A Reader Writes... Quick Accountability Testing - Part 1

In response to the 2/11/2015 post, “Quick AccountabilityTesting,” a LYS Principal writes:

I love this plan! How soon can we implement it?

SC Response

Obviously, not now.  But if we, as educators, ever want to have this or a similar system implemented we must do two things.

1. We must co-opt the accountability discussion instead of fighting / ignoring / complaining about it.  Accountability, at least in Texas, has its roots with a small group of proactive Superintendents who were trying to identify the instructional practices that would improve the success of their students.  Paige, Guthrie, Donaldson, Neeley and Brezina didn’t enact accountability measures in their districts because they were anti-public education.  They enacted them because they recognized that public education is the most important civic enterprise that we engage in.  They were looking for better process and better results.  But outside of their circle, educators didn’t see a tool to use, only a weapon to ignore.  So those with an anti-public school agenda were able to dictate the terms of the programs.  To the detriment of the profession.      

2. Vote for a different candidate. Current state policy has not occurred by accident. It has been carefully and expertly (in political terms) orchestrated by those who have been in charge for the last 15+ years.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

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Readers Write... (Quick Advice for AP's, Vol. 2 - Parts 2 and 3)

In response to the posts relating to “Quick Advice for AP’s – Vol. 2,” two readers write:

“I guess I missed the non-LYS’er AP dialogue and if the AP warning that B & B might visit their campuses was based on that information then I, for one, was certainly out in left field or right field and certainly not "centered" field. So, in the future, it would be helpful for an identifier "not for general consumption."

Can you just refresh my memory on that blogalogue? Also, are there official and unofficial LYS’ers?”

AND

“If that weak post killed your mood, check yourself. As a veteran LYS principal, I have questioned Brezina and Brown. Cain knows this. But I have never disagreed with them (especially publicly).

Why? Because every time I have doubted them I have found out later (battered and bruised as a result of my poor decision) that Brezina and Brown don't give advice lightly. You are free to accept or reject. Occasionally, I rejected. I paid. You don't have to.”

SC Response
The short version of my post was that disagreeing with Brezina and Brown is not the most prudent move for an inexperienced leader. Plus, there was a reminder to keep in mind that if they show up on your campus, someone way above our pay grade wanted them there.

Are there official and unofficial LYS’ers? That’s a good question. In my mind there are Old School LYS’ers, New LYS’ers, Anti-LYS’ers, and What are LYS’ers. Old School LYS’ers are just a loose band of school leaders that were never satisfied with yesterday’s performance. They found each other and competed against each other. They can usually trace their roots back to the likes of Brezina, Brown, Schaper, Richardson, Hooker, Neeley, Donaldson, Guthrie and Berry.

New LYS’ers either found the blog and joined in because it resonated with their beliefs or had Brezina, Brown, or one of the people they trained, work with them, their campus or their district. New LYS’ers can eventually become Old School LYS’ers.

Anti-LYS’ers are generally focused on process, feelings and complexity. In “Good to Great” terms, they are the foxes. Or in the worst case scenario, they are threatened by LYS’ers because they are comfortable or uncoachable.

What are LYS’ers don’t even know that we exist.

Finally, the second writer drives home the point I was trying to make. There is a reason why Brezina and Brown are legends. They have walked the walk. And unlike their peers, they continue to go to schools everyday to find the answers that that we are all searching for. I don’t expect anyone to blindly accept what they say as gospel. However, if all you bring to the table is limited experience and a “feeling,” listening and taking notes might be your best course of action.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

The Harris County Incubator

I was recently talking to an old acquaintance who came of age around the same time I did. We were talking about how lucky we were. We were both up and coming administrators in one of the golden ages of Texas Education. We both worked for superintendents in the Houston area in the mid to late 90’s. What we thought was normal operating procedures was a cosmic aligning of the stars in education leadership.

We grew up in an environment of massive egos and intellects that trusted each other and shared ideas and solutions freely. Was there competition, absolutely. But we were all pushing each other to find solutions to problems that were being pushed under the rug in other areas of the state and country. This group of Superintendents and critical key players were pushing their people to solve finance issues, special ed issues, discipline issues, drop out issues, literacy issues, and accountability issues – all at the same time. With this group, solutions were the focus of the work, not who got the credit or the biggest piece of the pie.

Here’s one example of this I remember fondly and still laugh at. My team was working on a significant and sensitive problem. We hit a wall and the information we needed was in another district. I told the Superintendent who needed the answer that we were stuck and couldn’t get him what he needed. His answer, “I’ll have what you need tomorrow morning by 10:00.”

When I aksed how, he said, “Simple, I’m going to go to his house and have breakfast with that superintendent at 6:00 in the morning.”

True to his word, we had what we needed the next day.

So who were the major players at that time? Here is the short list, with apologies to anyone I missed: Dr. Rod Paige, Dr. Shirley Neeley, Sonny Donaldson, Bob Brezina, Rick Berry, Dr. John Sawyer, Dr. Leonard Merrill, Dr. Hal Guthrie, Dr. Jerry Roy, Dr. John Folkes, Dr. John Wilson, Dr. Don Hooper, Wayne Schaper and Dr. Richard Hooker.

I can’t tell you how much I miss the old timers at times. You can not believe the number of self inflicted problems that I am tasked to solve that never would have occurred under their watch.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...