Saturday, May 18, 2013

LYS Principal Search - HIgh School (Northeast Texas)


 LYS Executive Search

~ High School Principal ~

A large, Northeast Texas school district is searching for its next high school principal

The successful candidate will have
  • Demonstrated leadership success as a secondary campus administrator
  • Demonstrated success educating at-risk student populations
  • LYS training and experience, preferred

Information of note
  • Large 4A/5A high school campus
  •  Urban, suburban setting
  • Diverse student population
  • Competitive salary and benefits

Qualified and interested candidates submit the following to Search@LeadYourSchool.com
  • Letter of Interest
  • Resume
  • Administrator’s certifications
  • Two letters of reference
  •  Recent campus performance data

Application Deadline: June 18, 2013

Search Consultant: E. Don Brown

LYS Executive Search
(832) 477-5323

LYS Nation, Once again a school district is targeting you to be its next campus leader. Time to step up again!
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

Friday, May 17, 2013

A Reference


School Boards and Superintendents repeatedly tell us that LYSers are a different breed than the typical educator.  And many districts now specifically seek out LYSers for critical positions.  When I share this with audiences, I typically am asked why this is the case.   Here is an example. I recently had the privilege of writing a reference for a longtime LYS district leader.  Below is an excerpt:

District Question: What is the greatest weakness of this applicant?

Dr. X is fearless and exceedingly articulate in expressing his passion for adequate and equitable funding for public schools.  In doing do, he has become a nationally known public school advocate.  This means that he has irritated many of our current state level politicians.  But it also means that he trusted resource for those in the elected class that truly support our schools.

Question: What is the greatest strength of this applicant?

Dr. X is fearless and exceedingly articulate in expressing his passion for adequate and equitable funding for public schools.  In doing do, he has become a nationally known public school advocate.  This means that he has irritated many of our current state level politicians.  But it also means that he trusted resource for those in the elected class that truly support our schools.

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

Thursday, May 16, 2013

A Reader Writes... CSCOPE is the Root of All Evil (Part 2:1)


In response to the 2/13/13 post, “It Seems That CSCOPE is the Root of All Evil (Part 2 of 4),” a reader writes:

SC,

Yea! Glad I’ve escaped the loonies.

SC Response
You are an astute reader.  There were a couple of readers that were worried that I believed that if they had a concern about CSCOPE I viewed them as part of the problem.  And of course the answer to that is, “Absolutely not.”

CSCOPE is an evolving scope and sequence product that over the past eight years has improved rapidly, in part due to the fact that it has proactively responded to user concerns. CSCOPE needs professional educators to question and critique its content and recommend amendments and improvements. Those who have heard me speak know that I can spend 30 minutes describing issues that I have with the tool.  But I always conclude that critique with this.  “CSCOPE is better than what I, or any individual teacher, could create alone. And I have yet to find an instructional tool that better meets the paired criteria of EFFECTIVE AND COST EFFICIENT.”

So what is the difference between a Loony and a professional with questions or concerns? Here is a quick rubric:

A loony views CSCOPE as a Marxist plot to indoctrinate children.

A professional asks, “Why the heck is that a recommended lesson?” Then modifies the lesson to better meet her instructional needs.

A loony sees CSCOPE as an attack on his/her chosen political beliefs and way of life. 

A professional sees CSCOPE as a tool to meet ever-increasing state mandated accountability standards.

And for those who object to the rubric, as my uncle used to remind me, “If the shoe fits...”

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

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

A Reader Asks... Check My Lesson Frame


A new LYS teacher asks the following:

SC,
I loved the training and am working to implement Lesson Framing.  Will you check one of my Frames and give me some feedback?

Warm-up: In 3-5 sentences, explain the affect precipitation and snowmelt have on stream discharge, and how does this affect a stream's ability to erode?

Objective:  Today we are going to learn about porosity, permeability, and groundwater.

Ending question: You will demonstrate for me your understanding of porosity and permeability by analyzing and appraising the value of shale, sandstone, and limestone as aquifers.  Justify your appraisal/analysis.

Thanks!

SC Response
No problem and thank you for asking. Here you go.

1. Critical Writing as a warm-up activity… Nice!  I'm already loving this lesson.

2. A concrete, easy to understand learning objective.  Mr. M is going to guide us in getting our Environmental Science on! Consider my brain primed.

3. Just a slight tweak with the closing question. Use this format and you are golden!!!  "I will explain and defend my analysis of porosity and permeability to my partner."

This is one of the best first attempts at Lesson Framing that I have ever seen.

Here are some keys to remember when developing you closing questions:

A. Present the close as an "I will…"  Not only does this shift the ownership of the learning to the student, he/she also reads the question as an active "Me," instead of "You."  This is a critical, but often missed, distinction.

B. The closing question is where the student demonstrates he/she got "it" as a result of experiencing the lesson and/or task.

C. A good rule of thumb is to have the student either talk or write for the close 90+ percent of the time.  

Keep up the great effort and you will soon be amazed by the improvement in student performance!

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

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

My Former Coach Writes... Master Schedule Options - Part 1


In response to the 4/16/2013 post, “Master Schedule Options,” one of my former high school coaches and current sitting superintendent, Hal Roberts, writes:

SC,

I was just reading your post on schedules. Things that E. Don Brown did not mention…

It is more expensive than traditional schedule.

Coaches only teach three classes, then have one conference period and one athletic period.

I would not like this schedule for testing purposes. Consider students in algebra (unless tripled blocked) if by chance they did not have algebra in their schedule the 3rd trimester…or any EOC course for that matter. I would hate to see their results, unless they are very smart.

SC Response
Coach, while I do some extra conditioning work, E. Don is going to tackle the issues that you highlighted.

EDB Response 
I think your last sentence answered the whole question. Most people who attempt the trimester simply change the time they ring the bell and the time grades are given AND THAT IS THEIR CONCEPT OF THE TRIMESTER. Few campuses/districts are willing to initiate the leadership staff workload changes that are necessary to make the schedule "student centric" and not "adult centric."  Those that have, have experienced dramatic student performance success.

A. The comment about the coaches’ schedule is true on the surface. However when you assign coaches different schedules each trimester (coach during their season, teach outside of it) instead of giving them the same schedule each of the three trimesters you would find very little to no difference to the seven period day.

B. Your comment about testing is also true on the surface. However when you use a concept we call WRAP for fragile students you would find incredible test results and those students completing their four core math and science requirements in the junior year. No test for fragile seniors!

C. When you mention an increase expense our budget constraints in Texas schools today, prevent that from happening. However when you reduce student load by 29% and teacher load by 33% you would be amazed at how many students learn and retain more, pass tests at a higher rate, and do not have to repeat courses.  Now we aren’t expending precious student and teacher time remediating, or even worse, double or triple blocking students in a course. It turns out that these load reductions not only change the culture of the school, the improved student learning and thus reduced repetition and remediation quickly creates a reduction and/or leveling of staffing needs. 

The bottom line is you must be smarter and not just change the time you ring the bell.  I will leave you with this final thought.  Trinity and Bell High Schools run the trimester better than anyone.  Here is what they do...

A. Win state championships.

B. Produce more IB Diplomas than any other schools in Texas.

C. Increase overall state test passing rates while their overall SES status is decreasing each year.

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

Monday, May 13, 2013

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of May 5, 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 May 5, 2013.

1. Today is all about student engagement. Quite simple, begin by Framing Your Lesson. (By @fosterbkay)

2. I wish we would jump through as many hoops to ensure our struggling students have small class size and great teachers as we do for our GT and AP students.

3. If we can move the most academically fragile kids just a little bit, imagine what would happen to the entire student population! (By @MosserEarthSci)

4. "The real art of conversation is not to say the right thing at the right time but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." (By @DrRichAllen)

5. How about for teacher appreciation week, we adequately fund schools and don't steal teacher retirement benefits? I'm looking at you, Texas Legislature.

6. Brain Bits: Calling on the first hands that go up signals the slower retrievers to stop the retrieval process. (By @AskDrMeredith)

7. When a hospital is struggling, I don't pretend to know more than the doctors who are running it. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

8. Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled the funding method for the state’s school voucher program is unconstitutional. (By @RYHTexas)

9. This is the time when we need to be the most motivated!!!! Keep the energy up. Observe, be creative, make connections and finish strong. (By @nickthegreek729)

10. If education really is the great equalizer, then we commit malpractice when we don't give our kids the best of ourselves. (By @Snowmanlearning)

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