Top Tweets from the Week of September 3, 2017

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of September 3, 2017 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. This quote sits on my mind today: "My whole career has been about 'You can't do that,' and guess what: I did that!" -E. Don Brown (By @jackson_carrie)

2. Congratulations to LYSer, Becky Flynn! She is the new Assistant Principal at Roosevelt Middle School in OCPS!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

3. For elected officials to treat teachers as threats rather than heroes is an astonishing affront to civil society. (By @pastors4txkids)

4. Texas Senate to Texas House: "We will starve your schools until you let us privatize them." (By @pastors4txkids)

5. Some kids go an entire day without anyone saying their name. Be the teacher who speaks to each student by name every day. (By @justintarte)

6. School leaders must consider the instructional cost of any activity. (By @SRead806)

7. Don't be afraid to take the road less traveled on. LEAD your school! (By @Crysrommuel)

8. Research: "Homework in elementary school does not contribute to academic achievement," but daily reading does. (By @DanielPink)

9. Prison is an expensive way of making bad people worse. (By @TheEconomist)

10. I am confident my students will perform much better after I read your book: The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird). Excellent book!!!!! (By @michaelwillis08)

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) 
• 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

Top LYS Twees From the Week of April 3, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of April 3, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. When you add in steps that do not add value, you just add complexity. (By @EdieMartin)

2. “Students whose families received home visits were more likely to attend school and to achieve or exceed grade-level reading comprehension.” (By @DrMetz_MJH)

3. Whether in work or personal life, your budget is your vision in action. (By @clwilkens)

4. If an activity doesn't support our strategic plan then why are we doing it? (By @APQCEducation)

5. No research has ever found a benefit to assigning homework (of any kind or in any amount) in elementary school! (By @tgrierhisd)

6. It’s time Texas Legislators to quit waiting on the courts to tell them to do their job. (By @woscholar)

7. Don't put a limit on anything. The more you dream the farther you get. (By @CoachKWisdom)

8. Slow internet does actually stress you out, says least surprising study ever. (By @statesman)

9. Dear Teens,

In a few years, it won't matter if you were the most popular kid in school or the least. It only matters in school, not life. (By @NicholasFerroni)

10. Excited to announce that the University of Louisville is using The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) in its college of education! Go Cards!!! (By @LYSNation)

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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of March 13, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of March 13, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Great schools embed The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) into the culture! (By @LParkerEdD)

2. We give compliments when we say "good job." We reinforce effort when we can comment specifically on what the student did well. (By @DrKing_BBJH)

3. There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between. -Pat Riley (By @Sports_HQ)

4. If you're not enjoying teaching, the students are probably not enjoying learning. (By @BluntEducator)

5. Vouchers = bad policy. Public Money for Public Schools. (By TxParentPAC)

6. If you aren't willing to wait and work for it, you don't really want it. (By @MMotivate)

7. “No study has ever substantiated the belief that homework builds character or teaches good study habits.” (By @woscholar)

8. The misbehavior of a child is not happening to you as a teacher, it’s happening in front of you! (By @tra_hall)

9. What if bad customer service is simply Karma for being a jerk earlier in the day? (By @LYSNation)

10. Just notified that The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) has now officially sold more than 83,000 copies! Thank you, LYS Nation!! (By @LYSNation)

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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... Pass / Fail - Part 2

In response to the 9/22/2015 post, “Pass / Fail – Part 1,” a reader writes:

SC,

I agree with what you are saying. But what is the most viable alternative? How do we move whole systems to change after all of this time?

A new, better system will require a huge education for not only teachers and students but the parents and others who are measuring us as we measure our students.  

SC Response

If you are a principal, and you are comfortable being proactive, you can do a lot. Here are four things you could do right now to ensure that the grades on your campus are consistent from class to class and reflect a more accurate measure of end of course mastery.

1. Homework for practice, not a grade. If the student does the homework, the reward is being more capable of passing the course assessment(s).  The penalty of not doing the homework is being less capable of passing the course assessment(s).  The student who doesn’t need to do the homework shouldn’t have to. And the student who should do the homework and doesn’t, shouldn’t be penalized twice.

2. All tests are common (the same from class to class for a given content) and are graded using a common (developed by the content department) rubric. That way a student isn’t placed at a GPA disadvantage by being in the class of the “harder” grader.

3. Allow re-tests on all tests, up until the final. The final exam is the test that should matter the most.  Everything up until the final is simply practice.

4. Create common, cumulative finals and allow performance on the final to either not hurt the student or trump everything. For example. 

a. I have an 87 average going into the final.  I get a 75 on the final, so the final doesn’t count against me. 

b. I have an 87 average going into the final.  I get a 93 on the final, so my final grade for the semester is a 93.

Either way is a win/win for the school and the student.  In example A, the student has the motivation to perform during the semester to provide a level of “Final Insurance.”

In Example B, the student has the motivation to continue to grind and engage in the learning for a chance to improve her grade.

The con would be the student who does nothing throughout the semester and aces the final.  Some would say that we would be rewarding a malcontent.  But I would argue that for this particular student, the student who obviously didn’t need the instruction, enduring the class was punishment 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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of August 30, 2015

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of August 30, 2015 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Technology provides great opportunities to miss personal connections. (By @sjunkins)

2. Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others. (By @CoachKWisdom)

3. Education is the solution to all the world's problems, while lack of education is the cause. (By @NicholasFerroni)

4. Praising effort and process yields higher results than praising intelligence. (By @rdscroggin)

5. There's a 27% increase in student engagement when the teacher greets his/her students at the door. (By @justintarte)

6. Any education "reform" that diverts public money to private entities is a destructive, deceptive lie. (By @pastors4txkids)

7. Homework is not a reliable source of data. Student learning is too important to measure in such a potentially inaccurate way. (By @CVULearns)

8. Texas is now the only state with over 20% people without health coverage. (By @oliveroliver)

9. Starting late wastes time, punishes the punctual and conveys that in the future, attendees can arrive late. (By @MartyNemko)

10. Excited to share that The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) has now passed 73,000 copies sold! Thank you, LYS Nation!!! (By @LYSNation)

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: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of July 26, 2015

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of July 26, 2015 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Transformational leaders have effect size of .11. Instructional leaders have effect size of .42. Start with The Foundation Trinity and stay there! (By @brandyjbaker)

2. “Next in importance to freedom and justice is education – without which neither of the first two can be maintained.” (By @DrRichAllen)

3. Never let your staff complain about students. Behavior, effort, attitude, capacity are ALL teachable! (By @brandyjbaker)

4. No student should fail a class due to homework—it's not an accurate enough measure of learning on which to base such an important decision. (By @danielmccabe)

5. Is it just me, or do freshly waxed halls bring new life and hit some kind of internal reset button in a school? (By @BluntEducator)

6. The reputation of a school is based, to a large degree, by what the faculty says about the school! (By @tgrierhisd)

7. "The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make those facts come alive." (By @DrRichAllen)

8. We ignore law enforcement in gun policy, educators in school policy, and hospital administrators in health policy. Who are we listening to? (By @pastors4txkids)

9. If you're out of ideas about how to blast a presidential candidate, why not attack him for supporting the Common Core, as if it means they support socialism. (By @harvinmoore)

10. A society that won't pay to educate poor student is a society that's going to pay to incarcerate poor dropouts. (By @JohnFugelsang)

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: Illinois ASCD Fall Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Fall AP Conference, The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of September 7, 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 September 7, 2014.

1. Instructional leaders never forget that your attitude is contagious. Infect everyone with hope and optimism. (By @LYSNation)

2. Ended a SUPER week implementing Fundamental 5 practices – Thanks, Barbara Fine!! (By @Crysrommuel)

3. I cannot be any more direct than this. If the staff does not model the student dress code, don't have a student dress code. (By @LYSNation)

4. Looking at common assessment results. Making adjustments in a timelier manner and with a much clearer purpose. (By @vhsaldana)

5. Today's Quote:  "A good education is another name for happiness." (By @DrRichAllen)

6. If we are sending kids home with loads of homework because there wasn't enough time in class, then we need to re-evaluate what we are focusing on. (By @justintarte)

7. "If it is important, meaningful or critical... Grab a pen and write it down." (By MagnoliaJrHigh)

8. Grades for parent signatures equals grade inflation. (By @TinneyTroy)

9.  “Dan Patrick’s record is very clear on this—He voted twice against our kids.” By (@leticiavdp)

10. Just notified that West Texas A&M University is using The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) as a text in the College of Education! (By @LYSNation)

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 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook