A Response to the Plan for Improving Urban Schools

A new report from, The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS), outlines a five-part plan for improving schools.  As a former urban teacher and principal, here is my critique and suggestions.

1. AROS: A challenging curriculum; including access to honors courses, services for English-language learners and special education students, GED preparation, and job training.

SC: More important than a challenging curriculum is an aligned curriculum.  Aligned to the learning standards of the state. In Texas, teaching the TEKS at the required rigor is challenging.  To not teach the TEKS is a disservice to any student, but especially to the at-risk student.  The same dynamic is true of states that have adopted the Common Core. 

I agree that access to honors courses is important, but without proactive leadership this will simply add to the all too common practice of using honors courses to segregate affluent students from poor students. Which in a word is... Repugnant.

I agree that we can do a much better job of serving our special needs students but will add that we must address the fact that we are significantly over-referring poor students to special education. 

GED preparation is simply a short-term solution that addresses the wave of under-educated students that we have ignored for multiple years.  The long-term solution is to improve the quality of education provided to students which in turn reduces the number of student who need to take the GED.

Career ready / college ready graduates from high school, every high school, must be the norm, not the exception.

    

2. AROS: Emphasis on quality teaching instead of high-stakes testing.

SC: A high stakes test aligned to state standards is not the enemy.  And it is high quality, aligned instruction (over time) that prepares students to be successful on any aligned test.  The issue is that those in charge of testing policy equate raw test scores with academic success.  Raw test scores are primarily a factor of family wealth.  The bottom line is that better instructional staffs and their schools measure performance.  Weaker staff and their schools make excuses.

    

3. AROS: Support services available to the school and surrounding community.

SC: I agree with this, in theory.  The more impoverished the community, the more external support (state and district) the campus requires to compete on an equal footing. However, I have yet to witness this implemented, at scale, with any true success.

4. AROS: Positive discipline practices, including social and emotional learning supports.

SC: I agree with this, but not for conventional thinking of “these kids are bad” reasons. Students at urban schools are not “bad.” If anything, they are justifiably wary of institutions and unfamiliar with middle-class language and expectations. Campus-wide social skills programs, coaching, and modeling better prepare poor and urban students to “code-switch” as they transition from poor to middle class settings and environments, often multiple times a day.

5. AROS: Improved parent and community engagement.

SC: As is generally the case, AROS is confusing leading and lagging indicators.  Improves parent and community engagement does not make a better school.  A better school improves parent and community engagement.

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 August 25, 2013

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 August 25, 2013.

1. Dear Moms of Kindergarteners:  They will be fine!  No crying! (By @DrSusanHull)

2. Great teachers don't let the stupid actions of their kids get in the way of the future of their kids. (By @LYSNation)

3. Just asked a kindergartener what he wanted to be someday. He said a NINJA!  Great answer!  We have enough lawyers. We need some ninjas!! (By @EkCoulson)

4. Forgot what teaching does to your feet! Getting back into Power Zone shape! (By @DanellaWheeler)

5. Lesson Framing sets the path. "We will," tells where we're going. "I will," tells if the learner has arrived! (By @CabidaCain)

6. Have to remember that naysayers are often the vocal minority.  Listen but stay focused on the positive. (By @RandyMBrown)

7. E. Don Brown just reminded a group that he had PLCs on his campus when the current guru's were still in grade school. Been there... Did it first! (By @LYSNation)

8. Formative assessments are not a part of the grading process; they are a part of the instructional process... (By @justintarte)

9. Just sat in the most useful training session with LYS Coach, Sean Cain. Can't wait to put The Fundamental 5 into action this year. (By @nightlight08)

10. Principals, Feed your teachers every chance you get. Prevents them from eating the kids. (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 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National 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 23, 2011

As many of you know, I spend well more than half my work time on campuses, watching, training and talking to educators at all levels of competency, capacity and success. One thing that I am observing all to often is innovative, energetic and engaging teachers having to hide their new practices and tools. Most likely, there are teachers on your campus right now that are attempting to integrate bootleg technology into their class. They don’t do it often because they are afraid of getting caught by administration and being reprimanded. What is interesting is when these teachers are caught, most principals are proud of them.

So quit making innovation a deviant practice. Let your staff know that if they have an idea for using a new tool in the classroom they should tell you. That, if necessary, you will grant a short-term waiver to antiquated policy in order for someone to pilot something new. Now instead of making your most forward thinking staff outlaws, you can turn them into trailblazers. Your worst-case scenario is that the pilot doesn’t work. But how is that different than the current nothing that is the status quo? As the saying goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

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 October 23, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Every announcement interruption during class sandbags instructional momentum. So unless the building is on fire, what is so important?

2. Listening to Pre-K, K and Fine Arts teachers discuss lesson framing may be the best practical discussions on pedagogy you will ever hear.

3. Often the best coaching on campus occurs in the band hall. One band director getting 60 kids to work and march as one. Without the support of a staff of position coaches.

4. The Algebra I class doesn't have tryouts and every student is expected to pass. Why do the athletic have try-outs & get to cut players?

5. @LYSNation, I have argued for years that athletics deals in false positives by weeding out those unlikely to succeed in the first place. (by @seaboltm)

6. (As a school success factor) Parent involvement is a measure of correlation not causation.

7. Rating schools based on the level of parent involvement is yet another way that accountability is biased against the less affluent.

8. The constant search for the magic intervention program is a symptom of leaders giving up on teachers, teachers giving up on kids, or both.

9. You can wring your hands over campus climate and culture or you can do what is right for students. Every day by every adult.

10. Just saw a student get in trouble for pulling out his cell phone after completing his work. So doing nothing is better than doing something?

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

Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of April 24, 2011

First, every American owes a debt of gratitude to everyone who ever put on a uniform.

Second, the world is a better place this morning, than it was yesterday morning.

Third, with every major breaking news story over the past year, I either found out about it or got the early details on my I-phone or I-Pad.

Fourth, Middle East Revolutions, Tsunami, Nuclear Catastrophe, Tornadoes, Libya, War on Terror Update – If only there was a tool to bring the changing world into the classroom in real time. Embrace bootleg technology.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using 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 April 24^th 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. (Combined – LYSers doing great things)

A. Austin Statesman reports Luling High School is the second most improved high school in central Texas.

B. LYS Superintendent, Andy Peters, is the lone finalist for the Poth ISD job!

C. LYS Principal, Dr. Chane Rascoe, is the lone finalist for the Moody ISD superintendent position!

D. Son of a LYSer, Baron Batch, just got drafted by the Steelers!!!!!

2. Why do you have to consider "turn-around"? If things aren't working fix it, now. To wait is to short change students. Why are we OK with that?

3. Here's the problem with most merit pay plans. It's a zero sum game played on an uneven playing field. I win, you lose. My kids are poorer than your kids, I lose.

4. Parent involvement follows successful students. And the good news is that we are the critical variable.

5. I have never been an advocate for exclusionary practice, policy or programs.

6. Anyone who tells you that vouchers are not additional tax subsidies for the rich is either confused or lying. Neither inspires confidence.

7. Tonite's run thought: The most overlooked component of excellence. The amount of pain you can endure before you quit.

8. New study says kids spend 25% of waking hours with a tech device. How much time do you take to leverage that interest? Embrace bootleg technology!

9. Tonite's run thought: The Hard-Working, Proactive and Prepared seek out and relish the opportunity to measure themselves.

10. Tonite's run thought: If you run with your mouth open you will eat a bug and I hate snakes.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming 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); Fundamental Five; Tech Tools for the 2.0 Principal

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

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

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of March 6, 2011

Have you embraced bootleg technology? Consider this your weekly reminder. And for those of you on Spring Break this week, this is the perfect time to explore the ever evolving world that you can access through your smart phone, tablet computer, or other hand held connected device. A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using these devices (bootleg technology) 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 March 6^th, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. To paraphrase Governor Perry (Texas): How the districts choose to deal with the crisis that I created is a local decision.

2. The only way to avoid disaster during education downsizing is to ensure the remaining staff have adequate tools, training & support.

3. Does anyone really believe that having the principal off campus 2 to 3 times a week is a good idea? Then why is it Standard Operating Procedure in most districts?

4. Tonight's run thought: If YOU have 100 reasons why YOUR students can't... YOU are correct.

5. Proud of Texas Educators. Teach kids, run schools, then demonstrate during their free time.

6. Parent Involvement Tip: Reserve your best parking for parents & visitors instead of for everyone on campus with a title other than teacher.

7. Today's run thought: A plan’s complexity is directly correlated to the level of avoidance of personal accountability.

8. The problem with revamping educator evaluation: Politicians don't know what to look for and educators only want to be responsible for the process.

9. My I-phone gives me access to the breadth of human knowledge. So why do we punish students who bring them to school? Embrace bootleg technology!

10. Report indicates text messaging may improve student performance. LYS'ers implementing the Fundamental Five aren't surprised.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

A Reader Submits... More Myths - Parent Involvement

A LYS Principal submits:

Some mythology is simply left over from over 100 years of "conventional wisdom" that simply has little factual basis. Other myths, however, seem to be a bit more sinister.

Let's talk about parent involvement. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Parents involved in their child's education is a good thing. But is it a necessary practice? It seems to me that the so-called lack of parent involvement is merely an excuse contrived by educators to explain away their lack of success. I have been in 7 high schools. Rich ones, poor ones. Urban, rural, and suburban. Large, medium, and small. And you know, in every one of those schools somewhere between 95% and 99.9% of parents were at least supportive, if not "involved."

I contend that parent support is all you really need. Not that parent involvement won't make your job easier. But the lack of parent involvement does not make the job of educating children impossible. If you can make a phone call to a parent and get help with a student, that's all you need. If that doesn't work, try a home visit. Again, in every school I have worked in the vast majority of parents were supportive.

So quit blaming the kids and the parents. Take what you have and make it work.

SC Response

I always amuses me when I here the well meaning, but misguided, “expert” who tries to explain that parent involvement is the critical element to school improvement. They will often present data that shows the connection between performance and involvement and generally have a very complex and labor intensive program to get more parents involved.

Here’s the first problem with this argument, correlation is not causation. Yes, parents are often involved with successful schools, but my contention is that parents are involved due to the success; they are not the cause of the success. Second, purposely courting parents before the campus is successful, takes resources away from the critical task of becoming successful. I advocate making your campus welcoming to parents. Instead of seventeen reserved parking spaces in front of your campus devoted to everyone from the principal to the assistant registrar, why not reserve those spaces for visitors? I advocate communicating openly, honestly and often with parents. Instead of only calling with bad news, why not call whenever there is good news. I advocate making sure that more students are successful. Instead of spreading the misery, why not build a student success magnet.

Parents send us the best they have. If we constantly point out that their best isn’t very good, why are we surprised when they don’t freely share their limited time and resources? If on the other hand we take their best and make them better, at scale, what do you think will happen?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Attend the LYS Presentation at the TASB Winter Legal Conference

Visit the LYS Booth at the NASSP Conference

Attend the LYS Presentation at the Texas Middle School Association Conference