December 1, 2017 Update - PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge

Blog Post: December 1, 2017 Update - PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge
On August 25, 2017, Aransas County Independent School was Ground Zero for Hurricane Harvey.  To assist the district in its rebuilding LYS announced the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge which was supposed to run from August 25 to September 30, 2017. And the LYS Nation stepped up!

Then Hurricanes Irma and Maria ransacked Florida and Puerto Rico. So, LYS extended the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge through October 31, 2017. And the LYS Nation stepped up!

But in October the extent of the devastation that occurred in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to the hurricanes was revealed. So, LYS announced that the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge would be extended through December 22, 2017.  And the nickels keep adding up.  Here are the current donation totals:

August 2017: 5,211 PowerWalks classroom visits, generating a donation of $300.00

September 2017: 39,135 PowerWalks classroom visits, generating a donation of $2,000.00

October 2017: 49,222 PowerWalks classroom visits, generating a donation of $2,500.00

November 2017: 37,238 PowerWalks classroom visits generating a donation of $1,900.00

December 2017 (In Progress) Starts today…

So far, the current donation total for the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge is $6,700.00

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 December 1, 2016 there were 66,796 classroom observations completed. This is a number 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 December 1, 2017 you have now conducted 130,844 PowerWalks!  Don’t stop now!

Keep Stepping Up!

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: TASSP Assistant Principal Workshop (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Best Time to Change

I recently met with a principal that I mentor.  She had identified some long-standing processes and procedures that were ineffective and impairing campus performance.  Her question, “When is the best time to make the change?”

My answer, “Now.”

“But won’t that be disruptive?”

“Yes.”

“Then shouldn’t I wait?”

“No.”

What is the value in prolonging the inevitable? If something isn’t working, fix it. It’s the difference between getting worse and getting better.

Once you know a change has to me made, the best time to change is NOW.

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: TASSP Assistant Principal Workshop (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Smooth Operators

Recently I was talking to some aspiring campus administrators when one of them asked, “How do effective leaders monitor the learning environment to ensure smooth operations?”

This is a good question with a multifaceted answer.  Here is the short version of my response.

1. The leader needs to possess and maintain a good dashboard of critical leading and lagging indicators.  The leading indicators help you prioritize your actions, allowing you to just eyeball what is working and devote time to potential pitfalls. The lagging indicators serve as a wake-up call to the fact that something is out of whack.

2. The leader needs to ensure the campus has an effective common assessment process.  The common assessment process is the best way to ensure appropriate content pacing and to determine which instructional practices work and which instructional practices do not work.

3. The leader needs to live in the classroom and in the student common areas.  The work of schools is teaching and learning.  To lead a school effectively you must have intimate, first-hand knowledge of the work.  Otherwise, you are just guessing, or leading by approximation.

4. You have to constantly talk to your people, and more importantly, listen to your people. This allows you and the organization to pivot with ease and speed when the need arises.

5. Finally, regularly confer with your custodians.  They know more about what is really happening on your campus that any other staff member.  And once they know that you have their back, they will always have yours. 

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: TASSP Assistant Principal Workshop (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook