The Superintendents' Corner: Pretty Lies and Powerful Truths (Part A)

A LYS Superintendent sends in the following:

The Path

1. There are those who want vouchers. The intent is to serve as a tax break to the wealthy.

The guise of “parent choice” is their front story.

2. The desire for vouchers as a tax break for the wealthy has been around for decades and was strongly pushed by Milton Friedman in the 1950’s, decades before high stakes testing.  

3. School testing and accountability may have begun as honest attempts to improve the quality of education.  Some schools are indeed failing, but the idea that school failure is widespread and systemic is questionable.

4. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2002 in the Zelman case that vouchers may be legal if the voucher program met all five components of the Private Choice Test. (Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639, 2002)

5. Point one of the Private Choice Test is that in order to be legal, school voucher programs must have a “valid secular purpose”.  SCOTUS ruled that “providing educational assistance to poor children in a demonstrably failing public school system" satisfied the “valid secular purpose” provision.

6. The Zelman ruling is a roadmap for those trying to further the agenda of vouchers as tax breaks.  It was quickly realized that in order to get voucher tax breaks in Texas, the public school system had to be “demonstrably failing.”

7. It can be argued that high stakes testing and accountability was initially implemented with good intentions, but voucher tax break proponents saw testing and accountability as a way to show that the Texas public school system is “demonstrably failing.”

8. In a parallel path, the business generated by “failing schools” went from cottage businesses to multi-billion dollar global industries. Former TEA Commissioner, Robert Scott, compares this new test building industry to the military industrial complex.

9. This has led to ever increasing test difficulty (TAAS to TAKS to STAAR) and accountability ratings so convoluted and complex that the general public and many professional educators do not understand the system.  This was the engine that was used to show the Texas public school system is “demonstrably failing”.

10. In 2009, the Texas Projection Measure (TPM) was introduced. It was a method used to predict the likely success of students.  According to TEA, TPM was 92% accurate. It is important to note that under TPM the number of “failing schools” fell by more than half. Also, TPM was implemented during the build up to an election year.  Draw your own conclusions.

11. Once state elections were decided, the multi-billion dollar testing industry and the proponents of voucher tax breaks had a vested interest in the return of “failing schools.” TPM had to go.  And it did. Quickly.

12. In 2012, the plan is almost complete. Voucher proponents are screaming “school choice” and “vouchers” marching behind the flag of “failing schools.” “Failing schools” that were created by their own design. Voucher proponents have almost satisfied Point One of the SCOTUS Private Choice Test.

13. True commitment to parent choice is questionable and it is more likely the true intention is to achieve voucher tax breaks for the wealthy.  

Putting the commitment to parent choice to the test is easy. Tomorrow, we will consider that test.

Mike Seabolt

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 
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• Upcoming Presentations: Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote), Advancing Improvement in Education Conference (Multiple Presentations), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), North Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals (Keynote), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

A Reader Writes... (A Look in the Mirror - Part 4)

In response to the 8/12/11 post, “A Look in the Mirror – Part 1,” a LYS Principal writes:

I loved this post and loved your response today, and I am going to use it. I always feel a little guilty that I am never completely happy with our results. I feel like I struggle between expressing my happiness and gratitude for a job well-done and expressing my belief that we can still do more, so we must keep pushing. This is an area that I am still working on as a leader – finding the balance in between giving praise and in pushing forward.

We had a lot of "hurdles" this past year: a new administrative team, pregnancies, cancer, accidents, etc, and we all pulled together, worked incredibly hard and made EXEMPLARY for the 2nd year. We even added two sub pops for the first time, and we worked really hard to get those sub pops, kept a wonderful commended rate, and I am so proud of everyone!!!

Yet, what if we had not made Exemplary? Literally, if one more student had not passed in one sub pop, then we would have been recognized. It is really sad to think that making recognized would have diminished all the success we accomplished and the hurdles we overcame this year. As the leader, I struggle in feeling that way and in understanding "the system is what it is" and it is my job to "balance" those emotions, which involves giving praise and still pushing forward.

I would love to know others insights in balancing praise and pushing forward.

SC Response

Part of finding the balance between praise and pushing is understanding that reinforcing the work it takes to achieve success, is a critical component of continuous success. Any improvement without work is simply a function of external variables and luck. The organizations that rely on external variables and luck may achieve a temporary success, but then quickly slip back to the middle or bottom of pack (side note: TPM was an excellent example of both an external variable and luck). Focused work matters, focused work is hard, and focused work is unique. If you are not providing reinforcement and supporting that focused work, the easiest thing for a staff to do is quit working different and just do what all the other schools do.

You’re delineations of the hurdles you faced provides a great teaching point. Schools like yours (extremely at-risk student populations) have to do everything right and then get a couple of breaks to remain at the top of the pyramid. Your margin of error is almost non-existent because your staff has to add significant value to almost every student, just to meet minimum standards. Scores of campuses in your district have the majority of their students arriving each year already meeting minimum standards. Which if why the way your district evaluates principals is both lazy and naive. Basing annual principal evaluation solely on raw scores ignores the fact that the job is easier based on the setting. Yes, your district has created a simple and “logical” system to administer, but any attempt to explain that exemplary with 90% at-risk students and exemplary with 5% at-risk students is comparable, is a waste of oxygen.

Keep pushing and let the staff know that I still use them as an example of what is possible, all across the country.

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 on 9/30/11 and 10/1/11

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

A Reader Submits... Don't Be a Martyr

A LYS Principal submits the following:

Earlier this summer, I had a meeting with a gentleman that I had little respect for when I first met him last September. But, by January, it was obvious that he brought more to the table than was first apparent in our initial meetings. You have to know me to know how much that means, but we will leave that alone for now.

At our June meeting this man was sincerely in distress because he felt he had failed my students, my school, and me. You see, this man was assigned to my school because we had missed AYP, several times. This man looked me in the eyes and said, "I failed you."

The truth, my friend? Without TPM, the school I took over had little chance of making AYP this past year. This year our jump to meet AYP is nearly 30%! Guess what? The deck is stacked against us again. Welcome to our world.

My point is, this man I respect has placed himself upon a cross, a cross that he did not create. Removing TPM removed a padding of somewhere between 10% and 15%, depending on which sub-pop was reviewed. This man I respect can offer a lot to education, but now considers himself a failure because of the details of a failed accountability system.

My advice? Get off of your cross; you have been up there long enough. Get down here with the rest of us and help us fix these problems. We need all hands on deck.

SC Response

This is what trips people up. Rapid improvement in student and campus performance is possible. But that doesn’t always mean that you get off the schnide in year one. It is on the struggling campus where the Stockdale Paradox is best observed in education settings. There are those who believe the task is impossible. These people are a cancer to the organization, but it does not mean that they are bad people. However, these cancers need to be neutralized or excised. There are the Pollyanna’s that believe that everything can be fixed overnight, with just a positive attitude and a little elbow grease. These people get their heart broke by the lack of immediate success or they are overwhelmed once they realize the enormity of the task. It is those, like you and the old school LYS’ers, who understand that the task is enormous. But as long as we do the right thing every day, as we get bettter at executing the Foundation Trinity and Fundamental Five, we will eventually succeed. Not tomorrow, but sooner than can reasonably be expected, in discrete, measurable chunks.

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

A Principal Submits... TPM Accountability Score Inflation

A LYS principal submits the following:

I was speaking to Mr. Brezina at the TASSP conference concerning the amount of padding that TPM added to test scores. I told him that I expect that the average amount of inflation was 10 to 15%. He was surprised it was that much. To assure myself that I was on the right track, I did the math on the difference between my 2010 real scores and my 2010 TPM results as reported on CSR's. The results were different by a staggering 19%. That's a school maker or breaker. Our school made gains in every reported sub-pop in math and science. In some cases, we had double-digit gains. However, we did not overcome the 19% subtraction.

SC Response

The state adding the TPM multiplier was like a teacher having a couple of bonus questions at the end of the test. Get a couple of the bonus questions right and you are no longer struggling, you are doing just fine. Even though you still don’t have a handle on the content. The schools that did best in the TPM era were the schools that had principals that wouldn’t allow their campuses to celebrate the lie of TPM success. Unfortunately, these principals were few and far between. It takes a special kind of hard case to actually tell the gift horse to take a hike. Bottom line, TPM was bad policy and bad practice and I am glad it is gone. Now we get to re-focus on improving actual student performance.

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

A Report From the Field - Blame Game

A new LYS Principal submits the following:

The blame game is operating at full speed in my district. The Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendents are trying to distance themselves from our results and all decisions leading to those results. They are blaming campuses for not having better common assessments. They are blaming campuses for not having a vibrant PLC model. Even though last summer it was agreed that full implementation would take two years, and that this year we had more than enough new practices and programs on our plate.

At my “I Suck Data Autopsy,” I went through everything we implemented on my campus and the growth that we experienced because of it (admittedly, not enough growth). The feedback I received was driven by what I didn’t do and what they would have done differently. Interestingly, this feedback was not provided during the year when they were happy that teachers were happy and parents weren’t complaining.

So yes, I will endure their jabs and continue to implement the plan that we agreed to. A plan that is working (but didn’t work fast enough to cover for the lack of TPM). Next year our common assessments will be better. Our Fundamental 5 execution will be better. My one lagging sub-pop that TPM was covering for will be successful, without a crutch.

My campus learned (which my central office has not) that pull outs and support do little if Tier 1 instruction is poor or non-existent on a daily basis. We are working to teach better, not “Program Your Way to Success.”

SC Response

As regular readers know, I was never a fan of TPM. I advocated for its removal. Though I would not have removed it in the middle of the year. But politics required this to happen. As AYP standards increased and state standards decreased (the effect of TPM), the state was going to have to explain why Exemplary schools couldn’t meet AYP requirements. Take away TPM and the problem goes away. But enough with political maneuvering talk.

What I been counseling school districts to do is ignore the state rating (this year). Just compare the 2010 raw score against the 2011 raw score. If you improved (as did your campus), don’t panic. If you regressed, you have cause for concern. Some districts are listening. Others are not. But if you were congratulating yourself on your rating last year and you are punishing someone for your rating this year, AND YOUR SCORES ARE THE SAME OR BETTER, at the very least your credibility is suspect.

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

A Reader Writes... (Pulling Out the Rug that was TPM - Part 1)

In response to the 5/26/11 post, “Pulling Out the Rug that was TPM,” a reader writes:

Exactly. Very well put. TPM was a sham that led districts to continue bad policies and practices, my district included. With TPM those bad decisions had less impact. The decision on TPM is obviously political. In January, at the Mid-winter Conference in Austin, the Commissioner stood before thousands and supported TPM. In April, days before TAKS, he changes course 180 degrees. That action makes you question the intent of the accountability change.

SC Response

That’s my point. I am not anti-accountability, in fact far from it. But as educators we have to take control of the agenda. It is obvious that the anti-public school factions are using accountability and funding to dismantle public education. But when our only (or at least televised) responses are perceived as attempting to protect the status quo we seem at best reactionary and at worst selfish and out of touch.

At some point we, as educators, have to stand up and say, “At this time, this is what we guarantee children will be able to do after each year of school (by disaggregated group). This is what it will cost to meet that guarantee.”

This would force the anti-public school faction to produce a viable alternative that produces better results at a smaller investment. If they can, shame on us. If they can’t, then the public will quit listening to them.

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

A TAKS Autopsy

A LYS Principal shares her TAKS autopsy for the just completed school year.

Math results: Economic disadvantage, +1 percentage point; Hispanic, + 4% percentage points.

Science: Economic disadvantage, +12 percentage points. Hispanic, +17 percentage points.

ELA and Social Studies scores: All populations increased; All populations scoring at the recognized or exemplary level; Overall commended rates increased.

Analysis:

A. Social studies did a better job of following the scope and sequence.

B. ELA did a better job of implementing the Fundamental 5.

C. Science did a good job of using assessment data to adjust and re-teach. For the first time, the teachers worked together as a team.

D. Math represented a hole that we could not dig ourselves out of this year. Between a poor hire, an extended medical leave, and a resignation we could not create any momentum. Pullouts and extra coaching for teachers was not enough. My lesson learned - The most critical variable in student outcomes is the quality of the teacher and teacher actions in the classroom. If you don't have that, virtually anything else you do will make little to no difference for kids. Not pull outs, not tutorials, not computer lab time.

My leadership mistakes:

1. Against my better judgment, I made a bad hire last August.

2. I knew that the math TAKS failures from 2009 were in bad shape. I assumed that the usual mix of interventions would be enough.

3. I took a little too much time before I switched to Plan B. I did not have an EFFECTIVE Plan C.

4. Even knowing that we had issues and that students were in trouble, I knew that TPM would give the adults (me included) more time to fix the situation. I did not push the staff and myself as fast or as hard as I should have. That is on me.

SC Response

Since I worked for the state, I have been preaching and teaching that Title 1 schools have to run at full speed just to be successful and then need a couple of breaks to go their way to perform at higher levels. TPM rendered that message moot and let us forget that (from a ratings standpoint, but never from an actual student performance standpoint). With that being said, I agree with your autopsy analysis.

TPM was evil. Like any street drug, we are worse off because of it and better off without it. It convinced us that we were successful when we weren't and it allowed us to think that we had the luxury of time (which in student terms, we knew we did not). The only consolation is that we learn every year and mistakes we made in the past we now know how to avoid in the future.

Here is what has been confirmed over the past two years.

1. The Foundation Trinity is paramount. The more you deviate from it, modify it, ignore it - the more you put your campus at peril.

2. The change in adult practice is the leading indicator. Student performance is the lagging indicator.

3. In many cases, commended rates improve faster than overall passing rates.

4. The further behind you are, the easier it is for random events to derail 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/4ydqd4t

Louise ISD is searching for a Superintendent. Application details at www.LeadYourSchool.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming Event / Presentation Schedule

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

June 15 thru June 17 - TASSP Conference

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 for “The Fundamental 5”

June 18 - TASB Conference, Fort Worth

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of May 22, 2011

I was at a neighborhood get-together this weekend. I was talking to one on the guests (a successful salesman), explaining that in spite of what he has heard, schools do not actually burn money to heat the buildings in the winter and that there is not one central office person for every person on a campus. He was surprised. But what surprised him most is that we don’t let students use their smart phones on campus. As he pointed out, his phone has made his computer almost obsolete and he runs his entire day in the field from a device that fits in his palm. That has to be our challenge over the summer - How do we get the power of personal technology into our classrooms? We have to get past the urge to put $10,000 interactive white-boards in rooms while telling students to leave their tablets at home.

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 May 22, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. If you are a school leader who enjoyed the warmth of the TPM blanket, resist the urge to burn those under you because now you are cold.

2. So the legislature has made no progress in 5 months? Hmmm... Imagine if our kids were in the same place where they were when they started in August.

3. Breaking News: TEA to rate Texas legislature academically unacceptable... Legislators ask, "Is that with or without TPM?"

4. Don't waste your time worrying if your people like you. Invest your time in making your people better.

5. Not making mistakes comes with experience, which usually comes from making mistakes.

6. At a state juvenile facility where every interaction between guard and student is textbook wrong. The next placement is never better. Never quit on your students.

7. Texas Republican Logic: When one hypothetical student theoretically dies from steroid abuse, it's a tragedy. When 100,000's of actual students are under-educated, it's belt tightening.

8. The last summative assessment of the school year is the first formative data source for the new school year.

9. The bottom line is: Unsuccessful students + state created fiction = unsuccessful students.

10. Louise ISD is looking for an exceptional LYS leader to be its next Superintendent. Candidates send information to: superintendent@leadyourschool.com

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

Louise ISD is searching for a Superintendent. Application details at www.LeadYourSchool.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming Event / Presentation Schedule

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

June 15 thru June 17 - TASSP Conference

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 for “The Fundamental 5”

June 18 - TASB Conference, Fort Worth

Pulling out the Rug that was TPM

If you are a regular reader you know that I have never been a fan of TPM. I believed that it was cheap political stunt that was bad for students and bad for schools (but it did help to get the Governor re-elected). A lot of grief that people are experiencing at this time would seem to confirm this. However, good or bad, here is how the state screwed this up this time.

TPM was the rule that everybody had been playing by for the past two years. Decisions, actions, plans, interventions, pacing and careers were all impacted by the understanding that TPM has a measurable effect on student performance scores and campus accountability. Due to this, if the rule is in place at the beginning of the year, you keep it in place until the end of the year. But this was not the case. The state said, “Here are the rules, go to work. Oops, here are some harder rules, good luck.”

It is like the referees of a football game walked into the locker room at halftime and told the coaches, “I know you are 11 points behind, but for the rest of the game touchdowns are only worth 4 points. Thanks for understanding.”

It is becoming more obvious by the day that the people making school policy decisions have no understanding of school operations.

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 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... (Yes, I Know the Hours are Long - Part 22)

In response to the 1/5/11 post, “Yes, I Know the Hours are Long – Part 9,” a LYS Principal writes:

As someone who has worked with Sean Cain and LYS since I was a rookie assistant principal, there were many times that I felt frustrated, angry, and ready to give up. However, I was able to sift through those emotions and find the positives. At our Title I (80% economic disadvantaged) campus we were able to really dig deep into what WE needed to do as leaders to improve student success. We put our emotions to the side and implemented Cain’s systems and suggestions with the results being continuous improvements in student performance and an EXEMPLARY campus, without TPM (meaning we earned it).

Now, as the principal at that same campus, I welcome the times Cain comes to my campus to walk the building with me and pointing out what he is observing (good and not so good). “Outside" eyes are always useful, but Cain is able to see the things that no one else can see, and then explain it to you in a way that you can quickly get to work on it.

Yes, in some ways I dread this because Cain can be direct, but I know I NEED it to keep growing professionally and to maintain the standard of excellence that we have created on our campus.

SC Response

I have observed that the educators (and by extension, their schools), who consistently excel share a common characteristic. They look to improve by constantly scanning and using both internal and external resources. I firmly believe that you have to do both. When I am tasked to work with struggling schools and districts, I find that they generally exclude one component of that equation.

If you constantly search internally for answers, it does not matter how hard working and smart you and your people are, you will develop broad blind spots, personality based groupthink, and bizarre manifestations of traditional practices. Think of it this way, there are very real reasons why cousins aren’t allowed to marry.

On the other hand, if you constantly search externally for answers, it is easy to chase fads, miss opportunities to leverage internal strengths, discourage problem solving, slow down capacity building, and sacrifice practicality in the name of theory.

It takes commitment to maintain the balance, as either extreme is far easier to follow (and both discourage critical thinking), especially as accountability increases and resources decrease. My advice to you is to follow the example of your mentor and constantly ask “Why?”

Remember, Ministers like to hear themselves talk; Princlings like to issue edicts; and Emperors are notorious for not wearing clothes. The “why” from a principal (or teacher) is often the first step towards meaningful action that actually benefits students.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

A Reader Submits... Broke is Broke

An Old School LYS Principal (who is now turning around his third campus, in his third district) submits:

I feel as if I should share this with the LYS Nation.

Never assume that just because a school is a "Recognized” campus that it cannot be broken.

With the state essentially passing out accountability wildcards just for showing up, there are now 100’s of campuses that have stumbled into their rating. Purposeful change and improvement is still needed at these campuses. Yes, I know change is “scary.” But those who are “scared” can and will jump ship. Let them. Having them around will only sink the boat faster.

SC Response

I was recently having dinner with an icon superintendent (who was an early accountability advocate and has the scars to prove it). In one of the few times I ever seen him angry, he said that TPM is the worst thing that we have done to students in the past 25 years and he is voting against those responsible for it.

My problem with TPM is that schools that have not accomplished anything of substance now believe that they have. This is in no shape, form or fashion good for students. Which brings me back to your submission.

I have presented to conference audiences on the degree of difficultly in leading change on campuses, from least to most difficult. The old rating was as follows (easiest to hardest):

4) Academically Unacceptable Campus

3) Exemplary Campus

2) Acceptable Campus

1) Recognized Campus

Now, I have the TPM List:

7) Academically Unacceptable Campus

6) Exemplary Campus

5) Acceptable

4) Acceptable (TPM)

3) Recognized

2) Exemplary (TPM)

1) Recognized (TPM)

It seems that the less you deserve the rating, the more you embrace it.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Comments from LYS Trainings, Camps and Presentations - Part 1))

In response to the post, “Comments from LYS Trainings, Camps and Presentations,” an old school LYS Principal writes:

As a principal of now multiple LYS schools, I have to comment on "buzz words." We all hear them, everyone uses them, very few know what they mean, and even fewer implement the ideas. I was talking to an Education Support Center (ESC) curriculum "expert" a few weeks ago. He used all the right language, gave a great presentation, but upon closer questioning it became apparent the "expert" we were receiving training from had some serious misconceptions concerning rigor.

In our ongoing discussion it became clear that the "expert" had only a cursory knowledge of instructional issues and a poor understanding of Bloom's Taxonomy. I then spoke with a principal in the training session who from a large, middle class, mostly white, suburban school district. She certainly spoke the language and I was impressed, until I found out her school missed recognized (even with TPM) by just a couple of points.

Seriously? LYS principals have taken EXTREMELY low SES urban schools in the middle of gangland to recognized with TPM. TPM is the ultimate wildcard, if it is not helping you, what are you doing? Because it obviously is not aligned instruction. It is the knowing/doing gap, and that is what we strive to close as LYS leaders. We walk it like we talk it. As I have built my resume cleaning up the messes left by others, I see that is a rare quality. Welcome to what education can be Alice, enjoy the ride down the rabbit hole.

SC Response

As always, I wish I could contradict what you present, but we both have cleaned up too many messes. What makes you want to scream is the fact that the problems we face in education are solvable. Solvable, if we would simply do three things.

1. Quit shooting ourselves in the foot, reloading and shooting again.

2. Recognize that the fundamental practices of creating a self-sustaining learning organization are not difficult, but they are fundamental. Ignore them and everything else you do is an empty exercise.

3. Work hard, with purpose, reflection and passion.

And there is the rub; purposeful change, fundamental practice and hard work isn’t a program that you can just plug “those” kids into, so it isn’t a viable solution for anybody other that the special breed of teachers and leaders that make up the LYS Nation.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Submits... TPM - P.S.

The author of last Friday's submission submits his/her P.S.

“Just to be clear, I am all for a system that takes student growth and improvement into account, however both the student and the school should benefit from such a system.”

SC Response

Since we are clarifying, here again is my rock solid position on accountability and school rankings:

1. School accountability is good for students, especially the hard to teach and the hard to reach. Want proof? If you work in Texas, did you have any Katrina kids enroll in your school? Was it criminal how noticeably far behind they were? Did those students catch up within two years? Those last two “yes” answers are due to a functioning accountability system.

