More Staff or More Training

The question that every principal wrestles with come budget time, do I invest in staff or training?  What your Assistant Superintendent, Business Manager, HR Director and Title I Office want you to do is fill up on staff. 

It’s the easy solution.  The budget is allocated, class size is reduced, and operational stuff and things get done.  I’m not saying they are wrong. But I’m not saying they are right.

More staff just facilitates the status quo, just a little more efficiently.  But more staff rarely changes anything.  Sub-par instruction for 28 students isn’t made better by providing sub-par instruction to 21 students.  And operational stuff and things being taken care of have next to no impact on the classroom.

What I suggest (and did) is follow the advice of Great Principals.  Go LEAN.  That’s right, don’t add staff.  Instead invest in training.  Train like there is no tomorrow.  Improve the skill set of every adult on the campus.  Make them more effective and more efficient.  That way when the budget is squeezed and everyone else has to cut staff, you have a staff that is better prepared to handle adversity and effectively teach any student in any setting.

Here are two, field tested ways to make this happen.

1. Absorb a position. This is what E. Don Brown would do.  If his staff allocation was 100 teachers he would hire 99. Then with the unused salary, he would have $50,000 to $60,0000 as a training budget.

2. Capture your vacancy.  This is the solution that I used.  Everyone has a vacancy pop up during the school year.  The vacancy is never filled immediately which creates a budget surplus (Central Office knows this and loves this).  But while this surplus is growing, everyone on the campus has to work harder.  What this means is that the campus suffers while the district reaps the reward.  So, I went to my Superintendent (Bob Brezina) with the following proposal, since the staff was having to work harder and was short-handed, let me use the vacancy surplus to bring in on-going training to reward the staff for stepping up. Brezina loved the idea and my staff were among the best trained in the city.

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, TASSP 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

The Superintendent's Corner: Central Office Modeling

A LYS Superintendent asks the following:

SC,

As I reflect on the 2011/2012 school year, it is clear that I spent too much time focusing on the budget crisis facing our district and campus leadership practices. Central office leadership practices completely slid off my radar.  At Cabinet this morning, I listened as the list of tasks that Principals are deficient in was delineated.  To check to make sure that my directors were walking the talk, I asked if they were modeling the deficient practices.

Crickets.... 

Though this may seem rhetorical, but do I have to track everything, all the time?  At what point does senior leadership hold itself to a higher standard? Given my limited statewide experience, is this a significant problem in other districts?

SC Response

What you describe is commonplace, but it is only a problem if the Superintendent makes it a problem.  Most do not and for the life of me I do not understand why.  So I asked a tenured, big district superintendent his opinion.  The short answer was he focused on those who affected the most change, Principals.  On a daily basis, one Principal can (and will) directly impact Assistant Principals, Teachers, Counselors, Para-professionals, Students and Parents.  But on a given day, a single central office staff will selectively influence a handful of others, maybe. And of those influenced, how many will make an immediate impact on students? Not many.

This leaves most central office administrators to issue edicts, attend meetings and put out fires. Getting the whole machine to focus on coaching, implementation and learning is not a quick fix. So you will need to objectively track your expectations if you really want central office behavior and practice to change.  And don’t expect this to be welcomed and embraced.

You are now asking your people to do what they have never really done before and has not been expected in your district for the last 20 years, if ever.  I believe you will get there, but not overnight (tough, since patience has never been your defining quality).

You need your #2's to think like #1's. That is an exceedingly rare commodity even in good districts. You and your staff can get there, but it will require that you measure and track the things that matter to 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 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool)
• Upcoming Presentations: Livingston ISD Leadership Team Kickoff, Channelview ISD Leadership Team Kickoff, Bushland ISD Staff Kickoff, Canadian ISD Staff Kickoff, Highland Park ISD Staff Kickoff, Sunray ISD Staff Kickoff, Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote), Advancing Improvement in Education Conference (Multiple Presentations), American Association of School Administrators Conference
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of February 5, 2012

I was recently talking to an assistant superintendent about the issues facing her district (which were many). During our conversation, she said something that I had to quickly address. In her assessment of the district, she felt that if there were more technology in the classroom the academic performance issues in the district would quickly be solved. She believed that the root of the district's ills could be found in the lack of student engagement and motivation. The cure - more computers. Instead of concurring (surprising from a Bootleg Technology advocate), I instead reminded her of the reality of the situation. The roots of the problem in the district are a haphazard use of a common scope and sequence, a weak common assessment program, unreliable classroom observation data, poor to non-existent leadership coaching, and low quality classroom instruction. In short - adult practice. Technology, bootleg or otherwise, is merely a tool that leverages adult practice to enhance student learning. I didn’t want to rain on the assistant superintendent’s parade, but the stakes are too high to lose focus on what is critical to student success.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own bootleg technology devices to follow Twitter. If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us. To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of February 5, 2012, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Working on helping my faculty understand any change in teacher behavior must occur before any meaningful change in student outcomes is seen. (By @blitzkrieg607)

2. If after reviewing your data you don't quit something, add something or do something different, why would you believe things will improve?

3. Game On! is Moneyball for schools! (By @CabidaCain)

4. The reason why you post a closing product is so when you close the lesson you have proof of learning. But first you have to close the lesson!

5. Practicing research-based instruction provides us a moral high ground that establishes teachers as respected professionals in the community. (By @tlonganecker)

6. Either improve front line instruction or find a program to replace it. But doing nothing as students fail is darn near negligence.

7. I'm always a little skeptical of the successful school model that has entrance requirements for students.

8. Texas School Funding Formula Inequity: Districts rated Exemplary $6,580 per WADA; Recognized $5,751; Acceptable $5,662; Unacceptable $5,538 (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

9. Teach to the depth and complexity of the SE not to the test. The one constant is that the curriculum has not changed. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

10. Simple Rigor Gauge: If students are not deconstructing, building, talking academically or writing critically - Rigor is low.

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/4ydqd4t
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); Oklahoma Association of Middle School Principal’s Mid-Winter Conference; NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A Superintendent Submits... The New Martyr Complex

A LYS Superintendent submits the following:

I have noticed a new and distinct martyr complex at work in public education. Actually, the complex may not be new, but I just noticed it. Let me explain.

As schools are facing the results of the State's calculated response to accountability this year, I hear many "leaders" standing up saying "Blame me," and "I own that, I was the leader." There are many variations to the theme, but you get the drift. This is somewhat a refreshing trend, but it is getting to be such a common response that it is almost simply becoming the new "got to say" fad. Everyone wants to be nailed to the cross, because that's what "great" leaders do.

Let's look at this. If your school failed, you are to blame. Say it once, own it forever, and move on. Once you have acknowledged the failure ONCE, move on to the next step. Here is where I see few people treading out fear of being called a bad leader.

Understand there is a difference, a huge difference, between making excuses and looking for causes and solutions. In my organization, I can tell you that I have found very few central office administrators focusing on failure analysis and solution finding. This will change. The ultimate failure of leadership at this point is NOT searching for failure causes. Just as Feynman did when Challenger went down in the mid 1980's, you MUST analyze why you failed and formulate solutions. That is NOT excuse making, that is problem solving. Your central office staff must embrace this. If not, they will hinder your progress in the future.

SC Response

I glad you have been hearing “Blame me” and “I own that,” because I haven’t heard those comments very often outside of the LYS Nation. What I have heard is a lot of “The campus really dropped the ball,” “The principal should have know,” and “If it wasn’t for (insert number and demographic) kids, we would have been (higher rating).”

For a results guy and a results organization (me and LYS), we don’t freak out over the end of the year scores. We view the end of the year scores as simply the starting point for next year. And in most cases we aren’t surprised by the end results. We track and adjust so frequently during the year, that we know what we are doing well and what we still need to correct and improve. I’m reminded of a George Patton dispatch from WWII, “You aren’t beaten until you quit. Hence, don’t.” If you are busy making yourself a martyr, that smells a lot like quitting.

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/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference

A Look in the Mirror

TAKS scores have been released to districts. And the reality of a world without TPM has cast a pall over schools and districts. And that’s OK. Remember that TAKS is just a program review. It tells us how well we taught the material this year and how many students mastered the material this year. TPM masked that reality and it allowed us to take our eye off the ball. Yet we all know that there is always room to improve. So here is what we do.

1. That “punch to the gut” feeling you have right now, hold on to it. We’re going to use it in a couple of steps.

2. Take your butt chewing from Central Office. They can’t beat you up any worse than you are currently doing to yourself.

3. Compare real 2010 numbers to the 2011 numbers. What improved? Build on that success. What fell? Quit looking for who to blame and start problem solving.

4. That punch to the gut feeling from step number 1... Use that feeling to drive your planning over the summer. Use it to identify the things that you can no longer afford to do. Use it to identify the areas where you deviated from what was right and necessary. Use it to start the first day of school next year at full speed, instead of half speed. Use it to help you grind through the tough times when others want to slow down or stop. Use it so you never have to feel it again.

True character reveals itself in times of adversity. This is where you get to look in the mirror and see what kind of leader you really are. Are you going to re-commit, rally your troops and find the better solution or are you going to yell, threaten, point fingers and blame others?

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/4ydqd4t

Upcoming Event / Presentation Schedule

June 11 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

June 15 (TASSP) - Improve Now!

June 16 (TASSP) - Conference Breakfast, hosted by E. Don Brown (LYS travel tumblers for the first 1000 attendees, last year we ran out)

June 16 (TASSP) – Book Release Event, “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction”

June 16 (TASSP) - Fundamental Five; Tech Tools for the 2.0 Principal

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

June 18 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

A Reader Writes... (Advice for the First Year Principal - Part 13)

In response to the post, “Advice for the First Year Principal – Part 10,” a tenured LYS Principal writes:

Boris Yeltsin said, "You can make a throne out of bayonets, but you can't sit on if for long."

It is a matter of balance, and the nuance of effective leadership often lies in the balance. A rookie AP once brought me a theoretical problem that had little chance of occurring. I told the AP we weren’t going to spend a lot of time worrying about a problem that probably would not happen and I quoted Mark Twain, "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."

But to let the AP know that I appreciated the fact that she was thinking about possible contingencies, I pointed out that the British SAS say, "Chance favors the prepared," an adaptation from Louis Pasteur.

The nuance of leadership lies in the gray area of not worrying about little stuff, and knowing what is not little stuff and needs to be prepared for. Mess this process up, and well, read about Napoleon.

SC Response

Your theoretical problem anecdote reminded me of some of the endless conversations I had with more than a few Assistant Superintendents when I was working for the state. You would have a campus in crisis; the Commissioner, the Superintendent, and the Principal would want the situation fixed as soon as possible, yet the person who controlled the greatest level of resources and support for the campus would be paralyzed playing the “What if” game. What if it doesn’t work, what if people are unhappy, what if there is a better answer that will show up tomorrow?

The answer, of course, is the 80% solution executed at full speed with the expectation that you will adapt on the fly. Simply identify the problem and the desired outcome and start working. The amazing thing is that forward progress solves the majority of both the little things and the big things. The happy by-product of this forward motion is the experience you gain solving problems that most educators do not exist, because their inaction means that they never see what is beyond their horizon. And with this experience edge comes more confidence and increased opportunity. Which is why I remind leaders that if you and your staff are not pushing the envelope, then you risk quickly becoming obsolete.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Who are We Letting In - Part 3)

In response to the post, “Who are We Letting In – Part 2,” one of the early LYS’ers writes:

This is so spot-on! When given the task of taking over a high school to improve the graduation rate, math scores, drop out rate, AP participation, etc., what you described was one of the first things I did.

We had already set a precedent among the principals. As a middle school principal, I would hear my 6th grade teachers complain about the lack of skills taught by the 5th grade teachers from our feeder school. The principal of that campus happened to be a close friend. Her 5th grade teachers said it must be the problem of our 6th grade team, because they knew they had sent the students to our middle school well prepared. We decided to see what was really going on at both grades. We started by flipping teachers for one day. Our 6th grade teachers taught 5th grade and their 5th grade teachers taught our 6th grade. What a revelation! That opened to door to awesome collaboration.

The first meeting after our "Walk in My Shoes" day was incredible. There was no more finger pointing, but instead a focus to meet throughout the year to improve vertical alignment and support vertical instruction. TAKS scores rose on both campuses.

While I couldn't do all that I wanted when I went to the high school, because of my elementary school / middle school experience, it set the stage for open and ongoing vertical collaboration from all our feeder campuses. Everyone benefited.

We really didn't involve central office. I don't remember asking for permission. We did it and shared the information after we did it. I think central office was relieved they didn't have to plan anything. Our efforts were totally supported and the benefits were easily documented.

SC Response

I was talking to a principal today and the conversation came the point that you just illustrated beautifully. There are two types of leaders. The first type are those who understand the power of networking, collaboration and capacity building. The second type are the ones that for any number of reasons see success as a zero sum game and shun the power of the network. Unfortunately, it has been my observation that there are more leaders of the second type, than the first type. Luckily for me, the LYS Nation gives me strength and encouragement when too many number two’s (pun intended) start to drag me down.

The other thing I like about your comment is that you didn’t need, nor seek central office permission to collaborate with your fellow principals and campuses. The proactive answers that a campus and principal needs to maximize student success are invariably found in the field, at the campus level, by teams of educators. If you are trying to come up with the answers all by yourself, or you are waiting for Central Office or Consultants to save you, the odds are not on your side. And this is coming from the man whose combined experience as a central office administrator, state administrator and consultant now far outweighs my experience as a principal.

The bottom line, talk to your people, talk to your peers, and talk to the educators who have taught or will teach your students.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Start at Full Speed

For many of the readers out there, today is the first day of school for students. For members of the LYS Nation, I know that you are prepared and will begin the day teaching at full speed. After all, how you start has a tremendous bearing on how you finish. On that note, here are some pictures from last Friday. While many schools spend the last day of teacher preparation unloading boxes brought from home, this was not the case in this LYS district. Here you see teachers (from multiple campuses), campus administrators and central office curriculum staff working together to map out the delivery of the first ten lessons of the year. Exceptional instruction does not occur by accident. Make this year your most successful yet.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Rare Sighting

The LYS Nation never ceases to amaze me. Last week, I witnessed something so rare that those of you in a non-LYS district will think that I am making it up. As we have been doing all summer long, we were working with a large group of teachers (all volunteers) who were mapping Critical Curricular Concepts for the upcoming year. This is dry, somewhat tedious, yet critically important detail work.

The surprise was when not one, but two, assistant superintendents arrived for the training. But they didn’t show up just to say “hi” or to make sure everyone was working. They showed up to participate. Eight hours of collaborative work with teachers, digging into the curriculum and debating what must be taught, what should be taught and what can be let go. In eight hours, these assistant superintendents did more for staff morale than could be accomplished in a decade worth of staff appreciation lunches. They found a group of teachers in their district that care enough about students and instruction that they are willing to sacrifice their vacations and free time. Then, the assistant superintendents spent the day, not watching, but working with those teachers at their campus.

If you work at central office and are sitting at your desk reading this, your competition is already out working you on the things that really matter (teaching and learning) and the start of school is still a month away.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Asks... 4 Books

A LYS Assistant Superintendent recently asked me what four books I would recommend to school leaders that best encapsulate the LYS philosophy.

I have to admit that I failed. I could create the top ten list and I could create a top seven list. However, try as I might I could not create a top four list. But I did get close; here are the five books that I believe that every member of the LYS Nation should read. These works are a critical part of the tapestry that is at the core of LYS beliefs and actions. Now in order:

1. Results Now, by Mike Schmoker. This book sets the LYS tone. If on the whole you disagree with what Mike writes in this book, you are going to disagree with LYS (the organization and probably the Nation).

2. Corp Business, by David H. Freedman. This is the book I had every new AP I hired read. I have yet to find a book that does a better job of laying out the actionable ABC’s of leading people in the field.

3. Good to Great, by Jim Collins. There are hedgehogs and foxes. Reject your fox instincts and embrace your inner hedgehog. Don't have a clue what I'm talking about? Read the book.

4. The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. The primer on the power of the few. Those who question the power of the LYS Nation just don’t recognize the implication of a network of the best Mavens, Connectors and Salespeople in our field.

5. Classroom Instruction That Works, by Robert Marzano. The final word on the research that proves the effect of best practice. This book is so critical to our profession that if you haven’t read it yet, you have to question whether or not you deserve a seat at the table when the discussion turns to instruction.

There you go, my recommended initial reading assignment for the summer.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Teachers Stress - Part 21)

In response to the post, “Teacher Stress – Part 18,” a LYS Assistant Superintendent writes:

“There is a big difference between the challenges of living in central office and challenges of living at the campus level. I have to constantly remind my fellow central office types that we are the ones responsible for closing the gap between the two levels.

You cannot expect campus leadership (who have never been at central office) to understand the obstacles you are facing. It is an unfair expectation. But having been a former campus leader, you can never forget the obstacles that the campus faces. Never forget that you are the only one with the perspective to operate in both worlds in the best interest of students, and that this does not make you superior. What it does is put the greater responsibility on you to meet the needs of the campus more than half way. In fact, central office should strive to provide solutions to the campus before they even know they need a solution. Not always possible, but a good goal and worthy objective.

One thing I do to reinforce that we are in the school business is that I have replaced most of the adult chairs in my departments with the same chairs that the high school students sit in all day. Give me enough time and they will all be replaced. This gives our work areas a ‘campus feel’ as opposed to a ‘lawyer’s office’ feel. It also is a constant reminder that we are not superior to the campus. We do not get perks, and we don’t get to skate.

Just a thought, for what it’s worth.”

SC Response:
Excellent points and what I have been trying to illustrate. There is a disconnect between the campuses and central office. This is not an indictment, it is an unavoidable fact. The keys are that we have to recognize that fact, not ignore it, and that only central office leadership can close the gap. Thus, the size of the gap is solely central office’s responsibility.

Addressing the gap take awareness and purposeful action. For example, similar to you, when I was a Principal, I furnished my office with furniture from the district’s surplus warehouse. I did the same thing when I moved to central office. You can talk all day long about how kids and teachers are important, but when management works in opulence and labor toils in squalor, your actions scream another message.

As a central office leader, I held significantly more meetings and training sessions at the campuses (at hours convenient for the schools) than at central office. I also conducted more small group and one on one meetings than large meetings. Was this inconvenient and inefficient for me, personally? Actually, no. My job was to ensure effective and efficient campus operations. The best way to do this was to ensure that those most directly responsible for those operations, teachers and campus leaders, where able to devote more time on task. This means you take the mountain to Mohammed.

As with most things in education, we are the problem, hence we are the solution.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...