A Coaching Note... TALK to Your Staff

The following is a message LYS Coach Lesa Cain sent to her principals.

 Hey guys!  After 2½ years of traveling, training and coaching, I want to convince you that the absolutely, positively MOST important thing you can do EACH and EVERY day is to TALK to your staff.  TALK to them about what they are teaching, how they are teaching, who they are teaching and why they are teaching it.  

It is the single most common missing link on every campus that I visit.

Most of the time not talking to staff members is due to fear. It is fear of not knowing content, or the fear of upsetting people, or the fear of just not having "the answer." Once we identify the fear, then we can make a plan and begin to move forward.  This has been the most frustrating, and surprisingly common, issue with respect to leadership that I deal with.  I thought most of my work would be helping to develop school-wide systems to promote better first teaching and then interventions, and I could not have been more wrong!  

For you guys, this is just a friendly reminder that instructional conversations are the basis of everything terrific that happens on your campus.  As you feel more and more stress and pressure during the testing season, stay focused, and please, keep talking about teaching and talking about teaching, and talking about teaching...

Thanks for Leading (and not just Running) Your School!!!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool)
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... Final Exam Exemptions - Part 1

In response to the 11/19/2012 post, “Final Exam Exemptions” a principal writes:

SC,

Well said.  I believe that there are two different paradigms that come into play when you discuss final exam options.  You have a "Culture of Learning" as one paradigm and a "Culture of Grades" as another.  If the real focus is on student learning then you will give the exams and look at the data.  If you work in a culture of grades then for the students who have satisfied a specific goal (achieve a certain grade) you exempt them from the final exam and test the rest.  These are two very different paradigms and I am afraid that the latter is the prevailing one.

SC Response

I have to agree with your “Culture of Grades” analysis.  Teachers talk about how stifling accountability is to their creativity and continued learning, yet the system and sanctions we daily inflict on our students are exponentially more damaging.  Systematic hypocrisy is a bitter pill to swallow.

What holds us to the “Culture of Grades” paradigm is that in the short run, in seems easier.  No need to reflect, adjust and improve practice.  Just double down on the status quo and the sanctions.  But in the long run that just ensures that the doom loop will continue to run its course.  We don’t need more grades and exemptions. What we really need is timely, valid and relevant instructional data that informs our decisions and instructional adjustments.  Given the lack of validity and objectivity of grades, whether or not you take one is largely immaterial.  

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool)
• Upcoming Presentations: National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... Student Groupings

A reader sent in the following questions.

SC,

I have been reading your book (The Fundamental 5, by Cain & Laird) and have some questions.  How do you decide whom to group together?  And how often do you change groups?

SC Response

Great questions! For the first question, the answer is that groupings are made solely on the basis of teacher intent and instructional needs.  Overall there isn’t a right or wrong answer.  There are times when based on the planned activity or discussion that the teacher will need homogeneous (usually ability based) student groupings.  Then there are times that the teacher will desire heterogeneous (usually mixed ability) student groupings. And there will be times that all the teacher needs is just student groups so random mixing is appropriate. My rule of thumb is if you find yourself over-using a particular grouping dynamic, then purposefully mix it up. The effect on the classroom will be immediate and energizing.

As for the second question, the answer again is that the decision is made solely on the basis of teacher intent and needs.  I have observed teachers who switch groupings multiple times a days.  I usually switched my groups daily and there are teachers who maintain a group for up to three weeks.  All that I want to know is that the teachers made a purposeful decision and that on at least a semi-regular basis, students have an opportunity to work and learn with students of all abilities and personality types.

I hope this helps and thank you for reading the book and working to implement The Fundamental 5 in your classroom.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of February 24, 2013

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 February 24, 2013.

1. The unemployment rate for those with a bachelor's degree is 3.7%, versus 12% for those without a high school diploma. (By @themotleyfool)

2. School shouldn't be a place where the kids go to watch the adults work. (By @Snowmanlearning)

3. If you don't like change, you're really going to hate extinction." - Ross Shaffer (By @MLunoff)

4. We cannot change the cards we are dealt. Just how we play the hand. (By @coachwrong)

5. Lesson Framing sets the path. "We will,” tells where we're going. "I will,” tells if the learner has arrived! (By @CabidaCain)

6. Learning goals in student friendly terms with closure at the end. The alpha and omega of delivering a lesson. 1. Frame the lesson. (By @PASprincipal)

7. Increase rigor by implementing critical writing in all content areas. (By @frchsbrodie)

8. In Texas, more than 35 out of 180 school days are spent doing some kind of testing (By @gdahlby)

9. Don't hold teachers accountable for things you have not taught them how to do. (By @DSteward89)

10. Lead Your School is conducting a Principal search. Here's the link to the search page, ‪http://tinyurl.com/cdrt6ym  The search will close on 3/15.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

PowerWalks Hero Schools - February 2013

In furtherance of a LYS Nation tradition, we will take this time to tip our caps to the campuses that have embraced the most important step in creating and maintaining an action oriented professional learning community.  These are the campuses that have conducted an extraordinary number of formative classroom observations in a given month.  There were a total of 11,570 PowerWalks (Outstanding Job) conducted during the past month and the February targets for Hero School designation were:

Big Schools – 265 PowerWalks Observations

Medium Sized Schools – 190 PowerWalks Observations

Small Schools – 115 PowerWalks Observations

Very Small Schools – 60 PowerWalks Observations

For March, due to losing the week of Spring Break, we’ll maintain the February targets.

Now without further adieu, here are your thirty-five PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of February 2013.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools	Junior High and Middle Schools	Alternative Schools	Combined Campuses	High Schools
McFee ES - 547 (CFISD)	Tennyson MS - 383 (WISD)	Afton Oaks – 90 (JWJPCS)	Louise Schools – 163 (LISD)	Hutto HS – 645 (HISD)
Bell’s Hill ES – 405 (WISD)	Hutto MS – 369 (HISD)	San Marcos – 84 (JWJPCS)		Smithson Valley HS – 366 (CISD)
Ray ES – 397 (HISD)	Indian Spring MS – 305 (WISD)	Garza County – 66 (JWJPCS)		Waco HS – 339 (WISD)
JH Hines ES – 346 (WISD)	Tidehaven IS – 78 (TISD)			Kennedale HS – 252 (KISD)
Dean-Highland ES – 328 (WISD)
Kendrick ES – 303 (WISD)
Bill Brown ES – 279 (CISD)
Frazier ES – 277 (CFISD)
South Waco ES - 255 (WISD)
Cottonwood Creek ES – 213 (HISD)
Alta Vista ES – 168 (WISD)
Johnson ES – 168 (HISD)
Hutto ES – 157 (HISD)
Provident Heights ES – 155 (WISD)
Cedar Ridge ES – 153 (WISD)
Hilcrest ES – 153 (WISD)
Brook Ave ES – 144 (WISD)
West Ave ES – 135 (WISD)
Rebecca Creek ES – 125 (CISD)
Mountainview ES – 119 (WISD)
Garden Ridge ES – 116 (CISD)
Johnson Ranch ES – 116 (CISD)
Markham ES – 73 (TISD)

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool)
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook