Thursday, March 3, 2016

Legendary Leadership Badge (February 2016)

There are those that don’t 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 300th PowerWalks Observation. The following instructional leaders have already earned the Legendary Leadership Badge for the 2015/2016 school year (as of 2/29/16).

Two Badges
Wes Brown: October 2015; February 2016
Shelia Ochoa: December 2015; February 2016
Denise Poland: December 2015; February 2016
Cody White: December 2015; February 2016

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
Janie Snyder: November 2015; December 2015


One Badge
Marissa Bell: February 2016
Vernon Berckmoes: February 2016
Denise Bird: February 2016
Sean Cain: February 2016
Marisol Candelaria: February 2016
Michael Cano: February 2016
Stella Chen: February 2016
Michael Clifton: February 2016
Tonia Cummings: February 2016
Mary Giles: February 2016
Jeff Groseclose: February 2016
Michael Hannum: February 2016
Brandon Harris: February 2016
Julie Hinson: February 2016
Kathy Horvath: February 2016
Derieco Irvin: February 2016
Chris Johnstome: February 2016
David Knobloch: February 2016
Mike Laird: February 2016
Grezelda Ligons: February 2016
Steve Lucas: February 2016
Drew McConnaughhay: February 2016
Tania Merik: February 2016
Keith Owen: February 2016
Regina Raiborn: February 2016
Robin Rice: February 2016
James Russell: February 2016
Janie Snyder: February 2016
Sherrie Tolbert: February 2016
Rose Tran: February 2016
Lisa Watson: February 2016
Brad Weston: February 2016
Gregory Wollenzien: February 2016

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

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
Rebecca Smith: December 2015
Christina Spears: December 2015
Marti Turner: December 2015
Tamika Washington: 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

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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook


Wednesday, March 2, 2016

PowerWalks Hero Schools (February 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 February the PowerWalks Hero School Targets were as follows:

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

This month, due to the fact that the LYS Nation is taking part in the March For A Cure PowerWalks Challenge, the more PowerWalks you do the bigger the donation to the American Cancer Society! So let’s break a sweat!!

March For A Cure – Cancer Fightin’ Hero School Targets
High Schools – 325 PowerWalks Observations
Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 275 PowerWalks Observations
Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 225 PowerWalks Observations
Alternative Schools – 100 PowerWalks Observations

In February, all of the schools using the PowerWalks Instructional Observation System conducted a total of 16,382 classroom observations. A commendable job, LYS Nation! But now, without further ado, here are your FORTY-NINE PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of February 2016.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools & Combined Campuses
(24 Heroes)
Middle Schools & Junior High Schools
(10 Heroes)
Alternative Schools
(2 Heroes)
High Schools
(13 Heroes)
Southside PS (CISD) - 725
Cleveland MS (CISD) - 405
Afton Oaks School (JWPCS) - 51
Cleveland HS (CISD) – 1,141
Duryea ES (CFISD) - 558
Marlin MS (MISD) - 325
Frederick Douglas Learning Center (CISD) - 51
Permian HS (ECISD) - 976
Eastside ES (CISD) - 528
Rockport-Fulton MS (ACISD) - 282

Kermit HS (KISD) - 523
Live Oak Learning Center (ACISD) - 482
Ector MS (ECISD) - 275

Odessa HS (ECISD) - 394
Colonial Hills ES (NEISD) - 470
Vernon MS (VISD) - 259

Fairdale HS (JCPS) - 360
Northside ES (CISD) - 445
Poteet JH (PISD) - 220

Dublin HS (DISD) - 320
McFee ES (CFISD) - 369
Borger MS (BISD) - 199

Rockport-Fulton HS (ACISD) - 297
Poteet ES/IS (PISD) - 343
Magnolia JS (MISD) - 178

Poteet HS (PISD) - 240
Fulton Learning Center (ACISD) - 274
Farley MS (HISD) - 168

Vernon HS (VISD) - 233
Dublin ES (DISD) - 270
Wilson & Young MS (ECISD) - 168

Morton Ranch HS (KISD) - 197
Marlin ES (MISD) - 263


Marlin MS (MISD) - 164
Rennell ES (CFISD) - 251


Mayde Creek HS (KISD) - 164
Little Bay Primary School (ACISD) - 249


Borger HS (BISD) - 163
Kermit ES (KISD) - 244



Portland ES (JCPS) - 209



Kirbyville ES (KCISD) - 205



Dublin IS (DISD) - 198



Veterans Hill ES (HISD) - 185



Ray ES (HISD) - 135



Raymond E. Curtis ES (WISD) - 134



Gateway ES (BISD) - 126


Johnson ES (HISD) - 100



Hutto ES (HISD) - 93



Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD) - 91




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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of February 21, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of February 21, 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. To the principal who has the school take benchmarks for 4 days straight to get good data, here's some data for you. You're now four days behind. (By @LYSNation)

2. Leadership is a service. Service comes with sacrifice. No sacrifice, no service, no leader. (By @JohnSchu76)

3. Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. (By @CoachKWisdom)

4. The secret to success is doing the stuff other people won't do, and doing it for a really long time. - John Jantsch (By @JReynaldHebert)

5. "Assessments are only as good as the actions that arise from them." (By @norskireader)

6. Kids can't write what they have never read. READ. Then, read more. And, for good measure, read a little more. (By @KyleneBeers)

7. "Readers get good at reading when they read a lot!” says Lucy Calkins. (By @EvanPayneGCISD)

8. People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. - George Allen (By @CoachMotto)

9. Legacies aren’t born; they’re built. (By @UHouston)

10. Just got the notice that, The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird), has officially passed 82,000 copies sold! 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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook


Monday, February 29, 2016

March For A Cure

Get out your comfortable shoes, because The March For A Cure PowerWalks Challenge begins tomorrow!!

Help Lead Your School help you to kick Cancer’s ass!

Here’s how The March For A Cure PowerWalks Challenge works:

1. For every PowerWalks classroom observation that is conducted during the month of March, LYS will donate 5¢ to the American Cancer Society.

2. For every campus that makes the PowerWalks Cancer Fightin’ Hero List for March, LYS will donate an additional $10.00 to the American Cancer Society.

3. For the top PowerWalks Cancer Fightin’ Hero Elementary School, Middle School, Alternative School, and High School in March, LYS will donate $50.00 to the American Cancer Society, in the name of the school.

4. For the overall top PowerWalks Cancer Fightin’ Hero School in March, LYS will donate $100.00 to the American Cancer Society, in the name of the school.

Plus, as I shared last week, every PowerWalks observer who conducts 200 or more classroom observations between February 22, 2016 and March 31, 2016 will get a March For A Cure t-shirt.

So what are you waiting for?

Visit Classrooms – BEAT CANCER!
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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook