A Meeting of the LYS Minds

The possibility of having a meeting of the LYS minds was mentioned recently on the blog. Since then, there has been considerable positive response. Not enough for a big conference, but definitely enough for a meet and greet with the chance to network with like-minded educators. Before I reveal what we are thinking, here are a couple of your comments on the idea.

“Sean, I would be glad to attend such a meeting. I think it is always helpful to share ideas and support each other in this tough job we do.”

“Count me in and I will bring some friends along as well!”

“My district is in for such an event. Colleagues need to meet and share how things are going. It's always nice to know that so many of the LYS Nation are working for students. That's our business and our calling.”

And,

“I would be interested even though I am not a member of the LYS Nation, although I'd love to be! I am a first year AP who follows your blog thanks to the suggestion of my former principal.”

For those of you who don’t know, as an entity, LYS is a huge supporter of our professional organizations, such as NAESP, NASSP, AASA, ASCD and all of their state affiliates. E. Don Brown is a former president of both the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Bob Brezina is a former president of the Texas Association of School Administrators and is the current President of the United States Academic Decathlon. So we think it is only natural to invite the LYS Nation to visit us at our booth at the NASSP Conference in Phoenix on March 11 - 14. But we also plan to host an informal LYS reception in Austin, Texas during the TASSP and TEPSA conferences this summer. I’ll post more details as we firm up the plan. The LYS Nation has spoken so we will make this happen.

As for the reader who is concerned that he or she is not a member of the LYS Nation, I propose the following citizenship test.

1. You read the blog on a regular basis.

2. You agree with at least 25% of what we discuss.

3. You disagree with at least 10% of what we discuss.

4. You recognize that as a profession, an organization, a classroom and as an individual, we are no where near meeting our potential and have a passion to chase that potential down.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Advice 2/7/10 - Part 6)

In response to the posts relating to, “A Reader Shares… Sunday Advice (2/7/10),” a reader writes:

“If I'm ever referred to as ' a good principal ' - shoot me...”

SC Response
Hold on there, cowgirl. There is nothing wrong with being a good principal. There are even times when being a “not bad” principal is a huge win. Nobody wakes up and is great everyday. In fact there were times when the only goal I had for a given day was to do everything possible to just “suck a little less than yesterday.” The key is to realize that if you are going to be in the hunt for “great,” you have to grind it out everyday. And the most important days are the ones when you know that you and your team are not at their best.

Great emerges when the stakes are the highest. Without a great adversary or great challenge, who can say where you actually rank. And the truth of the matter is that the stakes aren’t high everyday. Joe Namith wasn’t considered a great quarterback until he beat the Colts in Super Bowl III. And after that game, he was never as great again.

So today I’ll save my bullets and close with Dr. Shirley Neeley’s ‘go-to’ advice, “Never rest, until your bad is good, your good is better, and your better is best.”

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Working Hard

Note: The following was written on my phone, in an airport while waiting for a delayed flight.

Lately, I've had a number of conversations with principals revolving around two connected topics - hard work and stress. The first variation of the conversation begins like this, “My teachers are under a lot of stress right now.”

Like this is a bad thing? We are responsible for educating (which means adding value) our students during a very specific window of time. That time window is shrinking. If we don't feel some stress that means we are either coasting on the fact that our students bring enough prior knowledge to the table that our effectiveness in adding value isn't measured. Or even worse, that we’re ok with a certain percentage of our students not being successful. Both of the situations that I just described are bad for students.

Stress means that at some level teachers want to add value, want more students to be successful, and are aware that the clock is ticking. The real concern should be, “How do I help my teachers manage their newly discovered stress?”

The second variation of the conversation starts with the statement, “I'm really working my teachers hard right now.”

Again, like this is a bad thing? When did an honest day's work for an honest wage become an area of concern? In fact, if I don't finish the day exhausted (either mentally, physically, or both) did I really give it my all? And yes, I expect you to give it your all, everyday.

We have to get past the mind set that just showing up is enough. If just showing up was enough, then it would be much more cost effective to hire minimum wage room monitors and let kids watch “The Math and English Show” on TV. To quote Larry Wingate, "it's called work for a reason." If you are having fun and/or love your job, that's just a bonus. It is not a responsibility of the boss or organization.

Quit apologizing for insisting that your staff be of singular mind and purpose when it comes to maximizing student opportunity. That is the purpose of our profession. Educators that can't or won’t do that, discredit the rest of us.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... A Problem with a Co-Worker (November 2009)

Based on the posts relating to “A Problem with a Co-Worker” (November 2009), a reader writes:

“Each day I can't wait to find a spare morsel of time to read your updates. But I can't help but wonder if the school district that is paying such big money to bring you to us is bothering to read your blogs. Can they possibly be reading the same things I do each day? If so, then surely they wouldn't let such small town politics keep standing in the way of what's best for our students! I went back in the archives and found this post to reference for a class I'm taking for a Masters In Educational Leadership. It just makes me wonder if we all get the same e-mails.”

SC Response
Yes, everyone gets the same e-mails. And though I do not know which district you are working in, I can tell you that if we are in your district, Leadership is reading the blog. We are not hired by mistake. But that does not mean that leadership is in the position to adopt all of our recommendations at once.

The typical district changes directions like a super tanker changes direction. It takes a lot of planning, a lot of time and a lot of space. We are like a tug boat. We help a district or campus change direction faster but also guide the organization through treacherous waters.

However, what I do find humorous at times is that staff downstream from the person who hired us (either the superintendent or a principal) sometimes they think that they can pick and choose what they implement and what they will not, and that we will be OK with that.

To which I ask a questions similar to the one you asked, “Do you read the Blog? Do you think that we don’t mean it?”

Thanks for reading, good luck with your M.Ed. and pass the Blog to your classmates. We want them exposed to the LYS Nation sooner rather than later.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Schmoker's Findings Revisited

I was recently talking to a group of teachers and administrators about the lack of critical writing that occurs in classrooms and relating how it was Mike Schmoker who actually brought this to my attention just prior to his publishing the book “Results Now.” A quick aside, every educator needs to read that book. If you haven’t yet, that is your LYS reading assignment for the upcoming Spring break.

One of the AP’s ran to her office and brought back a summary of Schmoker’s findings (and earned 12 brownie points in the process). Here is what Schmoker saw in 1,500 schools across the nation in the early 2000’s:

• Classrooms with a clear and evident learning objective – 4%


• Instruction using high yield strategies - 0.2%


• Instruction at the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – 3%*
  * I assume that Schmoker meant work at the Synthesis and Evaluation levels.


• Classrooms where students were engaged in critical writing – 0%


• Classrooms using worksheets – 52%


• Classrooms engaged in non-instructional activities – 35%

Now let’s cut to Texas in the Fall of 2009. Here are the results of over 60 unannounced campus instructional audits:

• Classrooms with a clear and evident learning objective – 22% (Better)


• Instruction using high yield strategies - 15% (Better)


• Instruction at the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – 1%* (Worse)
  * I assume that Schmoker meant work at the Synthesis and Evaluation level.


• Classrooms where students were engaged in critical writing – 4% (Better)


• Classrooms using worksheets – 33% (Better)


• Classrooms engaged in non-instructional activities – 12% (Better)

Now let’s cut to those same 60 (but now LYS) campuses in the month of January. Each of the campuses worked with one or more LYS Coaches during the Fall semester.

• Classrooms with a clear and evident learning objective – 76% (Awesome)


• Instruction using high yield strategies – 23% (Significant Improvement)


• Instruction at the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – 5%* (Improved). The assumption is that Schmoker meant the Synthesis and Evaluation level. However, if Analysis is included, then these campuses are at 18%, which is an incredible improvement.


• Classrooms where students were engaged in critical writing – 28% (Awesome)


• Classrooms using worksheets – 10% (Significant Improvement)


• Classrooms engaged in non-instructional activities – 3% (Awesome)

The point being is that on our own we are not nearly as effective and efficient as we believe. Yet, improved instruction is well within the reach of any campus. All it requires is desire, coaching and discipline. The proof is in just three months worth of data.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...