It's More Than a Job

There are a number of voices in our profession that make the valid case that schools cannot be expected to do more than what is currently done in the face of very real ills of society.  Poverty, lack of a safety net, broken homes, racism, etc.

Too many of us believe that good enough is good enough.

But it is not. 

Yes, the world is a hard, cruel place; especially for children. 

Yes, by policy and practice, our legislatures in an attempt to disincentivize adult behaviors are victimizing children at a horrifying scale.  

Yes, the layperson that fancies him/herself an expert in education has no idea what it takes to run a classroom, much less a school.

Which is why good enough is not good enough. Good enough plays right into the hand of the Anti’s.  The Anti’s: Those who are Anti-equity, Anti-opportunity, Anti-inclusion, and Anti-public education.

We, the Educators, are the nexus between poverty and a better life.  We are the nexus between fear and understanding.  We are the nexus between ignorance and enlightenment.

What we do, now more than ever, requires significantly more than good enough.

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: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); TEPSA Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NAESP National Conference; Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Threat is Real But It Doesn't Have to Be

There are threats to our representative democracy, but that isn’t the news.  There have always been threats to our representative democracy and if reasonable people make reasonable decisions we will reach reasonable solutions.  The danger is the when the power of the fringe faction overwhelms the power of the reasonable mass.  In our current political environment the following are the tools of the fringe faction and their use elevates the real and potential danger to democratic principals.

Gerrymandering: The purposeful drawing of political boundaries to maximize the influence of a ruling minority over an overall majority.  The danger and very real effect of this practice is that the will of the majority is thwarted and the primary election becomes the de facto election. When this occurs the power of the fringe is magnified and the power of the mass is diminished.  The solution is to oppose the practice and not to vote for its proponents.

Voter Suppression: Voter suppression is disguised as a reasonable practice to prevent voter fraud.  The only fraud in the voter fraud argument is that there is voter fraud.  It does not exist.  People who don’t have the right to vote, simply don’t vote. Heck, the people who have the right to vote... don’t vote.  And there is the rub.  So few people vote that preventing someone from voting is as powerful as getting someone to vote.  This is especially true if a faction targets those that are unlikely to vote for faction in the first place. The most fundamental right of an American citizen is access to the ballot. Those that work contrary to this right are the most base opportunists.  The solution is to oppose the practice and not to vote for its proponents.

Unfettered Campaign Finance:  The argument is that dollars = speech.  That premise is false.  Speech = speech.  Dollars = access, influence, coercion, special consideration and media time. If we believe in the premise of one person - one vote, then that requires limits on those who individually have the resources of 100’s or even 1,000’s of people.  To not do so is to abandon democracy for oligarchy. The solution is to oppose the practice and not to vote for its proponents.

The Attack on Public Education: Key to a thriving democracy is an educated citizenry. An educated citizenry questions, thinks, considers and votes with reason and reflection. For a faction that is afraid of a growing populace that does not look like them, the last thing the faction wants is for those they deem different making mass, educated decisions at the ballot box.  When a faction defunds, devalues and debases public education, the faction diminishes access and opportunities to those who most need it, and who coincidentally have the most compelling reasons to question the status quo.  The solution is to oppose the practice and not to vote for its proponents.

This post is in no way a partisan attack. In fact, in the recent past, both parties have been guilty of engaging in each of the dangerous practices I have presented.  Which is why I have always voted a split ticket. I don’t vote party. I vote for the smartest candidate that most consistently plays by the rules that are best for the country.  And that is why the threats I have listed could fade away almost overnight. All it takes is more of the collective us not only voting, but voting with consideration and reflection. 

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); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: ASCD Annual Conference; TEPSA Summer Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of October 5, 2014

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 October 5, 2014.

1. A big “THANK YOU” to the organizers, presenters and participants at The Fundamental 5 National Summit! It was a great day of learning and fellowship! (By @LYSNation)

2. Congratulations to LYS Principal, Jayne Ellspermann!! She was just named as the 2015 NASSP National Principal of the Year!!! (By @LYSNation)

3. Be a broken record:  "Continuous effort over time will bring success." (By @mike_metz)

           

4. A leader wants to know what's happening in the classroom. Choosing to do other things limits your ability to lead your school to success. (By @CabidaCain)

5. "Critical writing is the most natural and AUTHENTIC way to increase rigor." (By @mike_metz)

6. Today's Quote:  "It’s simple – education is the key to pretty much everything – prosperity, economics, stability - and peace." (By DrRichAllen)

7. Truth – The Fundamental 5 has the potential to be a GAME CHANGER. (By @leslmeek)

8. America: a nation that invests more $$ in its inmates & prisons than it does in its students and schools. (By @NicholasFerroni)

9. It is now a fact that one half of the students who graduate from college never read another book. (By @tgrierhisd)

10. Hanlon's Razor: ""Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." (By @DanielPink)

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); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: ASCD Annual Conference; TEPSA Summer Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

My Texas School Plan - An Open Letter to the Candidates From Both Parties, Part 2

In the public interest and courtesy to all of the candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, State Senator, and State Representative, I present the Texas Model Education and Ensured Economic Prosperity Plan.  Feel free to discuss and use as if it is your own. 

1. Significantly increase the quality of candidates attempting to enter the teaching profession.  How?
A. Increase ACT / SAT score requirements to enter state college of education programs.  
B. Increase Alternative Certification Program entrance GPA requirements or require a minimum GRE score to be accepted into the program.

2. Significantly increase the quality of teacher training and preparation. How? Teacher preparation programs should focus on both content and pedagogical knowledge.  
A. Which means that a potential math teacher should graduate from a college of education with a major in the content, a minor in pedagogy, and a full semester of student teaching.
B. A graduate from an Alternative Certification Program (ACP) should have a degree related to the content area (a prerequisite) and the equivalent of 18 hours of pedagogy course work.  The student teaching for the ACP candidate can be covered through supported and mentored classroom teaching while in the ACP program.

3. Pay teachers a professional salary.  This goes hand-in-hand with increasing the quality of the candidate pool for teaching.  The more a candidate brings to the table, the more options she has.  If teacher salaries are not comparable to the professional salaries of those with a similar education then the best candidates will continue to shun education careers for better economic options.  So here is your professional salary scale for teachers.
A.  $45,000 minimum salary for starting teachers.
B.  $65,000 minimum salary for a core content teacher with 5-years experience, and 3-years in the same district, and multiple certifications (example: K-8 reading and ESL certifications).
C.  $75,000 minimum salary for a core content teacher with 10-years experience, and 5-years in the same district, and multiple certifications, and a Master’s degree.
D.  $85,000 minimum salary for a core content teacher with 15-years experience, and 8-years in the same district, and multiple certifications, and a Doctorate degree.

4. Extend teacher contracts to 200 days. Do this concurrently with the increase in minimum teacher salaries. Use the extra 20 days for training and extended teaching options for struggling students. 

5. Have clear, deep curriculum standards that schools are required to teach. How? We are close to this in Texas.  The TEKS are a good start. They are just too broad. Narrow the overall focus and increase the emphasis on critical thinking.

6. Mandate a maximum 21:1 student/teacher ratio in grade K-6 core content courses.  Mandate a maximum 24:1 student/teacher ratio in grade 7-11 STAAR/EOC courses.

7. Increase the number of hours and days students devote to academics and school. How?  This is easier to do than you might think, it just requires two simple (on paper) changes.

A.  Move all athletic based extra-curricular activities to outside the school day.  This ensures that all students engaged in athletics will receive an extra 45 to 90 minutes of academic instruction in either core content, fine arts, foreign language or career based classes, EVERY DAY.

B.  Move all EOC / STAAR tests to May.  This will encourage (force) schools to teach the content deeper into the year.

C.  Mandatory (in lieu of retention) 3 to 5-week summer school session for all students who failed either a STAAR/EOC test or a core content course.

8. Increase the stakes on the high school exit exams. How? Now everyone immediately thinks this is about increasing punitive measures and consequences.  That is the novice move.  If bigger sticks were the answer, we wouldn’t have our current agenda driven “Failing Schools” problem.  No, we want carrots, BIG FREAKIN’ CARROTS.

A.  We still keep some floor performance requirements.  The diploma should guarantee a level of basic skills.  Right now there are 5 EOC tests. I would prefer seven: two tests for English - ELA 2 and ELA 3; two tests for math - Algebra 1 and either Geometry or Algebra II (student choice); two tests for science - Biology and either Chemistry or Physics (student choice); one test for Social Studies - U.S. History To graduate the student must score at least 60% on 4 of the 7 tests. 

B. We add a performance bonus for a defined level of commended results that could work something like this. For every test the student scores at least an 85% on there is an automatic scholarship that is awarded to the student, redeemable at any state institution (2-year or 4-year) during the freshman and sophomore years.  Prorate the scholarship amount based on need, for example:

a. Student qualifies for free lunch - $2,000 per exam, which represents a potential scholarship amount of $14,000.

b. Student qualifies for reduced lunch - $1,000 per exam, which represents a potential scholarship amount of $7,000.

c. Student not eligible for free/reduced lunch - $500 per exam, which represents a potential scholarship amount of $3,500

Now all students have a significant incentive to take higher-level courses and perform in those courses. And if parents want to opt out their students from testing, they can do so for the advanced tests, but at a potential economic loss (reduced scholarship eligibility).

Accountability still in place but success is driven through the positives of earned scholarships and extended learning opportunities for struggling students. Not school sanctions and mandatory student retention.

9. Implement the following Superintendent Salary Schedule:
A.  District with fewer than 500 students, Superintendent salary no higher than 1.5 times the average teacher salary in the district.
B.  District with 501 – 1,000 students, Superintendent salary no more than 2 times the average teacher salary in the district.
C.  District with 1,001 – 5,000 students, Superintendent salary no more than 2.5 times the average teacher salary in the district.
D.  District with 5,001 – 15,000 students, Superintendent salary no more than 3 times the average teacher salary in the district.
E.  District with 15,001 – 30,000 students, Superintendent salary no more than 3.5 times the average teacher salary in the district.
F.  District with 30,001 – 70,000 students, Superintendent salary no more than 4 times the average teacher salary in the district.
G.  District with more than 70,00 students, Superintendent salary no more than 5 times the average teacher salary in the district.

10. Make charter schools subject to the same teacher pay, class ratio and superintendent pay standards as traditional public school districts.

Think about this plan overnight because tomorrow we tackle the big problem, how to pay for this ambitious plan.

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: NAESP National Conference; Kentucky Association of School Administrators Leadership Institute; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Foundation Trinity - PDAS Alignment

Here is the next LYS coaching alignment tool. Over the next few posts I will show the alignment between LYS doctrine and state requirements. Now up, the alignment of the Foundation Trinity to the Texas PDAS.

When we implement our Common Scope and Sequence, there is a positive impact on the following PDAS domains:

• Domain II (Learner-Centered Instruction)
• Domain III (Evaluation and Feedback)
• Domain IV (Management)
• Domain VII (Compliance with Policies)
• Domain VIII (Improvement of Academic Performance of All Students)

When we effectively use our Short Term Common Assessments, there is a positive impact on the following PDAS domains:

• Domain II (Learner-Centered Instruction)
• Domain III (Evaluation and Feedback)
• Domain VIII (Improvement of Academic Performance of All Students)

When we effectively use our PowerWalks instructional observation system, there is a positive impact on the following PDAS domains:

• Domain I (Student Participation)
• Domain II (Learner-Centered Instruction)
• Domain III (Evaluation and Feedback)
• Domain IV (Management)
• Domain V (Professional Communication)
• Domain VII (Compliance with Policies)
• Domain VIII (Improvement of Academic Performance of All Students)

As you observe our campus implement the Foundation Trinity at high frequency and high quality, we will have more of our teachers Exceeding Expectations in the following PDAS domains:

• Domain I (Student Participation)
• Domain II (Learner-Centered Instruction)
• Domain III (Evaluation and Feedback)
• Domain IV (Management)
• Domain V (Professional Communication)
• Domain VII (Compliance with Policies)
• Domain VIII (Improvement of Academic Performance of All Students)

But you shouldn’t be surprised. We are LYSers. It’s what we do.

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
• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASB Conference; TASSP Conference (multiple sessions); Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)

Jefferson on Education

In honor of the Fourth of July I would like to share a quote concerning education by the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence.

"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people...they are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

— Thomas Jefferson

What we do everyday in our public schools is of grave national import. We must not take that responsibility lightly and we must remember those who would dismantle liberty and equality in the pursuit of political favor and profit.

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