The Long Summer Road Trip

If we missed you this Summer, we'll see you in the Fall!

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: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Maximize Your Instructional Time

A significant hidden inhibitor of student performance in today’s schools is idle time in the classroom. By October, the norm in far too many classrooms is, “late to start / early to finish.”  This may seem insignificant to some, but consider the math, as highlighted in this example.

Take a typical secondary campus with an 8-period day.  This campus probably has 48-minute class periods.

If the teacher waits 4 minutes after the bell to begin instruction and stops instruction 4 minutes prior to the bell so students can prepare to leave then there is a minimum of 8 minutes of idle time, per class period.

So what do these 8 minutes represent?

8 minutes are a lost 17% of the class time.

8 minutes are 64 minutes of lost instruction per day.

8 minutes are 320 minutes of lost instruction per week.

8 minutes are 11,520 minutes of lost instruction per year. Which equates to 30 instructional days.

So the question really becomes, “What could you and your students accomplish with an extra 30 days of instruction?” 

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: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Five Fundamentals of Classroom Environment

School is starting in the next couple of weeks, so now is a good time to review the Fundamental 5 for cultivating classroom environments that enhance student performance.

1. When it comes to classroom displays and decor, LESS is more. For most teachers, a good rule of thumb is in comparison to what was in the room last year... reduce it by ½.

2. Reduce the amount of clutter in the room.  This means that any non-instructional decor or accents, leave them at home.

3. Get you room organized and keep it organized. This also includes the teacher’s workspace.

4. Keep the room clean.  The good news is with the reduced clutter and improved organization, this will be easier than ever before.

5. Keep the lights on, and if available, keep the window blinds open.  Long story, short: More light engages the brain, less light slows the brain down.

Embrace these 5 environment fundamentals and you will quickly notice improved student focus, engagement, and performance.

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: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Pass / Fail

Too many of our school policies de-motivate more students than they motivate, and grading is right up at the top of the list.  At the high school level, we be begin grading 9^th graders on Day One, when most of them are still trying to learn where their classes are, how to the navigate the building and which restrooms to avoid at what times.  Why?

What if we did this instead? What if we made the freshman classes “Pass / Fail.”  Either the student meets the learning standard by the end of the semester, or he/she doesn’t.  Then the Freshman Year becomes about learning the school, learning the culture, and learning the content, without worrying about digging a hole so deep in the first semester of high school, that it is impossible to recover.

And before I hear about how this is watering down expectations (which it isn’t) and students won’t try (they will), consider this... Harvard, MIT and many of the other schools in the Ivy League grade freshman courses as pass / fail.  And no matter how high the standards are at your high school, Ivy League standards are higher.

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: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of August 9, 2015

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of August 9, 2015 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. What if the Texas Legislature looked at the 5.1 million public school students as an investment rather than a line item? (By @cheadhorn)

2. The truth is we have to teach kids stuff we're just learning to do ourselves. - Lucy Calkins.  (By @HeinemannPub)

3. Read aloud to your child everyday. It models fluency. It builds vocabulary. It establishes an understanding of the story structure. (By @DowdenA)

4. Persevere: Most astronauts take 4-6 tries to be selected. (By @ShannaPeeples)

5. Talk to create understanding must become the norm with new Tennessee academic standards. (By @jbriannorton)

6. Technology does not equal engagement. (By @julie_deleon)

7. Ever notice how the rudest teachers at faculty meetings are generally the ones who tolerate the least amount of noise in their classrooms. (By @pinaugle)

8. The critical factor remains... Leadership. (By @Dee551)

9. ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) Admits School Vouchers Are for Kids in Suburbia. (By @pastors4txkids)

10. Woke up this morning and all I can say is God is GOOD!

Peace and Love,

EC

(By @EarlCCampbell)

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: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook