Friday, February 14, 2014

A Reader Shares... A Fundamental 5 Success Story

A LYS Principal shares the following:

SC,

I have a great Fundamental 5 success story for you to share with the LYS Nation.  The back-story is important so let me apologize now for the length of this post but I promise it is worth the read.

My husband and I are both 2nd year principals.  He is at HS and I am at MS.  We both felt strongly about the instructional benefits of the Fundamental 5 and introduced them to our campuses last year.  We have continued to work to reflect, revisit, and refine our staff’s understanding and use of the Fundamental 5 this year through on-going training for our staff.

This week, we were reviewing elements of our classroom observation tool.  As we began to talk about the Fundamental 5’s role in a classroom observation, two of my teachers shared amazing stories. 

When we introduced the Fundamental 5 to our staff last year, we used a graphic and arm motions to represent each of the five practices.  We review the arm motions each time we are together as a staff and at all Fundamental 5 trainings. The graphic symbols we use in written communication to our staff, such as our weekly bulletin.  This year, as we expected broader and more effective use of the Fundamental 5 in all classrooms, we quantified our pictorial representations (which is what I have attached).  It is a reminder for teachers to be sure to plan during each class period two opportunities for students to write critically, refer to the lesson frame at least three times, etc.   My staff is required to have this graphic on their lesson plan template and I even made posters for all of my teachers to put in their room.

During the walk-through training one of my teachers shared that her students had asked her about the signs, what they meant, and why they were in all the rooms.  She took the time to share what each symbol and number meant and how I had been teaching them about the Fundamental 5 and expected teachers to use them in the classroom.  They couldn’t believe that teachers had “rules” to follow to about teaching.  Now they remind her if she forgets to do something!  She said students are always holding up the symbol for lesson frame if she starts class without talking about it! 

Another teacher in the training laughed and said her students are doing the same thing.  If she has been talking too long they start holding up the symbol for FSGPT, and they rate her on her use of the Fundamental 5 at the end of each class period.  She noted that her student frequently comment about how fast class goes by when she does “everything she is supposed to do”!!!! 

WOW!  Kids actually guiding teachers to use great instructional tools and feeling empowered about their own learning!  Exciting stuff is happening at our school!

Thanks for all you do to help teachers provide kids with the best learning opportunities possible!




SC Response
Wow!  Thanks for sharing. Keep it up and keep send me some more updates.

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); 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

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Impact of Great Coaching

The following was shared after a recent district leadership training session, conducted by LYS Coach and Legend, Barbara Fine.

I just want to share that Barbara Fine was amazing this morning.  I learned so much from her.  I came away today with a lot of great ideas on how to coach teachers and improve my coaching skills. I have walked away with something great to take back to my campus at every Instructional Specialist meeting (note: a LYS training series led by B. Fine).   

Thank you.

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); 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

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Thomas Ratliff Writes... We're Asking The Wrong Questions

The following is a reprint of a letter written by Texas State Board of Education Member, Thomas Ratliff (R) to the his constituents.  It is a great document that cuts through the lies and half-truths about education that are dominating the rhetoric of campaigning politicians.

We’re Asking The Wrong Questions

If they can get you to ask the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about their answers.”  This statement captures the rhetoric surrounding public education in Texas.

President John Kennedy, “To often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”  This also captures the current rhetoric about public education in Texas.

We hear opinions like, “Our schools are low performing.”  “Children are trapped in low performing schools.”  “Too many kids are not ready for college.”  “We are dumbing down standards.”  “We can’t keep throwing money at the problem.”  “We spend too much money on overhead and not in the classroom.”

These “comfortable” opinions really don’t get anywhere close to the real challenges facing our schools.  So, what follows is a Q&A about Texas public schools that, unfortunately, bring about the discomfort of the REAL challenges facing our schools.

Q:             How many teachers are certified to teach the subject they are teaching?

A:             Here’s the breakdown of the percentage of teachers who are teaching a subject in which he or she is NOT certified.  They are called “Out of Field” teachers.

CTE – 37%
Computer Science – 48%
English – 24%
ESL – 50%
LOTE – 19%
Math – 21%
SPED – 60%

In other words, students in Texas have, at best, a 1 in 5 chance of having a teacher in their class that is not certified to teach that subject.

Q:             Why are there so few certified teachers in Texas classrooms?

A:            There are many answers to this question.  College is too expensive and/or student loans are too much to support on teacher’s salary.  Teaching is much different than it was due to discipline and funding issues.  Teachers aren’t valued and/or are blamed for problems in public schools today.

Keep in mind that these numbers are actually lower unless you count “alternatively certified” teachers, not just those graduating with a college degree in teaching-related field of study.

Q:            How much money do schools spend on “overhead” instead of “in the classroom”?

A:            First, we have to come to an understanding about what’s “in the classroom” and what’s not.  Are counselors, nurses, librarians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, utility bills, gasoline, buildings, buses, or food considered “inside” or “outside” the classroom?

Second, here are the actual percentages from TEA’s 2012 Snapshot Report:

Central Admin. – 1%
Campus Admin – 3%
Support Staff – 9%

Teachers – 51%
Aides – 9%
Aux Staff – 27%

Central admin:  superintendent, business mgr., personnel mgr., etc.

Campus admin:  principals, asst. principals, athletic directors, instructional director

Support staff:  counselors, librarians, diagnosticians (does not include secretaries)

Aides:  interpreters, translators, aides that work under teacher’s direction

Aux. staff:  bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria, secretaries, etc.

Q:             Why do so many students need remediation during and after high school?

A:            There are at least three problems that impact this.

1.                    Our standards are too long.  We are giving our students a “Wikipedia” or “Cliff Notes” education.  This teaches students to learn something long enough to fill in a bubble sheet at the end of the school year, but they don’t master or retain that information.  For example, our math books cover 5 times more material than German or Japanese math books.  Both countries out-rank the US in math scores.  Coincidence?

2.                    As shown above, there are too many teachers teaching subjects they aren’t certified to teach.  This impacts learning, period.

3.                    Our student body is increasingly economically disadvantaged.  When programs like Communities in Schools are cut back, kids suffer.  Hungry kids aren’t worried about their next test.  They’re worried about their next meal.  What does it mean to be “economically disadvantaged?  To receive a FREE meal, a student must be from a family of four with an annual income of $30,615 or to get a REDUCED PRICE meal, a student must be from a family of four with an annual income of $43,568.  There are other measurements as well.  This is the maximum income/family figure.

Q:            How does today’s statewide student body compare to 10 years ago?

A:            The student body is changing and the cost of educating the “average” student is increasing.  ESL and CTE kids cost more to educate.  Don’t believe me?  Look at the school finance formulas.  Those students are “weighted” more than others due to the cost.  Bottom line, school funding challenges are getting worse, not better.

Hispanic +9% (51%/2.6M)
White -10% (31%/1.6M)
Eco. Dis. +10% (60%/3M)
ESL +3% (17%/850K)
CTE +3% (22%/1.1M)
Percent Tested +5% (69%)
SAT Avg. -9 pts (1600)
ACT Avg. +.3 pts (36)

Q:             Are children “trapped in low performing schools” in Texas?  Would vouchers help?

A:             The short answer is, “Yes there are low performing schools and yes, some children are trapped there.”  Now let’s fill in the blanks.  In 1995, Texas established the PEG (Public Education Grant) Program that allows students of low performing schools to transfer to another public school district.  Currently there are 892 out of 8,529 (10.5%) campuses that are under the PEG program due to underperformance on the state accountability system.  This affects approximately 300,000 students (6%).  Why don’t they transfer or “escape” these schools?  There are many reasons:  Lack of transportation, their demographic sub-group may not be low-performing, work, family, community, or available space at neighboring district, just to name a few.

A voucher is a “false promise” to any child who doesn’t have transportation or the financial resources to bridge the gap between the voucher and the total cost of tuition at a private school.  Additionally, a voucher can’t even begin to solve the transportation, work, family, community or available space issues.

Q:              Are we really “throwing money at the problem” in public education?

A:               No.  Our finance system has been found to be unconstitutional on all three measures (inadequate, inequitable, and inefficient) for the first time ever.  Previous lawsuits have determined the state was only out of compliance in one of the three measures.

Let’s look at the number from the Legislative Budget Board.

In inflation-adjusted dollars, the TOTAL (local, state and federal) funding per student for public schools in Texas has decreased by 17% over the past 10 years (from $7,222 in 2002 to $5,998 in 2013).  This decrease is happening at the same time our school population is getting more expensive to educate.  For example, the price of gas 10 years ago was $1.50, or less than 50% of the current price.

Keep in mind that Texas spends an average of $11,923 per prisoner to keep prisoners behind bars.  Which do you think is a better investment?

Q             What’s on the horizon?

A:             We will face a significant shortage of certified teachers in Texas if something doesn’t change.  This will have far-reaching ramifications across K-12 education and across the state.  Consider the breakdown of the teacher workforce today:

First year – 15,000
1-5 years – 93,000
6-10 years – 72,000
11-20 years – 86,000           
20+ years – 58,000 

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); 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

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Nelson Coulter Writes... Transforming School 2.0

The following is a repost from Nelson Coulter’s blog, “nc’s Recursive Learning.”  News this good has to be shared.

TransformingSchool(2.0)

The South Plains Collaborative School Network (SPCSN) is a group of schools in the Lubbock, Texas, area which have banded together to collectively pursue school improvement and engage in transformative practice.  To that end, Lubbock Cooper ISD (LCISD) invited the SPCSN School Transformation Pod to visit the campus of Laura Bush Middle School (LBMS) last Friday.  About 12-15 school districts sent administrators to this event to learn about the strategies being deployed at LBMS in the interest of creating a world class learning environment for its students.

LBMS principal Edna Parr and assistant principal Kyle Hendrix provided an overview of the deployments and underlying philosophies driving that work.  They and several other LCISD folks then led classroom “Power Walks” on the campus, to provide us an on-the-ground view of their efforts.

Some powerful learning, takeaways, and notices for me:
                Instructional improvement at LBMS is centered on The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird, 2012): 1) Frame the Lesson, 2) Work in the Power Zone, 3) Frequent Small Group Purposeful Talk, 4) Recognize and Reinforce, and 5) Write Critically.
                A deep commitment to “intentional practice” is embedded into LBMS daily processes.
                Persistent attention to the quality of relationships between and among ALL stakeholders is a top priority.
                Deep learning and critical thinking are more highly valued than a pathological pursuit of superficial content coverage.
                Formative assessments of learning are a constant focus, through the small group purposeful talks, the daily writing synthesis of learning, the “exit tickets” on which students summarize learning, effective use of inquiry, etc.
                A marrow-deep commitment to continuous improvement seems to pervade the culture of both LCISD and LBMS.
Wouldn't it be nice if every child could attend a school like LBMS, in which student-centeredness and an intense focus on quality learning are relentlessly and intentionally pursued?  Schools like that just feel right.    

The sharing and cross-pollination of transformative undertakings like the school visit described above are part of a bigger movement afoot in Texas, driven largely by the Texas Association of School Administrators School Transformation Network. 


Good stuff!  Very good stuff!  Thanks for the invite, Dr. Macy Satterwhite.  Thanks for the hospitality, Ms. Parr and Mr. Hendrix.

SC Response
It’s great that the hard work of the staff and students at Laura Bush Middle School is being recognized and reported. You can find Nelson’s blog at www.nelsonwcoulter.com

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); 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

Monday, February 10, 2014

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of February 2, 2014

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 2, 2014.

1. Fundamental 5 practices are no longer a thing we do on campus but what we do in our classrooms daily. No gimmicks. Just great instruction. (By @blitzkrieg607)

2. Don't build your district and/or campus around tests... What happens if the tests change? Build around processes and systems. Re: Foundation Trinity. (By @brandyjbaker)

3. If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about their answers. (By @RatliffT)

4. Confidence comes not from always being right but not fearing to be wrong. (By @CoachKWisdom)

5. Proximity! Research shows kids learn better when they are close to the teacher.  Makes me think of the Power Zone. (By @mrsarismusa)

6. Taking notes on a laptop encourages "mindless transcription." Using a pen leads to better learning. (By @anniemurphypaul)

7. The “public schools are failing” narrative is pervasive even though the facts aren’t there to support the claim. (By @RYHTexas)

8. Today's Quote:  "The first rule of teaching:  Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good learning story." (By @DrRichAllen)

9. The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) just sold out at the NASSP Conference Bookstore! Thank you, LYS Nation! (By @LYSNation)

10. Found out that Tusculum College is using The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) in its M.Ed. Program. That makes at least 13 universities! (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: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); 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