A Fundamental 5 Field Report

The following was submitted from a Big Wig in a major Principals’ organization.

E. Don and SC,

I am on the advisory team for the Principal Institute and I participate sit in the sessions.  We met this week and a High School Principal was rattling Fundamental 5 language like a pro to her cohorts!  I told her at the end of the session that I was going to contact you and suggest you put her on the payroll!  My goodness.  She is completely immersed in the implementation of The Fundamental 5.  You better send some cookies to her staff!

Keep up the good work!

SC Response

Great news.  And like many schools, the campus in question has tackled the Fundamental 5 through book study, PLC focus and attending conferences.  It is because of schools like this that the Fundamental 5 National Summit is forthcoming.  Schools across the country that are working everyday to improve student outcomes through better implementation of the Fundamental 5 have been asking for a chance for purposeful, focused networking and problem solving.  I’m grateful that TASSP agreed to host these two October Summits and open them up to educators from all states and all levels of campuses.

I can’t wait until October 7, 2013 in Austin and October 14, 2013 in Dallas. The pre-Summit buzz has been deafening.

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 LYS Teacher Submits... Fundamental 5 Training

A new LYS’er submits the following:

SC,

By far, Fundamental 5 training is the most valuable teacher training I have ever been a part of.  I graduated from (A PROMINENT UNIVERSITY) in the 90's and what I learned from the Fundamental 5 is better than any methods course I took.  The Fundamental 5 should be a required course for all education majors.  And why no one else delivers training like LYS does is ludicrous. The LYS method gives us (teachers) them time to practice and focus on improving a few things, as we continue to teach.

Thank you.

SC Response

Awesome! You are the winner of my “Favorite Teacher of the Week” designation.  You have validated our intent in everything we do relating to the Fundamental 5.

When Dr. Laird and I wrote the book, obviously our intent was to share the results of our research. But we wanted to do so in a way that was clear to the practitioner.  We wanted to give our audience what we asked for when we were teachers; an actionable plan for accomplishing everything we want to accomplish in our classrooms, how to do it and why it works.

When the LYS team designed the training, our intent was to not waste teacher time, district money or our effort.   So we embed training to give teachers a chance to actually improve their practice, while continuing to manage the dynamic system that is daily classroom instruction.  Again, a by-product of LYS being a practitioner’s organization that spends the majority of its time on campuses and in classrooms.

We have found that there are more “efficient” ways to deliver information but our process is the most effective way to help teachers and by extension, improve opportunities for students. 

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... Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game - Part 1

In response to the 6/26/13 post, “Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game," a long time LYSer writes:

SC,

Your idea is good IF....  IF means all grade levels become aligned.  IF you moved all 9th courses to 10th or 11th grade except for ELA, your accountability scores would be based ONLY on ELA for at least a year or two, which would be devastating.  Essentially all tested courses (other than ELA 2) should be aligned to a single grade level.  That makes it complex since there are two tests in ELA, which means at least two different groups no matter what.

Also, keep in mind it is very unlikely the current accountability matrix stays in place given HB5.  In some ways the time we live in is more unknown and dangerous than before. 

SC Response

There are always “If’s.”  For example, if we do nothing, we can predict results with a high degree of accuracy.  In this case, if we do nothing the students taking the test with the highest stakes will be our most fragile high school students.  A situation that is far from optimal.

If we do something, there will be transitional issues and short-term challenges, but in the long run we can create a more advantageous situation for more students.

And I agree that the legislature will make more changes to testing and accountability in the next session.  That is the predictable outcome when extremist agendas and ill-informed opinions provide the rubric for creating education policy.  Which is why I will repeat my initial premise.  As an educational leader, I’m going to play the hand that is dealt to me to protect my students first and my organization second. If this means we will have to change from what we have always done in the past, so be it. 

That is leadership.

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Shares... State Testing - Make a Success out of a Mess

A long time LYSer shares the following:

LYS Nation,

If there is a problem with today's state assessment system it would be with the way the data gained from the tests is used and communicated. What is the fear of rigorous testing? I have never feared it, and I am an unban high school educator.  My students are going to compete against those with more resources and entitlements than they have for their entire lives.  I need to know how well I am preparing them for this unfair battle.

Is it not passé to believe we are beyond the time where our children need to meet high expectations? The raw STAAR data showed us that we weren’t quite as good that we thought we were. But now we have our filtered state ratings which have been skewed just enough to make things look not that bad, giving us permission to not make the critical changes required for our students to do more than just survive in the world of their future.

The bottom line is our children have been penalized enough for an education that is focused on meeting minimum standards.  It is time for an educational reform that promotes critical thinking, common sense, problem solving and effective learning communities of all so our children can ride the waves of change instead of being swept out into the sea of life by them.

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of September 15, 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 September 15, 2013.

1. Do you believe in servant leadership? If so who do you serve? If a servant can only serve one master, you must choose. I choose students. You? (By @txschoolsupe)

2. Leadership is less about theory and rhetoric than it is about guts and follow-through. (By @tlonganecker)

3. "Instructional" leadership, "transactional" leadership, "transformational" leadership... Seriously, just be a LEADER! (By @tlonganecker) 

4. E. Don Brown postulate 1: the principal is the only person in the system positioned to be the student advocate. (By @txschoolsupe)

5. There is an unequivocal link between campus success and leadership. (By @LYSNation)

6. We need an agile instruction force, trained to respond in an increasingly fluid environment. This requires more resources and skills, not less. (By @LYSNation)

7. I will admit it! I promote critical thinking in the classroom. I believe that it is important in the preservation of a democratic society. (By @LittelMath)

8. Preach the Fundamental 5. Example... Mrs. Rivas framed her open house presentation and gave parents an exit ticket! (By @brandyjbaker)

9. If your primary decision making filter is "avoid uncomfortable conversations," the you are miscast for campus leadership roles. (By @LYSNation)

10. A little reflection goes a long way. (By @LYSNation)

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook