Friday, April 1, 2011

School Reform Agenda

I am an education reformer. I have been since the first day that I stepped into the classroom. But my work is not fueled by the idea that schools do a bad job and that educators are lazy. My work is fueled by the understanding that educators are hard working people who’s biggest challenge is overcoming the bunker mentality that is the result of the structure of the system in which they work. Has the field of education improved at the rate that I would like it to? No. Has it improved? Yes. Has the scope of what schools are expected to deal with expanded? Yes. Have resources followed that expansion? No.

And that’s my problem right now. In good faith educators have attempted to exceed the requirements that are heaped on them by society and politicians. They have done so out of duty, patriotism and a belief in the greater good (remember, we’ve discussed that if you teach for the money, you won’t last in this field). So it flat out pisses me off when our elected leaders decide to strangle schools and demonize educators to further their personal agenda. Just in the span of my short career the following has become daily practice in most schools:

1. We no longer expel students to the streets.

2. We no longer administer corporal punishment.

3. We feed more students than we do not feed.

4. We include students with special needs in our classrooms.

5. We are accountable for student success, by disaggregated student groups.

6. We are now blamed by parents when their children misbehave.

7. We deal with teen drug use

8. We deal with teen pregnancy.

9. We are now blamed for student bullying.

10. We are now blamed for student suicides.

11. We are held responsible if we miss the signs of child abuse and do not report it.

12. We are attempting to implement improved instructional practices that have never been used at scale in any other era.

13. We are attempting to keep pace with technology that now seemingly changes by the hour.

14. We work extra hours and on weekends with no additional financial remuneration, because the job is that important to us.

15. We submit to regular criminal background checks.

16. We submit to finger printing (which we pay for ourselves).

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. But here is the kicker, we do this while every year we are forced to not only tighten our belts another notch but face increasing public enmity. In Texas, our governor uses the success of our schools to further his agenda, up until he is elected. Then, through his policies (in Texas our school finance issues are not driven by the economic downturn), he guts the schools to again further his agenda.

As for solutions, in the short run, I have few. But in the long run, vote for education first, second, and third. And here is what I am going to do. From now on, when someone tries to explain to me “What’s wrong with schools,” and their only expertise is that at some point in their childhood they attended a school, I will politely point out exactly why they are an idiot.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Thursday, March 31, 2011

System Failure at the Macro Level

System failure is leadership failure. I hope that I have been clear on that concept. The effect of the mistakes I described in 3/30/2011 post, “Diagnosis of System Failure,” does not just apply in schools. It also applies in other settings, like running a state. I’ll just give you one big Texas example.

School finance is really a simple equation (no, I’m not naive). First, we decide the level of investment we want to make to adequately educate the populace. This is an infrastructure investment. As we invest more, we expect to realize a greater payoff. The payoff is the difference between a workforce made up primarily of laborers or a workforce made up primarily of knowledge users and knowledge builders. The decision on the level of investment is a leadership decision. If leadership determines that the needs of the state are best met by having lots of ditch diggers, stand up and say that. If leadership determines that the needs of the state are best met by having lots of knowledge workers, stand up and say that. But don’t remain mute on the topic and don’t tell us we can have knowledge workers at a ditch digger price. When leadership does either of these, they are either not leading, or lying.

The second part of the equation, after it has been determined at what level we will invest in infrastructure (that’s what schools and an educated populace represents), then we have to fund that investment with revenue streams (taxes). Nobody likes taxes. But the role of leadership is to advance responsible behavior and influence people to make personal commitments and/or sacrifices for long-term gain and the greater good. To continue to advocate for the reduction of revenue with the promise of increased infrastructure production is again either poor leadership or a lie.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, system failure is leadership failure. Though never healthy (or a good model), over the past six years the Texas (you can insert your state name here) school finance system has failed. Key leadership today, is the same that it was six years ago. That’s a clue.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Diagnosis of System Failure

I’m often called in to provide solutions for campuses and districts that, for lack of a better term, find themselves in a ditch. In these situations, I have observed some common mistakes by leadership. And do know, that when systems fail, it is because leadership fails (hold on to that thought, we’re going to discuss it again tomorrow).

Here is the first leadership mistake: If you aren’t looking for it, you will never find it.

Do you want to ensure that you will eventually drive over the cliff, or miss the turn for the critical short-cut? Then track and monitor nothing. Or track and monitor in extremely long time windows. Or even worse, track and monitor the things that do not matter. Know your process and critical variables, then monitor and track those variables and adjust at regular intervals.

Here is the second leadership mistake: Leniency + Ignorance = Disaster

Want to make sure that you and lots of your people do not survive difficult times? Let your people do whatever they want, whenever they want, within huge behavioral boundaries. Also, make sure that you do not keep abreast with changes in the field. In case a new idea does surface, keep one of the two excuses handy:

“If it’s not broke, why fix it.”

And

“That might work somewhere else, but it won’t work here with these (insert: students, teachers, administrators, parents or community members).”

Luckily, there are ways to address this, and do so quickly (that’s where LYS systems and coaching come into play). Unfortunately, the catalyst is leadership, which means the time favored management strategy of “Do as I say, not as I do,” has to be excised from the organization. As those of you who have heard me speak about change and improvement, there’s a reason why a lot of my presentations start with this statement, “Without a change in leadership practice first, meaningful change within the organization will never occur.”

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Readers Write... (An Open Letter to the Governor)

In response to the 3/17/2011 post, “A LYS Principal’s Open Letter to the Governor,” some old school LYS’ers sent in some “atta boys”.

LYS Coach and Icon, Barbara Fine writes - Dr. Burkett’s letter brought tears to my eyes. How great would it be if every LYS Principal would take the time to write a personal letter to the Governor.


The Ol’ Ball Coach writes – This is great!


The Big Easy writes - Dr. Burkett,

I just read your letter to Governor Perry - well done, my friend! I, too, hope Governor Perry visits LBJ. I am confident that he would learn a lot, especially about leadership. You remind me of a principal who, under similar circumstances, said, "We will find a way or make a way." Thanks for allowing me the privilege to work with you.

Keep the spirit!

SC Response

I too thought it was a great letter, which is why I posted it. It is my hope that reason and respect will break through the poisonous rhetoric that both sides of the aisle seem to revel in.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Monday, March 28, 2011

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of March 20, 2011

1:1 computers is the stated goal of a lot of schools right now. I would argue that is that is your goal that you are looking in the wrong direction. Instead, I believe that the goal should be 1:1 connectivity. Every student with on-line access with some sort of device. In fact, I would not be surprised if the laptop I’m working on right now is the last computer I buy. I already conduct most of my work on my I-Phone and I-Pad. It would not take much to make a 100% conversion. Embrace bootleg technology now.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using bootleg technology devices to follow Twitter. If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us. To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of March 20th, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. (A composite of 2 posts announcing awards for LYS Schools) LYS Schools that are Title I Performance Award winners: Duryea ES (CFISD), Hairgrove ES (CFISD), Bush ES (GPISD), Dickinson ES (GPISD), Whitt ES (GPISD), Moseley ES (GPISD), and Moore ES (GPISD). Hooray!!!

2. (A composite of 3 posts announcing awards for LYS Schools) LYS Schools that are Title I Progress Award winners: Lee ES (CFISD), Bowie ES (GPISD), Marshall ES (GPISD), and Shultze ES (IISD). Hooray!!!

3. LYS elementary campuses are in the performance business. And business is good!

4. A Boston principal believes that visiting classrooms 10 times a year makes her more effective. LYS principals believe that "year" must be a typo.

5. Sunday run thought: How is the systematic dismantling of social support and services moral, just, or Christian?

6. On a campus that posts the daily learning objectives for each core subject (by grade level) on the common area bulletin board. Awesome!

7. At a juvenile facility (and LYS school). In Ms. Ibrahim’s class I saw: Power Zone, Purposeful Talk, Recognition and Reinforcement, Writing Critically and smiling students!!!

8. LYS Principal, Jessica Mutale is on fire! She just created another PowerWalks report that I didn't know was possible. The student has surpassed the master.

9. In a middle school classroom without any computers. 10 students asked if they could bring their I-pads. Teacher answer was "NO." The kids are ready. Embrace bootleg technology.

10. A teacher reports that students reading and writing texts in class distracts from her reading and writing instruction. Slice of irony, anyone?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation