Thanks for the Koozie Response

The LYS Nation asks, the LYS Nation gets.

I have to admit I was surprised. I figured we would get 3 or 4 requests for an LYS Koozie. Instead, we received 27. So thank all of you for your interest and lightning quick responses. The LYS Koozie give away now is going back on the shelf for a little while. But, I did suspended the "First 5 Requests" rule.

To the 27 LYS’ers who asked for one, your LYS Koozie is already in the mail.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Asks... Sustainability

A LYS Reader Asks:

"SC,

When you fix things or put systems in place, how important is the issue of sustainability? At least in terms of, from one principal to another?"

SC Response
1. The answer is, it is a paradox. Sustainability is critical, unless it is not important at all.

2. Many fixes are simply a bridge. The practices and procedures that get you and your organization from Point A to Point B can in many cases prevent you from getting to Point C. For example, a school can make considerable initial progress just by recognizing and implementing the idea that “Bad Instruction is Better than No Instruction.” This is a classic Point A to Point B practice. However, long term success would necessitate that the practice of "Bad Instruction" evolve.

3. Finally, though this sounds cynical, assume that the leader who will follow you will be an idiot. If you operate under this principle, then purposefully building staff capacity and their pride in accomplishment becomes your primary focus. Do this and the staff will be able to sustain itself for long periods of time in the face of any adversity. When this is the case you have done your part to leave a stronger organization than you inherited. Which is a recognized hallmark of an exceptional leader.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Asks... Koozies?

An eagled eye LYS Reader sent in the following question:

“SC,

There's an LYS koozie? If so, I want, need, etc...”

SC Response

Not only is there a koozie, it’s darn near World Famous. We gave away over 10,000 of them last year alone. We hand them out all over the place. To get one, you either have to be in the right place at the right time, or…

For the first five responses that we get to this post (with a name and a mailing address), I’ll send you one in the mail.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Chef Dewayne

I was able to travel the country this summer to work with dedicated LYS educators, speak to packed halls filled with excited audiences, and discuss theory with some of the best thinkers and practitioners in our field. All phenomenal highlights, but one of the best moments was one that on the surface seemed unrelated to schools.

After my presentation at TASB in San Antonio, I had a choice, fight rush hour traffic or wait at the Chart House in the Tower of the America’s. So I grabbed my co-presenter Dr. Mike Laird and we went to the restaurant. The Executive Chef, Chef Dwayne, follows the blog and is a member of the LYS Nation.

Chef Dwayne expects his restaurant to be the best in both San Antonio and the best in the Chart House chain. He monitors every detail of the restaurant, constantly coaches his staff, and models both charm and excellence. I marvel at the way his staff works like a well-oiled machine, but until this summer, I thought it was just the “Chart House Way.” I was wrong; it is the “Chef Dwayne Way.”

Two weeks after the visiting the Chart House in San Antonio, the LYS team visited the Chart House in Monterrey Bay. It was nice, but it wasn’t special. The staff moved a little slower, they were a little less attentive, and their overall presentation was just OK.

Once again, a real world reminder that the organization takes its cues from leadership. If leadership is OK with OK, then OK is what you get. If leadership doesn’t monitor what is important, then what is important receives diminished attention, by everyone.

The bottom line is that it is up to leadership to position the organization to maximize its potential. If you are not working to do that, what are you working on?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Submits... TPM - P.S.

The author of last Friday's submission submits his/her P.S.

“Just to be clear, I am all for a system that takes student growth and improvement into account, however both the student and the school should benefit from such a system.”

SC Response

Since we are clarifying, here again is my rock solid position on accountability and school rankings:

1. School accountability is good for students, especially the hard to teach and the hard to reach. Want proof? If you work in Texas, did you have any Katrina kids enroll in your school? Was it criminal how noticeably far behind they were? Did those students catch up within two years? Those last two “yes” answers are due to a functioning accountability system.

2. I am an advocate for a system that objectively measures both the performance of the campus and the degree of difficulty faced by that campus. Currently, this is something that the Texas system does not do. Want proof? Take two schools. One school is 85% poor, one 85% rich. Both are Exemplary (without TPM). Which school had the tougher row to hoe? Which result is the greater accomplishment? Does the current raking accountability system answer the previous two questions?

3. The truly great educators, schools and districts hold themselves accountable to internal standards. If you and your system define success by what outsiders dictate, you are leaving student success on the table.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...