PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge - 10/27/17

To assist schools in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Texas dealing with the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria for every PowerWalks classroom observation conducted between October 1, 2017 and October 31, 2017, Lead Your School will donate 5¢.

As of today, there have been 41,497 October PowerWalks completed. This means that the current donation total stands at $2,074.85.

But that is only the October part of the story.  The Hurricane Relief Challenge was first issued on August 25, 2017.  Since that date we have now raised over $4,270.00.

As proof that the LYS Nation is going above and beyond to meet this challenge, we’ll share some historical numbers.  From August 25, 2016 to October 27, 2016 there were a total of 41,983 PowerWalks conducted by LYSers.  Now that is an extraordinary number of classroom observations that no other group of schools can match. Unless the comparison group is made up of motivated LYSers. 

Because LYS Nation, from August 25, 2017 to October 27, 2017 you have now conducted 85,831 PowerWalks!!!

Don’t stop now, we still have 3 school days remaining in October.

Keep Stepping Up!

Character Education Programs

Due to my background and travels, a lot of educators will ask me about character education / discipline management programs.  Which ones work best, which one to avoid, etc.? 

There are lots of good ones out there.  Personally, I endorse Girls and Boys Town.  Girls and Boys Town is to discipline management what Benjamin Bloom and Madeline Hunter are to instruction.  Everything else is a derivative of the original breakthrough thinking and practice.

That being said, it really doesn’t matter which fundamentally sound program you pick. Success and failure isn’t based on the program. It is based on you. 

If the program your select is implemented with full fidelity by every adult on the campus, it will work.

Every modification (no matter how logical) and every adult who opts out, “My kids behave just fine, I don’t need a program,” increases the both the speed and inevitability of failure.  But it is not program failure, it is implementation failure. And implementation failure is leadership failure.

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... PowerWalks Feedback (The Powerful Practice Notice)

A new LYS Principal asks the following:

SC,

Usually after we complete a classroom observation, we enter the data and that is it, nothing overt happens, unless the observer types in a note. Then, at other times, a much more detailed report with a graphic and the practice descriptions are generated to send to the teacher. 

What is happening and why do some teachers get a notice and some do not?

Thanks!

SC Response

Central to this question is having a clear understanding of exactly how much relevant data can be collected from a single 3 to 5-minute observation.  The answer, in the vast majority of cases, is not much.  The individual sample of observed behavior/practice is too small.

So, why do them (short classroom observations)?

Even though a single walk-thru revels little, a chain of walk-thru’s (15 to 20 for an individual teacher) will reveal a pattern of typical practice. A pattern that can then be used to coach teachers and drive incremental improvements in their practice. Thus, the most powerful information derived from short walk-thru’s is the “Game Film” it creates over time.  

Still there is some power in individual observations.  

1. The observation can cue the implementation of a new, better practice.

2. The observer can immediately help correct any glaring deficit in practice.

3. The observer can comment on an observed positive.

4. The observer can share with the teacher that exemplar practice was observed.

During some observations, significant exemplar practices will be observed (this obviously does not occur with every classroom visit).  When this occurs, the PowerWalks System cues the observer that a positive note is warranted.  If the observer concurs, the PowerWalks System generates and sends the note.

Though the system is intuitive, many campuses find that observer and staff training on the features and appropriate use of the PowerWalks System is useful.  Contact. us if we can help

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook