Friday, May 5, 2017

Pulling Forward or Pulling Back

Here’s a scary truth that most of us don’t realize until the day after we leave the principalship of a campus.  When it comes to campus performance, the principal is either the accelerator or the brake. And all too often, with the best of intentions, we are the brake.

Two factors drive this. First, like most people, the natural tendency of teachers is to slow down.  This is not a laziness issue, it is a comfort and confidence issue.  We avoid discomfort which means avoiding new practice. And we avoid not feeling confident which, again, means avoiding new practice.

Second, as Principals, we are hypersensitive to not overwhelming our staff.  We know that we are pushing them, but we don’t want to push them so hard they quit.

But here is the thing, good teachers and good teams want to accomplish meaningful things.  Sure, they grumble along the way, but that is just the human condition.

Don’t walk out the door with the realization that your good people wanted to be great, were willing to be great but the only thing holding them back from achieving exceptional things was… you.

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: Texas ASCD Summer Conference, Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference; The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
  • Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Thursday, May 4, 2017

A Superintendent Writes... Playing Against a Stacked Deck

A LYS Superintendent writes the following:

SC,

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and admit that I don’t have the answer. It is clear from state testing data that our students do better every year they are out of 3rd grade.  I am confining this discussion to reading but that trend is true across the board.  By the time our students get to high school their scores, except for ELA, are about where you would expect them to be for a population that is over 95% economically disadvantaged.

My baseline assumption is this phenomenon is true because our Pre-K through 2 teachers have been struggling.  Something that we have been making strides in remedying.  But something else occurred to me when I was reviewing district Lexile levels (note: Lexile levels are from a normalized distribution of a nationwide sampling). Now you know the community we serve is impoverished.  Which brings to me ask:

Is it possible in a community sufficiently isolated, sufficiently small, sufficiently poor to have a distribution significantly less than a normalized scale?  Of course it's possible, but what do you think the chances are: Poor, Fair, Good?  

I ask because in order to pass the 3rd grade reading STAAR the state sets a correlated Lexile level of 510L.  It’s easy to see above that (510L), the mean in a nationwide normalized distribution is 540L which means the state says you can only be slightly below the mean and still pass the STAAR exam.  

But what if you start with a population that significantly skewed left because of the various factors I listed, and perhaps other factors?   

What are the odds of having a population that does not look like the national norm sample at all?  What if your sample is skewed hard left?  If that is the case, would not trying to push many standard deviations to the right be mathematically virtually impossible? At least in the short run?

Yet another way to explain why the students do better as the years go on is the Lexile level ranges narrow each year.  

What if the state has a fundamental misunderstanding of normalized distributions?  What if a school’s population looks nothing like the national norm?  I think this is testable.  Test all elementary students at midterm for their Lexile level and see what the distribution looks like.  

SC Response
I was writing about a similar observation to yours, yesterday.  Basically, it is very difficult to perform above your wealth level in the early elementary grades.  The reason for this is that wealth of the family is the primary driver of student performance. In the early school years, home experience significantly outweighs school experience.  If instruction were uniform across the state, the wealth of family effect would always be the primary driver of student performance.  However, if a student were exposed to above average instruction for an extended period of time (multiple years), then the quality of delivered instruction would become the primary driver of student performance.  We have observed this in exemplar (value adding) schools and districts. And every year, the value added increases.

Your Lexile questions are valid and real.  Which will always make 3rd grade performance difficult.  But the question within your control is, “Does your district provide multiple years of exemplar instruction?”

At this time, the answer is no. 

The other side of the coin is what happens when a student is exposed to multiple years of below average instruction.  In this case, the student will perform below the level predicted by the wealth of the family.  This would be a value-subtracting situation.  Based on what you inherited, it is possible that this is what has been occurring in your elementary schools.  But it is significantly more noticeable, because your students start significantly behind their state-wide peers.

I do agree with your premise that a community could be significantly below the mean, even greater than one standard deviation. You are just one of multiple districts within 40 miles of you that are in the same boat. This makes it a significant challenge to catch up with an increasing accountability standard. Throw in the fact that you have surrounding vulture districts that cherry pick the most able and ambitious students in your district and you could argue that you are now playing an unwinnable hand (at least in the short-run).  This also highlights how the state is neither the friend of your district (allowing / encouraging student cherry-picking) or your students (not forcing the vulture districts to accept any student from your district).

Now the biggest mistake you are making is trying to make logical sense of the state’s accountability system.  It is a political system, which is its own logic.  The system is designed to:

1. Produce a politically acceptable number of “adequate” campuses and districts.  This proves that our sitting politicians are effective.  

2. Produce a politically acceptable number of “unacceptable” campuses and districts.  This justifies the continued advancement of anti-public school policies.

3. Not upset / alarm affluent parents and neighborhoods.  So, public coffers can continue to be drained, masked by the “wealth of family” effect.

4. Marginalize minority schools.  To make tax subsidies for the affluent (vouchers) look altruistic by “saving” poor kids trapped in “failed” schools.

I’m not tired of fighting the good fight.  I just wish we had more people on our side

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: Texas ASCD Summer Conference, The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
  • Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Legendary Leadership Badge (April 2017)

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 2016/2017 school year (as of 4/30/17).

Three Badges
GayLynn Holt: April 2017; March 2017; February 2017
Jillian Howard: April 2017; April 2017; January 2017
Edward Husk: April 2017; April 2017; February 2017
Patti Ward: April 2017; January 2017; October 2016


Tom Jaggard: February 2017; January 2017; November 2016

Two Badges
Kenneth Bryant: April 2017; November 2016
Shele Coburn: April 2017; February 2017
E. Cormier: April 2017; December 2016
Tonya Cummings: April 2017; February 2017
Lisa Fain: April 2017; December 2016
Kevin Odea: April 2017; December 2016
Patsy Sanchez: April 2017; December 2016
Sheila Stephens: April 2017; February 2017


Monta Bonham: March 2017; November 2016
Kenneth Bryant: March 2017; February 2017
Sean Cain: March 2017; January 2017
Sheila Ochoa: March 2017; February 2017
Denise Poland: March 2017; February 2017
Robert Urbanowiez: March 2017; February 2017
Janie Snyder: March 2017; February 2017
Jacinda Waldrip: March 2017; December 2016
Tamika Washington: March 2017; February 2017


Michelle Casas: February 2017; November 2016
Christopher Collins: February 2017; November 2016
Susan Finkle: February 2017; November 2016
Margaret Havard: February 2017; January 2017
Pattie Myers: February 2017; Fall 2016
Christina Spears: February 2017; November 2016
John Speck: February 2017; October 2016
Nassrin Spencer: February 2017; Fall 2016


Donna Price: January 2017; November 2016

One Badge
Leslie Ackman: April 2017
Joanne Anguiano: April 2017
Stephanie Bard: April 2017
Edith Carrillo: April 2017
Sarah Castillo: April 2017
Amy Crippen: April 2017
Brandon Enos: April 2017
Joyce Freddie: April 2017
Donny Hearne: April 2017
Marie Hernandez: April 2017
Derieco Irvin: April 2017
Wiley Johnson: April 2017
Todd Jones: April 2017
Laura Juarez: April 2017
James Kisner: April 2017
Kelli Maikell: April 2017
Tera Marburgh: April 2017
Kimberly Martin: April 2017
Gilbert Martinez: April 2017
Brian Meers: April 2017
Donisha Miller: April 2017
Marilisa Moore: April 2017
Nicole Newsome: April 2017
Brian Odom: April 2017
David Pena: April 2017
David Pierson: April 2017
Ivan Ramirez: April 2017
Earl Sanchez: April 2017
Jessica Shugart: April 2017
Mindy Sides: April 2017
Charles Simmons: April 2017
Jordan Thiem: April 2017
Josh Tovar: April 2017
Kae Walker: April 2017


Stacey Baughn- Hunt: March 2017
Marissa Bell: March 2017
Rose Maria Chavez-Avedician: March 2017
Nancy Delosa: March 2017
Amanda Gordon: March 2017
Doris Graves: March 2017
Genevieve Harris: March 2017
Mike Laird: March 2017
Jenny Morris: March 2017
Angie Quinn: March 2017
Thomas Redlinger: March 2017
Lorena Sandoval: March 2017
Jesse Teran: March 2017
Tara Thompson: March 2017
Grisel Wallace: March 2017
Dennis Williams: March 2017
Sarah Williams: March 2017


U. Alvey: February 2017
Pete Armstrong: February 2017
Glenn Barnes: February 2017
Courtney Berry: February 2017
Lorie Bratcher: February 2017
Norma Briseno: February 2017
Carla Butler: February 2017
Stella Chen: February 2017
Brandon Cobb: February 2017
Denise Collins: February 2017
DeDe Conaway: February 2017
Linda Cox: February 2017
Larry Crabb: February 2017
Tami Davis: February 2017
Remy Godfrey: February 2017
Jeff Groseclose: February 2017
Naomi Esparza: February 2017
Greg Hatch: February 2017
Karen Ivy: February 2017
Caleb Jackson: February 2017
Roshon Jackson: February 2017
Paige Johnson: February 2017
Chris Johnstone: February 2017
Van LeJeune: February 2017
Erica Lewis: February 2017
Valerie Luckett: February 2017
Stephen McCanless: February 2017
Daniel McKee: February 2017
Kimberly McKnight: February 2017
Alejandro Olvera: February 2017
Rebecca Osborne: February 2017
Robin Rice: February 2017
Scott Rogers: February 2017
Dawn Roy: February 2017
Chesta Scheider: February 2017
Steve Sherrouse: February 2017
Rebecca Smith: February 2017
Jan Spears: February 2017
Cheryl Sterrett: February 2017
Rose Tran: February 2017
Bridgett Valenzuela: February 2017
Monica Waggoner: February 2017
Lisa Weaver: February 2017
Tom Weed: February 2017


Benita Allard: January 2017
Destiny Barrera: January 2017
Derrick Brown: January 2017
Jennie Currin: January 2017
Linda Ernwine: January 2017
Glenda Henry: January 2017
Ranae Lane: January 2017
Amanda Lisso: January 2017
Cortney Lucas: January 2017
Gina Reuter: January 2017
Ryan Searle: January 2017
Ernest Smith: January 2017
Kelsey Smith: January 2017
Rob Stephenson: January 2017


Cynthia Childers: December 2016
James Kisner: December 2016
Blake Maxwell: December 2016
Tim Merki: December 2016
Rhonda Mieth: December 2016
Jenny Morris: December 2016
Melissa Myers: December 2016
Diane Ranft: December 2016
Lois Redden: December 2016
Michelle Schreiner: December 2016
Joel Thomas: December 2016


Tra Hall: November 2016
Christal Hammond: November 2016
Brian Odom: November 2016
Tisha Piwetz: November 2016
Angie Quinn: November 2016
Gina Vilches: November 2016

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: Texas ASCD Summer Conference, The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
  • Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook