Update from the Field - Texas Charter School Conference and TEPSA Webinar

The Texas Charter School Conference threw another successful conference. Highlights included:

1. Seeing some old friends from my days when I was the State Director of Innovative School Redesign.

2. The official Chef of the LYS Nation, Chef Dwayne, set up another four-star meal for a group of LYS Principals and Central Office Administrators at his restaurant, the Chart House in the Tower of the Americas. As long time readers know, I will put Chef Dwayne and his staff up against any other restaurant in the country.

3. Seeing a different teacher from John Woods Charter every time I turned around.

4. The enthusiastic audience for my presentation and the great discussion pieces that they added.

5. But the biggest surprise came from George Sanders, one of my teachers from my Harris County days. George showed up for my session, without realizing I was the presenter. We were both surprised and when he told me that he is now a principal who led an exemplary school last year, I could not have been more proud and happy.

The TEPSA webinar, my first as a presenter, went as well as I could expect considering that I am a novice. I still have to learn how to talk for 45 minutes without moving and without visual or verbal feedback. It is a strange experience. But the close to 100 attendees stayed logged in for the whole time and the questions that were sent in lead me to believe that they found the information useful and timely.

If you took the time to listen to me at either of these events, thank you. If you didn’t get the chance, in the near future we’ll be at the TASA Mid-Winter Conference, TASB Winter Law Conference, AASA National Conference and NASSP National Conference. Get out and represent your school, your district and the LYS Nation.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Poisonous Staff - Part 3)

In response to the 10/12/2010 post, “Poisonous Staff,” the original writer sends in an update:

Cain,

BTW, my project poisonous staff member is somewhat softer now and more compliant. A testament to the effectiveness of influence and time, over authority and power.

SC Response

Congratulations! To you, your school and the employee. It sounds like you are channeling your inner Harry Miller and E. Don Brown. It’s a tough lesson, but like Brezina used to remind us, “You can’t fire them all so you better figure out some ways to save some of your bullets.”

Getting the reluctant on board (in a timely fashion) is a great litmus test of your leadership ability.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Poisonous Staff - Part 2)

In response to the 10/27/2010 post “Poisonous Staff – Part 1,” a reader writes:

I read the original post when it came out and didn't realize until today that some of our staff might have been who the principal was speaking of. Today, we had a training presentation going on and many on the staff kept whispering, “Why are we here, we have more important work to do…”

I just decided to write what the presenter was sharing with us. I am so worried that our school is not going to do well because of all this negativity that I am seriously considering a career change because I don't see how I can help. I've offered so many times to lend a helping hand when the administrator asks for it and I just get silence or I am told in a roundabout way that I'm not needed in that way.

SC Response

I'm sorry to hear about what you are having to deal with. It is demoralizing when your peers are phoning it in and leadership is ineffective, inept or both. For a classroom teacher in your situation I have the following advice:

1. Stay focused on the fact that there is nothing more important than the teaching and learning that occurs in your classroom.

2. Try to find some joy in the growth and success of your students.

3. Decide if the situation on your campus is temporary or long term. If it is temporary, stay positive and set a good example for your peers. If it is long term, look for a campus or district that is less focused on adults and more focused on students.

But as long as you have students that are counting on you, you have to keep working at full speed. Best of luck and know that if the going gets tougher, write or call anytime you need us.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Special Case Common Assessments)

In response to the 10/21/2010 post, “Special Case Common Assessments," one of the pioneer practitioners (and LYS Principal) writes:

SC,

You know I couldn’t let this one go. Have you mellowed? Where is the risk taking maverick that took no prisoners? I guess it’s up to me to give the person who asked the question the straight take.

Your top students taking advanced courses will probably be OK no matter what you do on common assessments. I assume from the scenario you presented that you are working in a junior high/middle school.

In my mind the important thing is to devise a method to collect true information (not just data) from the common assessments. This can be very tricky. I would give you the following recommendations:

1. Don’t fixate on 70 as a passing rate.

2. Use common assessments to close your achievement gap.

3. If you don’t know how, ask Cain for my personal e-mail address and I will give you the tools I have developed over the past 6 years to make sense out of common assessment data.

SC Response

Get out of my head, old man! The writer’s school is fast tracking through the learning (pain) curve. They are using 80 as their cut score and they are only tracking the academically fragile. Then they are doing “no BS” one page data analysis to back fill their deepest holes on the fly.

Some of them still have the “deer in the headlights” look, but for just one exception, the principals didn’t jump off the roof after the first assessment (remember that experience?). And even more promising, most of the teachers are trying hard to rise to the challenge.

If anyone asks for your e-mail, I’ll gladly pass it on. After talking to you, I’ll look like the nice and reasonable one. How often does that happen?

P.S.

If you are attending the Texas Charter School Conference on today look me up. At 3:45 pm, I’ll be presenting on the first steps of school improvement. The session title is, “Broke to Better.”

You can also catch me on the TEPSA Webinar on tomorrow at 11:00 AM (central time). The topic, “Effective Working Relationships: A Primer for Principals and Assistant Principals."

Follow the link below for more information.

http://www.tepsa.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=282

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Game On! School Write - Part 2

In response to the post "The LYS Nation in the News,” on 11/4/2010, Dr. Stephen Wurtz writes:

Game On! is an incredible system designed by Sean Cain and the Lead Your School organization. I love the systematic approach to increasing student academic achievement while fostering character development and person responsibility.

Game On! has helped to foster a truly transparent environment where everyone understands their role on the team and how that role impacts the group as a whole. It has made a real difference in streamlining hard working teachers so that everyone's efforts are pointed in the same direction... toward achieving our school mission! I highly recommend it!!

SC Response

Thanks for the kind words and you know that everyone on our side couldn’t be more excited for you and your kids! Your success makes it easier for other schools to embrace the changes that will benefit their students.

On an unrelated note, don’t forget if you are attending the Texas Charter School Conference on Tuesday, November 29, 2010, look me up. At 3:45 pm, I’ll be presenting on the first steps of school improvement. The session title is, “Broke to Better.”

You can also catch me on the TEPSA Webinar on Wednesday, November 30, 2010 at 11:00 AM (central time). The topic, “Effective Working Relationships: A Primer for Principals and Assistant Principals”

Follow the link below for more information.

http://www.tepsa.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=282

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...