A Reader Shares... What I Know, What We Do

A LYS Principal shares the following:

LYS Nation,

In 2009, I was working in a district that brought in Sean Cain to help us get out of the ditch.  He and the LYS Coaches trained the administrators to focus on the implementation of The Foundation Trinity and teachers on the implementation of The Fundamental 5.  And it worked.  I have since left that district and I am now a principal in a different state. I have spread these instructional strategies to my campus and staff. 

In my new state, teacher evaluation is not a priority, which gives me a lot of latitude in what I choose to do.  What I have done is taken elements of the PDAS and emphasized Fundamental 5 practices.  Then I use PowerWalks to cue and coach those practices. When it time for summative conferences we discuss the following:

1. Provide evidence that your lessons are "framed"?

2. Provide examples of how you recognized and reinforced desired academic and / or classroom behavior?

3. How do you implement frequent small group purposeful talk about the learning?

4. What percentage of time do you work in Power Zone? What does this look like?

5. How do you incorporate writing critically into your lessons? 

6. How do you manage instructional rigor?

7. How did you formatively assess student understanding and how does impact your instructional decisions?

We are working to avoid complications and keep it simple.

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: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook