It's An Honor To Be Nominated

Yesterday, a friend and fellow LYSer sent me a link to a blog post with a message, “Hey, check out the lists!”

The post is an active poll to identify some of today’s top education policy thinkers, chucked in age groups. I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for these type of polls so of course I clicked the link and started reading and voting. The group in their 20’s, was the list where I recognized the fewest candidates, The group in their 50’s, I recognized the most candidates.  But the group in their 40’s... there was the big surprise.

As LYS Educators (like you) continue to be relentless in their focus on maximizing student opportunity, our beliefs and practices are slowing spreading from state to state. Bottom line, People Are Noticing.

So check out the poll, the link is below. Then vote early and vote often.

http://cloakinginequity.com/2015/10/15/top-10s-in-2016-vote-and-nominate-brightest-ed-policy-minds/

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Why I Like Talking to High School Students

Recently, I was on a high school campus conducting an initial assessment. During the afternoon, I was in a classroom observing instruction.  In the course of this, I was looking over the shoulder of a student to read what he was writing when he looked up and said, “Hey, you were in my class this morning.  What are you doing?”

I said, “Checking out classrooms and determining how hard you are thinking.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes.”

“So how hard am I thinking?”

“Not very.”

“Damn....”

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Legendary Leadership Badge (January 2016)

There are those who do not understand the power of reflective observation.  They mistakenly believe that there is nothing to learn after a few cursory visits to a classroom.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, the most important key to building insight and deeper understanding about teaching and learning is to engage in a steady volume of daily classroom observation.  What we have learned over the past ten years is that after about every 300 classroom observations, the observer will notice, discern, and/or learn something new... something that was previously hidden. It is the “Eureka” moment, and there is nothing else like it in instructional leadership.

In this pursuit, there is the PowerWalks Legendary Leadership Badge that is earned every 300^th PowerWalks Observation. The following instructional leaders have already earned the Legendary Leadership Badge for the 2015/2016 school year (as of 1/31/16).

Two Badges

Glenn Barnes:  November 2015; January 2016

Todd Durham: October 2015; January 2016

Van LeJeune: October 2015; January 2016

Nassrin Spencer: October 2015; January 2016

Pattie Myers: October 2015; December 2015

Shelia Ochoa: December 2105; December 2015

Janie Snyder: November 2015; December 2015

One Badge

Lynn Anderson: January 2016

Teresa Bodey: January 2016

Denise Collins: January 2016

Francisco Delgado: January 2016

Demetrio Garcia: January 2016

Donny Hearn: January 2016

Paige Johnson: January 2016

Daniel Kotara: January 2016

Chesta Schneider: January 2016

Lisa Weaver: January 2016

Greb Wollenzien: January 2016

Pete Armstrong: December 2015

Anna Bryant: December 2015

Shele Coburn: December 2015

Shannon Clancy: December 2015

LuJean Daniel: December 2015

Charlotte Goudeau: December 2015

GayLynn Holt: December 2015

Gail Johnson: December 2015

Stephen McCanless: December 2015

Kimberly McKnight: December 2015

Edna O’Bryant: December 2015

Dawn O’Connor: December 2015

Denise Poland: December 2015

Rebecca Smith: December 2015

Christina Spears: December 2015

Marti Turner: December 2015

Tamika Washington: December 2015

Cody White: December 2015

Pamela Williams: December 2015

Esther Boateng: November 2015

Karen Ivy: November 2015

Shirley Jenkins: November 2015

Ana Lopez: November 2015

Erica Moody: November 2015

Jeffrey Smith: November 2015

Sheila Stephens: November 2015

Sandra Wilson: November 2015

Wes Brown: October 2015

Edward Husk: October 2015

Steve Sherrouse: October 2015

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

PowerWalks Hero Schools (January 2016)

In furtherance of a LYS Nation tradition, we will take this time to tip our caps to the campuses that have embraced the most important step in creating and maintaining an action oriented professional learning community.  These are the campuses that have conducted an extraordinary number of formative classroom observations in a given month.  For the month of January, the PowerWalks Hero School Targets were as follows:

January Hero School Targets

High Schools – 150 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 120 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 100 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 50 PowerWalks Observations

With the shorter month and the always present ‘bad weather days’, we will adjust the February targets to the following levels:

February Hero School Targets

High Schools – 135 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 105 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 90 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 45 PowerWalks Observations

In January, all of the schools using the PowerWalks Instructional Observation System conducted a total of 13,738 classroom observations. A commendable job, LYS Nation! But now, without further ado, here are your forty-one PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of January 2016.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools & Combined Campuses	Middle Schools & Junior High Schools	Alternative Schools	High Schools
Southside PS (CISD) - 670	Cleveland MS (CISD) - 419	Frederick Douglas Learning Center (CISD) - 73	Jacksboro HS (JISD) - 456
Colonial Hills ES (NEISD) - 565	Vernon MS (VISD) - 371		Kermit HS (KISD) - 327
McFee ES (CFISD) - 397	Marlin MS (MISD) - 337		Fairdale HS (JCPS) - 321
Live Oak Learning Center (ACISD) - 373	Kermit JH (KISD) - 249		Dublin HS (DISD) - 309
Eastside ES (CISD) - 318	Rockport-Fulton Middle School (ACISD) - 228		Rockport-Fulton High School (ACISD) - 280
Northside ES (CISD) - 300	Borger MS (BISD) - 182		Mayde Creek HS (KISD) - 246
Fulton Learning Center (ACISD) - 297	Poteet JH (PISD) - 159		Morton Ranch HS (KISD) - 239
Poteet ES/IS (PISD) - 285	Ector Middle School (ECISD) - 146		Poteet HS (PISD) - 195
Rennell ES (CFISD) - 280			Cleveland HS (CISD) - 190
Kermit ES (KISD) - 244			Borger HS (BISD) - 176
Kirbyville ES (KCISD) - 233
Marlin ES (MISD) - 226
Little Bay Primary School (ACISD) - 223
Gateway ES (BISD) - 206
Veterans Hill ES (HISD) - 203
Dublin IS (DISD) - 187
Dublin ES (DISD) - 180
Reed ES (CFISD) - 130
Ray ES (HISD) - 120
Ault ES (CFISD) - 116
Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD) - 103
Hutto ES (HISD) - 100

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (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 January 24, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of January 24, 2016 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. Even the best athletes in the world have coaches. (By @8Amber8)

2. Sometimes we learn as much from our enemies as our friends. (By @clwilkens)

3. Adult practice drives student performance! (By @KdherreraEMS)

4. Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do ordinary things better than anyone else. – Chuck Noll (By @CoachMotto)

5. Meeting minimum standards simply means that you are "Not Bad." Don't confuse that with actually being "Good." (By @LYSNation)

6. It's always fun hanging out at elementary schools! So much energy and excitement! (By @herbertoneiljr)

7. Researchers and scholars have found very large impacts of teacher quality on student achievement.  Teacher quality matters! (By @tgrierhisd)

8. You can't vote for pro-public education candidates if you're not registered to vote! (By @TACSnet)

9. It's hard to forgive when your first actions are revenge. (By @clwilkens)

10. Jeff Van Gundy (former college and NBA head coach) just dropped one of the most honest, surprising quotes on us: “A well-timed injury can be important for team chemistry." (By @LanceZierlein)

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook