Thursday, June 2, 2016

Legendary Leadership Badge (May 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 earned the Legendary Leadership Badge for the 2015/2016 school year. Congratulations!

Three Badges
Denise Poland: December 2015; February 2016; May 2016

Glenn Barnes:  November 2015; January 2016; April 2016
Van LeJeune: October 2015; January 2016; April 2016
Shelia Ochoa: December 2015; March 2016; April 2016
Steve Sherrouse: October 2015; March 2016; April 2016
Janie Snyder: November 2015; December 2015; April 2016
Nassrin Spencer: October 2015; January 2016; April 2016
Cody White: December 2015; February 2016; April 2016

Pattie Myers: October 2015; December 2015; March 2016

Two Badges
Jeff Groseclose: February 2016; May 2016
Michael Hannum: February 2016; May 2016
Grezelda Ligons: February 2016; May 2016
Rebecca Osborne: April 2016; May 2016

Pete Armstrong: December 2015; April 2016
Teresa Bodey: January 2016; April 2016
Charlotte Goudeau: December 2015; April 2016
Shirley Jenkins: November 2015; April 2016
Sheila Stephens: November 2015; April 2016
Tamika Washington: December 2015; April 2016

Shannon Clancy: December 2015; March 2016
Edward Husk: October 2015: March 2016
Karen Ivy: November 2015; March 2016
Robin Rice: February 2016; March 2016
Christina Spears: December 2015; March 2016

Wes Brown: October 2015; February 2016

Todd Durham: October 2015; January 2016

One Badge
Cedric Ivie: May 2016
Roshon Jackson: May 2016
Tom Jaggard: May 2016
Amber Reinecke: May 2016
Kathy Stephenson: May 2016
Robert Urbanowiez: May 2016

Shele Coburn: April 2016
Larry Crabb: April 2016
Lindsey Pless: April 2016

Ariel Aleman: March 2016
Joan Alvey: March 2016
Matt Ammerman: March 2016
Ashley Brauchi: March 2016
Norma Briseno: March 2016
Marianne Buentello: March 2016
Carla Butler: March 2016
DeDe Conaway: March 2016
Linda Cox: March 2016
Tonia Cummings: March 2016
Rocky Ford: March 2016
Clinton Grange: March 2016
Valerie Hammit: March 2016
Karen Hart: March 2016
Emily Laurence: March 2016
Scott Rogers: March 2016
Scott Schneider: March 2016
Elizabeth Scott: March 2016
Mindy Sides: March 2016
Jennifer Soileau: March 2016
Fred Steubing: March 2016
Twyla Thomas: March 2016
Monica Waggoner: March 2016
Sandy Williamson: March 2016

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
Brandon Harris: February 2016
Julie Hinson: February 2016
Kathy Horvath: February 2016
Derieco Irvin: February 2016
Chris Johnstone: February 2016
David Knobloch: February 2016
Mike Laird: February 2016
Steve Lucas: February 2016
Drew McConnaughhay: February 2016
Tania Merik: February 2016
Keith Owen: February 2016
Regina Raiborn: 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
George Wollenzien: February 2016

Lynn Anderson: 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

Anna Bryant: December 2015
Shele Coburn: December 2015
LuJean Daniel: 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
Marti Turner: December 2015
Pamela Williams: December 2015

Esther Boateng: November 2015
Ana Lopez: November 2015
Erica Moody: November 2015
Jeffrey Smith: November 2015
Sandra Wilson: November 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, June 1, 2016

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

May Hero School Targets
High Schools – 130 PowerWalks Observations
Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 115 PowerWalks Observations
Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 90 PowerWalks Observations
Alternative Schools – 40 PowerWalks Observations

In May all of the schools using the PowerWalks Instructional Observation System conducted a total of 3,524 classroom observations. A commendable job, LYS Nation! Now, without further ado, here are your final twelve PowerWalks Hero Schools for the 2015/2016 school year.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools & Combined Campuses
(8 Heroes)
Middle Schools & Junior High Schools
(3 Heroes)
Alternative Schools

High Schools
(1 Hero)
Live Oak Learning Center (ACISD) - 241
Ector MS (ECISD) - 277

Cleveland HS (CISD) – 179
Southside PS (CISD) - 205
Cleveland MS (CISD) - 230


Little Bay Primary School (ACISD) - 184
Marlin MS (MISD) - 116


Duryea ES (CFISD) - 134



Poteet ES/IS (PISD) - 133



Fulton Learning Center (ACISD) - 122



Gateway ES (BISD) - 90



Northside ES (CISD) - 90




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, May 31, 2016

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of May 22, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of May 22, 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. Congratulations to LYSer, Robert Webb! He is the new principal of Ballinger High School!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. “Teach the right thing. Teach the right thing better. Teach the right thing, better, longer.” (By @DrMetz_MHS)

3. Schools across the country are coasting to the end of the year. This is neither a student nor teacher issue. This is a leadership issue. (By @LYSNation)

4. The absolute bottom line in coaching is organization and preparing for practice. – Bill Walsh (By @CoachMotto)

5. I am still hopeful our Legislators will spend as much time talking funding for public schools as they do talking bathrooms in underfunded schools. (By @TroyMooney)

6. Coaching helps craft. (By @TinneyTroy)  

7. Don't waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all. (By @mindsetdev)

8. If you change nothing, nothing will change. (By @WiseWilbert)

9. The secondary version of the "Crayola Curriculum" is the "Crossword Curriculum." The instructional equivalent to cotton candy. (By @LYSNation)

10. Stop doing things that aren't working. (By @Leadershipfreak)

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