State of the Blog - The Last 100 Posts (1,700) and Counting)

Hello, LYS Nation.  This is the 1,700^th post to the column, so as has become a tradition, we will review our progress. 

First, the review

The 1^st post was on Monday, February 16, 2009.

The 100^th post was on April 14, 2009.

The 200^th post was on June 10, 2009

The 300^th post was on September 2, 2009

The 400^th post was on December 16, 2009

The 500^th post was on April 7, 2010

The 600^th post was on August 2, 2010

The 700^th post was on December 17, 2010

The 800^th post was on May 17, 2011

The 900^th post was on October 5, 2011

The 1,000^th post was on March 7, 2012

The 1,100^th post was on August 24, 2012

The 1,200^th post was on February 1, 2013

The 1,300^th  post was on June 5, 2013

The 1,400^th post was on October 30, 2013

The 1,500^th post was on April 7, 2014

The 1,600^th post was on, September 18, 2014

The 1,700^th post is today, February 20, 2015

The top 15 posts, in terms of distribution, have been:

1.     Your Best STAAR Preparation Plan – Section 2 (3/6/2014)

2.     Your Best STAAR Preparation Plan – Section 1 (3/5/2014)

3.     Student Test Taking Anxiety is 99% on Us (3/12/2014)

4.     Campus Security Checklist (12/18/2012)

5.     Be the Best Me in the Classroom (11/14/2014)

6.     Closing the Lesson – It’s All About the Plan (10/22/2014)

7.     New From the Lead Your School Lab... The Fundamental 5 Classroom App (8/26/2014)

8.     A Reader Writes... Lesson Framing – Part 1 (10/11/2013)

9.     A Reader Asks... HS Math Lesson Frames (2/19/2014)

10.  Your 6-step STAAR Preparation Strategy (12/14/2012)

11.  A Principal Asks... Should We Frame a Test (11/6/2013)

12.  Make the Last Month Count (4/25/2014)

13.  A Reader Asks... Lesson Framing (3/18/2014)

14.  Dr.Rich Allen Writes... The Room Set-up Matters (8/20/2014)

15.  Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game (6/26/2013)

There are now international readers and e-mail subscribers, with the following 44 countries represented: Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Venezuela

All of this is incredibly exciting; especially when you consider that not too long ago, every number was 0.

A Little Blatant Self Promotion

First, if you like the blog and you haven’t signed up for the e-mail subscription, please do so.  I find that it’s easier to write to people than it is to write to web hits.

Second, if you like the blog and find it useful, tell three other people.  This blog is a much more powerful resource for school improvement when it is a dialogue.

Third, if you have not sent in a comment yet, please do so.  Education research points out that the act of critical writing actually makes the learner smarter.  Let the blog assist you in sharpening your saw.

Finally

Thank you so much for reading and responding.  This network, which started out as a way for just a handful of principals to stay connected has turned into a small nation of board members, central office administrators, campus leaders, and teachers who are focused on redefining what students are capable of.  Who knows what we will discuss in the next 100 posts.

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 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TMSA Winter Conference; ASCD Annual Conference; TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Teacher Asks... Lesson Framing in Kindergarten Classrooms - Part 1

In response to the 10/1/14 post, “Lesson Framing in the Kindergarten Classroom,” a LYS Teacher asks:

SC,

Thanks for this post! Can you share some examples of Lesson Frames from a Kindergarten classroom? That would be incredibly helpful.

SC Response

I passed your request on to LYS Icon and Elementary School expert, Barbara Fine.

BF Response

Here are three Kindergarten lesson frames.  I have included the student expectation from the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) to provide some background and rationale.

We will read about the characters and what they do from the story, Lazy Duck.

I will share my drawing of Lazy Duck and the cat to tell how they are the same and different.

(TEKS: Students will describe characters in a fictional story and the reasons for their actions.)

We will identify titles and illustrations in the book, How Plants Grow.

I will share how I know what plants need to live and grow.

(TEKS: Students will identify topic and details in expository text heard or read - referring to words and/or illustrations.)

We will identify the attributes of different objects.

I will share how 2-D and 3-D objects are the same and different.

(TEKS: Students will sort a variety of objects including two-dimensional and three-dimensional geometric figures according to their attributes.)

I hope these help.

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 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TMSA Winter Conference; ASCD Annual Conference; TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Flawed Logic of "My Money Should Follow My Child"

As we all know there is a significant push for the adoption of a “Money Follows the Child / Voucher” program.  There are a host of arguments that have been presented by the advocates of these programs.  One of the arguments that initially seems logical and rational can be summarized as follows:

“As a parent I should be allowed to send my child to the school of my choosing.  I pay school taxes.  It is only fair that my schools taxes follow my child to the school of my choice.”

Seems reasonable enough.  So let’s see if the argument stands up to scrutiny.

First, “I should be allowed to send my child to the school of my choosing.”  This is already the case.  This is not a right that need to granted.  A parent can choose from a variety of education options for his/her child.  These include public schools, which the state funds through tax dollars; private schools with either a secular or religious focus, which are funded through parent tuition and in some cases endowments; and home schooling, funded by parents.  Therefore, the need for “Choice” is moot.  It exists and has been exercised for generations.

Second, “I pay school taxes.” Yes, (directly with home / land ownership; indirectly if a renter) as does the rest of the populace.  That is a given.  Paying taxes (except for the ultra-rich and big corporations) is one of two absolutes in life.  The other being death.  Therefore, paying school taxes does not make a parent unique or unfairly burdened.

Finally, “It is only fair that my taxes follow my child.”  This is the weakest component to the argument.

It ignores the fact that it is not “my” taxes.  It is “our” taxes.  And the purpose of our taxes is to provide for the greater good, not the individual good.

If you can take your school taxes with your child then what about the taxpayer with no children.  By the logic of the presented argument, this taxpayer should pay no school tax at all.  What about the taxpayer who has a school tax bill greater than the cost of educating his/her child.  Wouldn’t the “fair” thing to do is to cap the tax bill at the actual cost of educating the child. The point being that for the provision of providing for public education, there are many more taxpayers being treated “unfairly” than the voucher advocate parent.

And here is what is telling; those “unfairly” treated taxpayers overwhelmingly support investing in their local public schools through bond passages (over 85%) and TRE approvals (over 75%).

Bottom line, the “Money Follows The Child / Voucher” argument can be summed up as a vocal minority pursing selfish self-interest at the expense of the public good.  This would seem to be the antithesis of good citizenship.  But then again, I could be wrong... I am a product of public education.  

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 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TMSA Winter Conference; ASCD Annual Conference; TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Happy Birthday to the LYS Nation Blog

That’s right LYS Nation, our daily conversation is six years old today. It alternately feels like we just started this yesterday and that we have been doing this forever. I have to admit when I started writing six years ago I had no expectations and no idea where this would take us. My biggest fear was that I would have writer's block after the first two weeks. Fortunately, the blog struck a cord with you (the reader and practitioner) and the LYS Nation was born. Writer’s block has yet to be an issue because the LYS Nation quickly stepped up and took over the topics of discussion. And as I regularly remind you, it is much easier and rewarding to participate in a dialogue than support a never-ending monologue.

I thought it would be fun to re-visit the first post I wrote for the blog, and yes, exactly six years later, I’m dashing this off right before I hit the road to visit another school.

Thank you for another great year and who knows where we’ll go in the upcoming year.

Getting Started: An Introduction (February 2009)

Here I am sitting in another airport terminal at 6:00 in the morning. I wish I could say that this is unusual, but it’s not. I’m now a school road warrior. For the past 5 (now 11) years I have lived on the road, 3, 4 and too often 5 nights a week. Going where schools and principals have needs and problems that they need help with.

There are some perks. Because of the travel points I’m a Hilton Diamond member and a Continental (now United) Elite member. This means on a big jet and in a big city, I get upgraded. That happens a couple a times a month, but most of the time I’m on a small plane going to a small town. I also get a lot of free Southwest Airline tickets.

“Congratulations, you fly a lot. Do you want to fly some more?”

I’m not complaining. I’m just making the case that I have seen a lot, worked with a lot of principals and schools, and have fixed a lot of problems. All of that to say, that what I’ve seen, what I’ve learned, and what I do may be useful out there.

I have observed that school leaders for the most part live on islands. Islands that have been built by isolation, misinformation, wishful thinking and/or petty jealousies. Hopefully, I can help get some of you off the island, or at least make the island more hospitable.

So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to write about school leadership and school operations. The focus will mostly be on improvement and what works. But I’ll also write about the tools that I find useful, books that I have read, conversations that I have had and respond to your comments. Who knows where this will go? I just hope that every once in a while, you’ll find something that is useful to you, your school and/or your staff.

Time to board now, off to another city and another 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
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TMSA Winter Conference; ASCD Annual Conference; TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP 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 February 8, 2015

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 8, 2015.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Raul Nuques! He is the new Superintendent for Zapata County ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. If you believe your purpose as a leader is to make your people happy, you don't understand your purpose as a leader. (BY @LYSNation)

3. We have plenty of research that shows no compelling evidence that vouchers have made a difference for students. (By @RYHTexas)

4. Today's Quote:  In learning, let students talk - verbal processing leads to mental progress. (By @DrRichAllen)

5. Always ask, "Why the attack on our public schools? What's behind the criticism? What motivates it?" Answer: money from the many for the few. (By @pastors4txkids)

6. Adversity is the litmus test for determining the level of morale of the organization. (By @LYSNation)

7. The power in PowerWalks is not in the act itself, but in the conversations with teachers discussing trends and ways to improve. (By @blitzkreig607)

8. Today's Quote:  “The best way to learn is to do; conversely, often the worst way to teach is to talk.” (By @DrRichAllen)

9. My question to school supervisors (Superintendents and Principals) who evaluate staff without multiple objective observations: What do you base your evaluation on? (By @LYSNation)

10. We've known it for a while, but now it's official... TheFundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) has now sold over 70,000 copies! Thank you, LYS Nation! (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 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TMSA Winter Conference; ASCD Annual Conference; TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook