Saturday, March 21, 2015

Superintendent Search - West Texas

LYS Executive Search

~ Superintendent ~

Culberson County-Allamore Independent School District

A West Texas school district is searching for its next Superintendent of Schools

The successful candidate will have
  • Demonstrated leadership success as a principal and/or district level administrator 
  • Demonstrated success educating diverse student populations
  • Firm understanding of school finance
  • LYS training and experience, preferred

Information of note
  • Enrollment - 450 students
  • Rural setting
  • Two campuses
  • Competitive salary and benefits

Qualified and interested candidates submit the following to Search@LeadYourSchool.com
  • Letter of interest
  • Resume
  • Administrator’s certifications
  • List of references
  • Recent campus/district performance data

Search Consultant: Robert 'Bob' Brezina

LYS Executive Search
(832) 477-5323

LYS Nation, once again a school district wants YOU!
Think. Work. Achieve.

Friday, March 20, 2015

High School Principal Search

LYS Executive Search

~ High School Principal ~

Rockport-Fulton High School / Aransas County ISD

A Gulf Coast 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
  • Enrollment - 1,000 students
  • 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
  •  Recent campus performance data

Application Deadline: March 27, 2015

Search Consultant: E. Don Brown

LYS Executive Search
(832) 477-5323

LYS Nation, once again a school district wants YOU!
Think. Work. Achieve.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Voucher Argument Extended

I live in a city that provides police protection and law enforcement services.  Most people would consider this to be a good thing.  However, based on my strongly held beliefs, world view, and moral principles, I cannot abide with either the level of service provided by or the underlying philosophy that guides the local law enforcement agency. Throw in the “bad apple” cops from other cities that I have seen reported on television, the speeding ticket I received last week, the fact that I pay taxes and...  Enough is enough.

There are private security firms in my city and I want a voucher to hire them to provide me and my family the level of police protection that meets my clearly articulated and unique needs.  Additionally, there is no need for governmental oversight of the private firm that I hire with my voucher.  Because as a layperson, I am eminently qualified to determine the effectiveness of the protection services provided.

After all, it is only fair and logical that OUR (but mostly YOUR) tax money follows MY patrolled house. 

Call it, “Law Enforcement Choice.”

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: 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

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

A Reader Asks... The Power of Teacher PowerWalks - Part 1

In response to the 2/26/14 post, “The Power of Teacher PowerWalks,” a reader asks:

SC,

Just a thought. On the campuses where teachers are doing walk-throughs, are they going with administrators and debriefing afterwards?

SC Response
Good question.  It depends on the campus.  Most campuses begin the process with administrators taking a small group of teachers to visit classrooms with informal discussions occurring after the visits are completed. The purpose for the visits is NOT for teachers to judge what they have seen, but instead to discuss what stood out, what was working, and were there any missed opportunities.  In many cases, no data is actually collected, recognizing the fact that a couple of adults entering the classroom will alter the instructional environment and flow.

There are also a number of campuses where teachers regularly visit classrooms on their own, and in many cases collect observation data.  In this case, there usually isn’t a formal discussion with an administrator, but with these elite campuses immediate conversations aren’t needed.  On these campuses the discussions about what was observed occur between teachers at planning meetings and student staffings.

And that is the idea.  You encourage teachers to visit teachers to change the course of professional discussions. From “What I think or feel,” to “What we see, know and do.”  

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: 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

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Vouchers - The Defunding of a Public Trust

I am a homeowner.  As a homeowner, in 2014, I paid a little over $3,000 in school taxes.  And most importantly, school-aged children no longer reside in my house. Meaning that my wife and I willingly pay taxes for public schools to educate the school-aged children in our community.  We do so because we believe in the public trust that is the local school district; we are represented by duly elected school board members to oversee that trust; and most importantly, the governance of our local school district is transparent. 

There are parents in our community that are also school tax paying homeowners that elect to not send their children to the local public school.  This is their choice, and there is no negative consequence for exercising it. They simply pay tuition to a private provider to educate their children.  If at anytime they change their mind, the local public school will accept their children.

From a taxpayer perspective, THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE between the private schooling parent and myself.  We both pay into a public trust that neither of us uses.

Except, there are now people who advocate the breaking of this public trust.  They argue that if a parent chooses to send their child to a non-public school, they should be allowed to remove money from the public trust and spend it to subsidize their choice.  If my private schooling neighbor were allowed to take his tax dollars and use them as he chooses, this would mean that he IS NOW DIFFERENT than me.  Effectively, his tax bill has been reduced.

That is what subsidy, aka – welfare, does. It is interesting that most voucher proponents are also welfare opponents.  Maybe, welfare is only bad if it doesn’t go to you?

Now if my neighbor is getting his welfare (voucher), I obviously want mine. Which would mean that the only people who would be paying for the public schools would be homeowner parents with children enrolled in the public schools.  Which sounds a lot like tuition. Which would violate the state constitutional requirement to provide a free and adequate public education.  Which would also be breaking an established public trust that our forefathers fought and died for.  Making vouchers anti-American, anti-Texan, and anti-democratic (the form of government, not the party) no matter how people try to spin it.  

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: ASCD Annual Conference; TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP National Conference

Monday, March 16, 2015

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of March 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 March 8, 2015.

1. 90% of North Caroline vouchers go to private religious schools. Tax dollars paying for religion. God needs no help from Caesar. (By @pastors4txkids)

2. Texas Legislature members who tout the Constitution on guns flaunt it when it comes to vouchers. "No establishment of religion" means exactly that: No.‬ (By @pastors4txkids)

3. “In a fire, everyone runs away - except for the fireman who run towards it.  When dealing with challenging students, be the fireman.” (By @DrRichAllen)

4. Do not fear those who do not understand your mission in life.  Living a life of adding value to others is not for everyone. (By @blitzkrieg607)

5. Principals who do not talk to teachers about instruction are like football coaches who do not talk to players about football. Why is one acceptable and the other is not? (By @LYSNation)

6. People seldom get in touch w/ their greatest strengths & abilities until its forced on them by major challenges. (By @RandyMBrown)

7. If only the rich can afford to go to the 'good colleges,' then we simply have a system of replicating privilege that already exists. (By @tgrierhisd)

8. Chastising students for not doing well on an assignment is not an RTI strategy. (By @LYSNation)

9. Teachers, repeat after me: Popcorn reading is NOT an effective instructional strategy. (By @LYSNation)

10. Question: why aren't educators the single most reliable, authoritative sources of info about Texas education for the Texas Legislature? Keep asking yourself that. (By @pastors4txkids)

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: 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