to some extent we have to get out of the "buy in" mentality. Buy into what? Doing the job you have been contracted and paid to do? Ridiculous.
Leadership has a duty to adhere to best practices and to lead from the front, not the rear. That leaves teachers fighting best practices, which is common. I cannot count the number of teachers who have told me they disagree with Marzano and Bloom. Forget the fact they never heard of Marzano before I introduced them to it; they disagree with him none the less.
Teachers in poor performing schools deeply desire autonomy. The same is true in good performing schools; teachers desire autonomy. This desire for autonomy is often so great that teachers (and administrators) isolate themselves from the best practices of their own profession.
The boot camp approach is interesting (yes, I have experienced it). The military understands that people are drawn together by common experiences. The military then develops a "boot camp" that exposes people to common experiences and draws them together. The problem with this model in public schools is that the military model of boot camp is contrived. The experience is very difficult to reproduce in the civilian world. That is I why I suggest that you let no major event go by without being utilized.
When situations come up that have the potential to have the faculty going through a common experience, capitalize on it quick. It can be as simple as celebrating success or mourning together. The point is, common ground is not found just on the battlefield, it can be a simple event such as learning how to hold a rifle and march. In education, common ground does not have to be built initially on curriculum and instruction; don’t hesitate to capitalize on simple events that bring people together.
By the way, I am passing on knowledge that I have learned the hardest way possible.”
SC Note:
When this reader writes, “I am passing on knowledge that I have learned the hardest way possible,” even he doesn’t appreciate how true that is. He is now in the midst of turning around his third unacceptable campus in his relatively brief career as an administrator. He isn’t the principal who drives the school into the ditch. He is the principal they hire to get the school out of the ditch. In the course of doing this, he can count on one hand the people in his districts who have publicly supported him during his tenures – his superintendents (kind of), his wife, and his dog.
In schools, doing the right thing for kids, all the time, is hard and lonely work.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
What Now Texas?
Those who know me, know that I am a strong proponent of school accountability and long time data geek. I bring that up, because with what I am about to suggest, I don’t do so lightly.
I don’t believe that the results from this years TAKS test should be used for anything, other than informational purposes. I write this, because a reasonable educator could destroy any argument supporting the validity of the tests this year. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I know that accountability is good for students; but here is my case against the test, for this year only…
Let’s start with the hurricanes. Gustav interrupted schools. Ike shut schools down. On the Gulf Coast, if you were lucky you only lost 5 to 10 days of instruction. If you were unlucky, you lost your school, your home and your community.
Then there is the on-going recession. In Texas, we’re “lucky?” The recession is only significantly impacting the poor, the under-educated and minorities. I’m sure that the added stress and disruption in those households probably has no impact on their children.
If the hurricanes weren’t enough, then came the floods this week. More lost instructional time, disrupted schedules and added stress during the most stressful week of the school year.
Finally, to complete the royal flush of bad luck, now the schools are dealing with the flu threat. At any given time on a campus, 5% to 10% of the people at school have some sort of cough, sniffles, aches, etc. Now, each cough is a potential life and death issue. But that’s okay - ignore the media onslaught; panicked parents; and your own mortality; and demonstrate on a one-shot test, what you have learned.
With all of these disasters occurring this year, here is the insidious truth. Everyone is not effected equally. The schools and students with the smallest margins of error and the least amount of available resiliency will be impacted the most. The impact that all of these tribulations have had on teaching and learning has an economic analogy:
If I have had a high paying job for a while, I have probably saved a little money that I can use and have some assets I can liquidate, if I lose my job. I can survive a temporary set-back. If I have a low paying job and live paycheck to paycheck just to survive, losing my job is devastating. Our most fragile students and campuses have been running full speed just to try to keep up. They can and expect to deal with one or two hurdles, but this year is all together another matter.
So, State of Texas, as our schools are fighting the good fight, in the face of near biblical, Old Testament ordeals, throw them a lifeline. Next year, they’ll cowboy up and get back on the accountability horse.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
I don’t believe that the results from this years TAKS test should be used for anything, other than informational purposes. I write this, because a reasonable educator could destroy any argument supporting the validity of the tests this year. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I know that accountability is good for students; but here is my case against the test, for this year only…
Let’s start with the hurricanes. Gustav interrupted schools. Ike shut schools down. On the Gulf Coast, if you were lucky you only lost 5 to 10 days of instruction. If you were unlucky, you lost your school, your home and your community.
Then there is the on-going recession. In Texas, we’re “lucky?” The recession is only significantly impacting the poor, the under-educated and minorities. I’m sure that the added stress and disruption in those households probably has no impact on their children.
If the hurricanes weren’t enough, then came the floods this week. More lost instructional time, disrupted schedules and added stress during the most stressful week of the school year.
Finally, to complete the royal flush of bad luck, now the schools are dealing with the flu threat. At any given time on a campus, 5% to 10% of the people at school have some sort of cough, sniffles, aches, etc. Now, each cough is a potential life and death issue. But that’s okay - ignore the media onslaught; panicked parents; and your own mortality; and demonstrate on a one-shot test, what you have learned.
With all of these disasters occurring this year, here is the insidious truth. Everyone is not effected equally. The schools and students with the smallest margins of error and the least amount of available resiliency will be impacted the most. The impact that all of these tribulations have had on teaching and learning has an economic analogy:
If I have had a high paying job for a while, I have probably saved a little money that I can use and have some assets I can liquidate, if I lose my job. I can survive a temporary set-back. If I have a low paying job and live paycheck to paycheck just to survive, losing my job is devastating. Our most fragile students and campuses have been running full speed just to try to keep up. They can and expect to deal with one or two hurdles, but this year is all together another matter.
So, State of Texas, as our schools are fighting the good fight, in the face of near biblical, Old Testament ordeals, throw them a lifeline. Next year, they’ll cowboy up and get back on the accountability horse.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Thursday, April 30, 2009
A Reader Writes... (DAEP - Part 3)
In response to the post, “And Your Point Is,” a reader writes:
“Outstanding Statement! The Brown/Brezina/Cain systems do one thing unique from the rest of the weak and feeble intervention programs that schools try to implement: They work. Their systems produce accelerated growth and results campus wide in every area that data can reach. The trick is getting a buy in from a majority of the staff.
Public education has been looked at for so long as a ministry and not a job. Those days have gone the way of the Dodo Bird. Campus staff need a great awakening into the world of "hard work." This is where the buy in is tough. Many teachers want to do the bare minimum, no thanks to worthless, liberal unions. Not on my watch! I am already planning next year's professional development and teacher orientation, and it will be nothing short of a bootcamp. They are going to learn from the word "go" that there is never an off day of teaching.
We cannot relax. If I relaxed on firewatch I would wake up with my throat cut. This is a serious business we are in. Lives are at stake. Education needs to be addressed and framed in this way. Complainers can take a hike. I have a hidden agenda as a new administrator; it is to eradicate any cancerous, complaining adult on my campus.”
SC Response
I would be lying if I didn’t say that this reader is one of my favorite guys. He was an outstanding teacher who taught in a tough, urban high school, and as you can tell, he is an aggressive, young administrator. A former Marine non-com, he only has two speeds: full sprint and sleep. In the course of throwing gas on the fire, he touches on a couple of key points.
1. Education is a serious profession. Those of us who don’t take it seriously, do a grave disservice to our students and discredit the profession.
2. Teaching done correctly is work. If you’re not tired at the end of the day, you are cutting corners that shouldn’t be cut.
3. The time to plan next year’s staff development is now.
4. If as a leader, you are not clear on what you want to achieve, then at best, all you will get is more of the same. At worst, you will be replaced.
I do think he demonizes unions a little too much. It is my experience and belief that leaders who are clear in their expectations and walk the walk, don’t have union issues. “Leaders” who don’t communicate and play the “do as I say, not as I do” game deserve every bit of hell that unions give them.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“Outstanding Statement! The Brown/Brezina/Cain systems do one thing unique from the rest of the weak and feeble intervention programs that schools try to implement: They work. Their systems produce accelerated growth and results campus wide in every area that data can reach. The trick is getting a buy in from a majority of the staff.
Public education has been looked at for so long as a ministry and not a job. Those days have gone the way of the Dodo Bird. Campus staff need a great awakening into the world of "hard work." This is where the buy in is tough. Many teachers want to do the bare minimum, no thanks to worthless, liberal unions. Not on my watch! I am already planning next year's professional development and teacher orientation, and it will be nothing short of a bootcamp. They are going to learn from the word "go" that there is never an off day of teaching.
We cannot relax. If I relaxed on firewatch I would wake up with my throat cut. This is a serious business we are in. Lives are at stake. Education needs to be addressed and framed in this way. Complainers can take a hike. I have a hidden agenda as a new administrator; it is to eradicate any cancerous, complaining adult on my campus.”
SC Response
I would be lying if I didn’t say that this reader is one of my favorite guys. He was an outstanding teacher who taught in a tough, urban high school, and as you can tell, he is an aggressive, young administrator. A former Marine non-com, he only has two speeds: full sprint and sleep. In the course of throwing gas on the fire, he touches on a couple of key points.
1. Education is a serious profession. Those of us who don’t take it seriously, do a grave disservice to our students and discredit the profession.
2. Teaching done correctly is work. If you’re not tired at the end of the day, you are cutting corners that shouldn’t be cut.
3. The time to plan next year’s staff development is now.
4. If as a leader, you are not clear on what you want to achieve, then at best, all you will get is more of the same. At worst, you will be replaced.
I do think he demonizes unions a little too much. It is my experience and belief that leaders who are clear in their expectations and walk the walk, don’t have union issues. “Leaders” who don’t communicate and play the “do as I say, not as I do” game deserve every bit of hell that unions give them.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
A Reader Writes... (DAEP's - Part 2)
In response to the post, “And Your Point Is,” a reader writes:
“I live and work in a boarding environment at a private school, so our program is quite a bit different. However, we sometimes remove students from the classroom to do something similar to DAEP. It is all about remediation and behavioral change, rather than academic instruction. As one who's worked in that DAEP environment from time to time, though, I have to say that teaching remediation is not like working with a positive and interested class at first. It's very much about resetting long-standing behaviors, and engaging disengaged kids. They lose a lot of time in that kind of environment, and I mourn the loss of focus and direction that those kids have during that window they're away from a functional classroom.”
SC Response:
A voice of reason, a teacher who understands that the longer a student is out of his class the further behind that student is getting, every day!
In the early 2000’s, I was working with a district that decided to track student performance on the state accountability tests vs. discipline interventions. I don’t have the data anymore so don’t hold me to specific numbers, but the trend is accurate.
What the district found is that students who had two or fewer office referrals had about a 98% passing rate on the TAAS test (an older Texas accountability test).
Student who were referred to In School Suspension once had about an 88% passing rate.
Students who were referred to In School Suspension more than once had about a 68% passing rate.
Students who were referred to the DAEP had about a 48% passing rate.
The deeper we push kids into the hole, the less chance they have of getting out. And yes, we push kids. Until, we can get the majority of staff to understand that our job is to coach kids to success, not sort them into "easy to work with," and "easy to get rid of columns," we are systematically destroying futures.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“I live and work in a boarding environment at a private school, so our program is quite a bit different. However, we sometimes remove students from the classroom to do something similar to DAEP. It is all about remediation and behavioral change, rather than academic instruction. As one who's worked in that DAEP environment from time to time, though, I have to say that teaching remediation is not like working with a positive and interested class at first. It's very much about resetting long-standing behaviors, and engaging disengaged kids. They lose a lot of time in that kind of environment, and I mourn the loss of focus and direction that those kids have during that window they're away from a functional classroom.”
SC Response:
A voice of reason, a teacher who understands that the longer a student is out of his class the further behind that student is getting, every day!
In the early 2000’s, I was working with a district that decided to track student performance on the state accountability tests vs. discipline interventions. I don’t have the data anymore so don’t hold me to specific numbers, but the trend is accurate.
What the district found is that students who had two or fewer office referrals had about a 98% passing rate on the TAAS test (an older Texas accountability test).
Student who were referred to In School Suspension once had about an 88% passing rate.
Students who were referred to In School Suspension more than once had about a 68% passing rate.
Students who were referred to the DAEP had about a 48% passing rate.
The deeper we push kids into the hole, the less chance they have of getting out. And yes, we push kids. Until, we can get the majority of staff to understand that our job is to coach kids to success, not sort them into "easy to work with," and "easy to get rid of columns," we are systematically destroying futures.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Breaking News Alert!
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 -- 5:00 PM ET-----World Health Organization Warns Nations to Prepare for Flu Pandemic
An alert from the World Health Organization signaled that the swine flu virus could pose a prolonged public health threat.
Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
SC NOTE
Don't panic. Stay informed and be prudent. Again, get your nurse involved.
Remember: wash your hands; don't share food and drinks; stay home if you feel feverish; avoid confined public places.
The New York Times
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 -- 5:00 PM ET-----World Health Organization Warns Nations to Prepare for Flu Pandemic
An alert from the World Health Organization signaled that the swine flu virus could pose a prolonged public health threat.
Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
SC NOTE
Don't panic. Stay informed and be prudent. Again, get your nurse involved.
Remember: wash your hands; don't share food and drinks; stay home if you feel feverish; avoid confined public places.
A Reader Writes... (DAEP - Part 1)
In response to the post, “And Your Point Is,” a reader, and DAEP principal, writes:
“Amen! We want our students to be successful when they return to the home campus. We hear over and over that they are not welcomed when they go back. We believe in the saying that kids won’t care unless they know you care! Those that are successful when they return are welcomed back and encouraged to be successful. Isn’t that what it is all about?”
SC Response
I know that your rhetorical finish is really an indictment. E. Don Brown preaches, "that the only person who can be a pure advocate for students is the principal. Everyone else in education, at some point in time, has a vested interest greater than the needs of kids."
The truth of that statement becomes readily apparent when the student in question has either been delinquent or has gotten on every adult’s last nerve. At that point, the human need for revenge and to punish, easily overcomes common sense and professional duty.
Principals have to do two things. First, they have to make sure that adults follow the discipline continuum to the letter. If an adult cuts a corner or makes an error, the student has to get the benefit of the doubt. Second, the principal has to make sure that angry adults aren’t making decisions that will impact a student’s future. Even if they are the angry adult in question.
If a principal can do that, they can go a long way in protecting what I often refer to as “the last legal victim class,” the delinquent student.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“Amen! We want our students to be successful when they return to the home campus. We hear over and over that they are not welcomed when they go back. We believe in the saying that kids won’t care unless they know you care! Those that are successful when they return are welcomed back and encouraged to be successful. Isn’t that what it is all about?”
SC Response
I know that your rhetorical finish is really an indictment. E. Don Brown preaches, "that the only person who can be a pure advocate for students is the principal. Everyone else in education, at some point in time, has a vested interest greater than the needs of kids."
The truth of that statement becomes readily apparent when the student in question has either been delinquent or has gotten on every adult’s last nerve. At that point, the human need for revenge and to punish, easily overcomes common sense and professional duty.
Principals have to do two things. First, they have to make sure that adults follow the discipline continuum to the letter. If an adult cuts a corner or makes an error, the student has to get the benefit of the doubt. Second, the principal has to make sure that angry adults aren’t making decisions that will impact a student’s future. Even if they are the angry adult in question.
If a principal can do that, they can go a long way in protecting what I often refer to as “the last legal victim class,” the delinquent student.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A New Feature and How To Use Some Old Ones
While we are waiting for the new site, I added a new feature to the blog. Since I am new to blogging and as some of the readers have reminded me, so are they - I will explain the features that are attached to each post.
Note: This section relates to the blog site (not the e-mail updates).
1. If you enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box, you will get a daily e-mail update of all the postings within the last 24 hours.
2. If you click on a post title, it will pull up a comment box at the end of the post. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
3. At the bottom of each post, click "comment" and you can leave a comment or read comments others have left. However, the majority of the comments, I post under the heading, "A Reader Writes."
4. At the bottom of each post, click the envelope if you want to e-mail that post to another person.
5. At the bottom of each post, if you click a "Label" work, it will pull up all the other posts that have the same label words.
6. At the bottom of the post, there are reaction boxes. You get to rate the post.
7. In the school news section on the left, click on any of the three key words and current news stories will be displayed.
8. RSS Feeds - I don't have a clue. Can anyone out there explain it?
9. Followers - Again, no clue. Can anyone out there explain it?
Note: This section relates to the E-mail updates.
1. If you click on "Lead Your School", it will take you to the web site.
2.If you click on a post title, it will take you to the post and there will be a comment box at the bottom of the screen. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn
Note: This section relates to the blog site (not the e-mail updates).
1. If you enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box, you will get a daily e-mail update of all the postings within the last 24 hours.
2. If you click on a post title, it will pull up a comment box at the end of the post. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
3. At the bottom of each post, click "comment" and you can leave a comment or read comments others have left. However, the majority of the comments, I post under the heading, "A Reader Writes."
4. At the bottom of each post, click the envelope if you want to e-mail that post to another person.
5. At the bottom of each post, if you click a "Label" work, it will pull up all the other posts that have the same label words.
6. At the bottom of the post, there are reaction boxes. You get to rate the post.
7. In the school news section on the left, click on any of the three key words and current news stories will be displayed.
8. RSS Feeds - I don't have a clue. Can anyone out there explain it?
9. Followers - Again, no clue. Can anyone out there explain it?
Note: This section relates to the E-mail updates.
1. If you click on "Lead Your School", it will take you to the web site.
2.If you click on a post title, it will take you to the post and there will be a comment box at the bottom of the screen. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn
A Reader Asks... (Hide and Seek)
A reader asks, “how would you deal with faculty on campus that hide in their rooms and will not help out?”
Good question, and a problem that most campuses deal with on at least an infrequent basis. The answer is situational. If the staff member is leaving at the end of the year, as long as that person is meeting his or her instructional responsibilities, I would most likely let time solve the problem.
On the other hand, if the staffer has no intention in leaving, I would respond differently.
First of all, I would make sure that the staffer is actually avoiding meaningful and important work. Skipping a worthless “gritch” session is understandable. Skipping team planning, not so much. I would also check myself, to make sure I am both setting the proper example and communicating my expectation. If I can’t make time to attend and monitor planning sessions, are they really that critical? Also, if I don’t communicate why team work is important and that I expect everyone to work together, then the issue really deals more with my leadership than with staff behavior.
Finally, I would have to look at the overall effectiveness of the teacher. Some people are natural lone wolves. If the lone wolf is exceedingly effective with academically fragile students, then I can tolerate the behavior for a long, long time. If the lone wolf is a prima-donna that can only teach “upper level” students, then that staff member and I are going to have a number of difficult conversations until either the behavior changes or one of us leaves.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your Turn…
Good question, and a problem that most campuses deal with on at least an infrequent basis. The answer is situational. If the staff member is leaving at the end of the year, as long as that person is meeting his or her instructional responsibilities, I would most likely let time solve the problem.
On the other hand, if the staffer has no intention in leaving, I would respond differently.
First of all, I would make sure that the staffer is actually avoiding meaningful and important work. Skipping a worthless “gritch” session is understandable. Skipping team planning, not so much. I would also check myself, to make sure I am both setting the proper example and communicating my expectation. If I can’t make time to attend and monitor planning sessions, are they really that critical? Also, if I don’t communicate why team work is important and that I expect everyone to work together, then the issue really deals more with my leadership than with staff behavior.
Finally, I would have to look at the overall effectiveness of the teacher. Some people are natural lone wolves. If the lone wolf is exceedingly effective with academically fragile students, then I can tolerate the behavior for a long, long time. If the lone wolf is a prima-donna that can only teach “upper level” students, then that staff member and I are going to have a number of difficult conversations until either the behavior changes or one of us leaves.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your Turn…
And Your Point Is...
One of the schools that I work with is a Discipline Alternative Education Program (the expulsion campus) in a large urban district. The changes this year have been nothing short of miraculous. Attendance is up over 10%, recidivism has decreased dramatically, and students are completing the program in less than half the time it took last year. Almost everyone is happy. Except for a vocal group of bitter teachers at the regular campuses. Their complaints center around three themes: students come back to soon; kids aren’t punished enough in the program; and the quality of academic work is sub-par. I’m going to address all three.
The first complaint is that the students return to the home campus too soon. And by too soon, they mean that they were not removed from the classroom for enough calendar days. The problem with this complaint is that it is based on a need for revenge. You irritated me in some way so now you must pay a price, until I am satisfied. Unfortunately, for the adults who demand revenge, this DAEP program is based on providing just enough intervention to prepare the student to be successful back at the regular campus. Once that criteria is met, they are returned. My advice to teachers with a need for retribution and revenge is to keep their problem students in their classroom where they can punish students to their heart’s content.
The second complaint is that students are not punished enough. Actually, the students are not punished at all. Punishment is counter-productive. The purpose of the RISE DAEP is to change behaviors, not remove behaviors. Punishment can lead to the absence to negative behaviors, but only while the threat of punishment is maintained. However, coaching and rewards do lead to the increased use of positive behaviors, even after the promise of extrinsic rewards is stopped. If the threat and use of punishment was truly effective with DAEP students, then they never would have committed the offense that caused their placement in the first place.
The final complaint is that the quality of academic work is sub-par. To which the response is, “yes, how could it not be?” To purpose of the DAEP is to take the students who are disrupting the educational process in regular classrooms and remediate their behavior so they can successfully transition back into the regular classroom. If this task could be accomplished along with providing the same level of instruction as the regular teacher, then why keep the regular teacher? The day that any DAEP can match the quality of instruction of the regular classroom is the day that you can start making a list of replaceable staff.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
The first complaint is that the students return to the home campus too soon. And by too soon, they mean that they were not removed from the classroom for enough calendar days. The problem with this complaint is that it is based on a need for revenge. You irritated me in some way so now you must pay a price, until I am satisfied. Unfortunately, for the adults who demand revenge, this DAEP program is based on providing just enough intervention to prepare the student to be successful back at the regular campus. Once that criteria is met, they are returned. My advice to teachers with a need for retribution and revenge is to keep their problem students in their classroom where they can punish students to their heart’s content.
The second complaint is that students are not punished enough. Actually, the students are not punished at all. Punishment is counter-productive. The purpose of the RISE DAEP is to change behaviors, not remove behaviors. Punishment can lead to the absence to negative behaviors, but only while the threat of punishment is maintained. However, coaching and rewards do lead to the increased use of positive behaviors, even after the promise of extrinsic rewards is stopped. If the threat and use of punishment was truly effective with DAEP students, then they never would have committed the offense that caused their placement in the first place.
The final complaint is that the quality of academic work is sub-par. To which the response is, “yes, how could it not be?” To purpose of the DAEP is to take the students who are disrupting the educational process in regular classrooms and remediate their behavior so they can successfully transition back into the regular classroom. If this task could be accomplished along with providing the same level of instruction as the regular teacher, then why keep the regular teacher? The day that any DAEP can match the quality of instruction of the regular classroom is the day that you can start making a list of replaceable staff.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Sunday, April 26, 2009
In Texas, Good Luck on TAKS
To the Lead Your School readers in Texas,
Good luck this week on the TAKS tests. Be positive and don't stress your students. Focus on instilling in them the same sense of calm confidence that you are feeling. And you are feeling it!
Think. Work. Achieve.
Good luck this week on the TAKS tests. Be positive and don't stress your students. Focus on instilling in them the same sense of calm confidence that you are feeling. And you are feeling it!
Think. Work. Achieve.
Be Prudent, Avoid the Swine Flu
This is not to start a panic, but the reports of potential and confirmed cases of swine flu are increasing. I suggest that you talk to your school nurse this morning and go over some general precautions that you can share with your campus. For example, lots of hand washing, not sharing food and drinks, staying home if you have a fever, etc. Again, don't panic, be prudent.
Stay healthy.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Stay healthy.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
A Reader Writes... (You Are My Sunshine)
In response to the post, “You Are My Sunshine,” a reader also suggests:
“Take a day this week to re-do all the blackboards in your classroom.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“Take a day this week to re-do all the blackboards in your classroom.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
A Reader Writes... (Seany Craig Plan)
In response to the post, “The Seany Craig Plan,” a reader writes:
“Stonewalling? Teachers? Surely you jest. Just yesterday, I had a teacher in my office with a resignation in hand. Two comments she made stood out. The first was she never saw the point of Marzano's instructional strategies. The second was that it took five full months before the faculty realized the recent changes were not implemented by me (the principal) but were the ideas of the board and superintendent. This despite many meetings held to discuss the changes. Talk about isolation. Teachers want their autonomy. Many teachers isolate themselves to the point that they have no idea what the best practices are in their profession (Marzano), and fail to comprehend school changes even when they are included and informed.
I actually had a teacher (not a beginner) raise his hand this year during a faculty meeting and ask what I was referring to when I said "4x4 curriculum" (in Texas, 4 years of high school math, science, English, and social studies). I have teachers that think giving any test is automatically instruction at the “evaluation” level on Bloom's taxonomy. We isolate ourselves from our profession to the point we are not even professionals.”
SC Response
What you describe is why school leadership is a full contact sport and not for the faint hearted. But, I don’t lay all the blame at the feet of teachers. If just a handful of teachers on a staff act in the manner described above, then it is a personnel issue that can be dealt with in a fairly quick manner (at least within a contract year). On the other hand, if the majority of the staff is isolated and ill informed, then that is a system failure. System failures are the responsibility of leadership. Leadership has to change the system; drive the change; and provide support, training and oversight as the staff work to adopt the change.
It’s not easy, but if leadership does not step up to the challenge, neither will anyone else. That’s why this blog is called, “Lead Your School.” If you aren’t leading, you are letting the future of your campus to be decided by nothing more than luck.
For the record, when I write about school leaders, I am referring to anyone in a formal or informal leadership role. This can be anyone from a superintendent to master teacher.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“Stonewalling? Teachers? Surely you jest. Just yesterday, I had a teacher in my office with a resignation in hand. Two comments she made stood out. The first was she never saw the point of Marzano's instructional strategies. The second was that it took five full months before the faculty realized the recent changes were not implemented by me (the principal) but were the ideas of the board and superintendent. This despite many meetings held to discuss the changes. Talk about isolation. Teachers want their autonomy. Many teachers isolate themselves to the point that they have no idea what the best practices are in their profession (Marzano), and fail to comprehend school changes even when they are included and informed.
I actually had a teacher (not a beginner) raise his hand this year during a faculty meeting and ask what I was referring to when I said "4x4 curriculum" (in Texas, 4 years of high school math, science, English, and social studies). I have teachers that think giving any test is automatically instruction at the “evaluation” level on Bloom's taxonomy. We isolate ourselves from our profession to the point we are not even professionals.”
SC Response
What you describe is why school leadership is a full contact sport and not for the faint hearted. But, I don’t lay all the blame at the feet of teachers. If just a handful of teachers on a staff act in the manner described above, then it is a personnel issue that can be dealt with in a fairly quick manner (at least within a contract year). On the other hand, if the majority of the staff is isolated and ill informed, then that is a system failure. System failures are the responsibility of leadership. Leadership has to change the system; drive the change; and provide support, training and oversight as the staff work to adopt the change.
It’s not easy, but if leadership does not step up to the challenge, neither will anyone else. That’s why this blog is called, “Lead Your School.” If you aren’t leading, you are letting the future of your campus to be decided by nothing more than luck.
For the record, when I write about school leaders, I am referring to anyone in a formal or informal leadership role. This can be anyone from a superintendent to master teacher.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
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