2. I am an advocate for a system that objectively measures both the performance of the campus and the degree of difficulty faced by that campus. Currently, this is something that the Texas system does not do. Want proof? Take two schools. One school is 85% poor, one 85% rich. Both are Exemplary (without TPM). Which school had the tougher row to hoe? Which result is the greater accomplishment? Does the current raking accountability system answer the previous two questions?

3. The truly great educators, schools and districts hold themselves accountable to internal standards. If you and your system define success by what outsiders dictate, you are leaving student success on the table.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Submits... TPM

A reader submits:

A hot topic in Texas at this time is the Texas Projection Measure, TPM. TPM is an attempt to measure growth. The idea is that schools that show statistical improvement get credit for meeting with accountability standards even if the raw scores are not up to standard. Some issues:

TPM statistics assumes that a child doing well or improving in math and reading will eventually pass all sections of State testing (science and social studies). This is probably an accurate assumption, however the implementation is 180 degrees contrary to my thinking. Here is why, a student who is passing or substantially improving in math and reading yet fails science and social studies is an indicator that the school let the child down in science and social studies. The school should not receive credit for the science and social studies but rather should be given notice for the poor performance since the child has the learned the basics of reading and math.

A child failing a portion of the state exam is a “go, no-go” issue. That is, promotion and graduation depend on pass or fail, not improvement. Yet under TPM the school gets credit for a pass, even though the student does not, as long as the child's performance has statistically improved. This is also 180 degrees opposed to my philosophy. The student-school relationship concerning testing should be if one benefits, both benefit. With TPM this is not the case as the child can fail and face dire consequences, yet the school not only escapes dire consequences, but inexplicably is rewarded.

If a child is failing but also statistically (and in reality) improving, what is this a measure of? I don't know for sure, but TPM assumes it is because the school is improving. I ask, “Improving from what?”

A child is improving, so the child was apparently always capable, so it is entirely likely the curriculum and instructional practices of the school were to blame for the child failing in the first place. It is possible (likely?) the school was providing a disservice to the child resulting in the child failing to meet accountability standards.

I applaud schools with the courage and conviction to fix failing practices, but to reward the school with a favorable, unearned accountability rating while students continue to suffer from the consequences of failure is WRONG. And while I applaud schools that have the courage and conviction to fix failing practices, the reality is that failing schools chose to provide a disservice to students. The courage and conviction to improve is a choice, as it is a choice to provide a disservice to children. Choose wisely as your student's future certainly depend upon your choice, even if your school's future does not.

SC Response

You make a very logical and compelling case. I particularly like the following point that you make, “The student / school relationship, concerning testing, should be if one benefits, both benefit.”

When this is not the case, it provides a concrete example of adult comfort being placed ahead of student need. A child failing to meet minimum standards is a serious issue with many real world and life long consequences. The system needs to be warned, mobilized and accountable for rectifying that issue. But by camouflaging that information (TPM), the system, and the adults in the system, can continue moving in the same direction, at the same pace, under the illusion that they are solving problems, which in actuality they are not.

Next, though it stings, you are right in pointing out that school failure is often a choice. There are fundamental practices required to operate effective schools and these practices are not a secret. However, many in education believe that those fundamental practices do not apply to themselves, their campus, or their district. Sadly, it is their students that pay the price for that hubris.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (I got a Royal Flush - Part 3)

In response to the post, “I Got a Royal Flush,” a reader writes:

“I completely agree. We did earn ours through TPM, but like you said, there's not a lot we can do about it because the state gives it to us regardless. We know where we fell short and have already made plans to try to remedy that.”

SC Response

Good, but I’m not worried about you (nor most of the LYS Nation). My fear is for the campus that convinces itself that success with wild cards is the same as success without wild cards. It is not. If your urgency and pace is impacted by that lack of understanding, it leads to a rough day of reckoning and a lot of finger pointing. If on the other hand, you recognize that the wild card rating simply reduces some externally generated stress as you continue to work to improve at full speed, then you are on the right track.

The bottom line is the recognition of two brutal truths:

1. Your campus rating is real or your campus rating is augmented.

2. Real or not, it doesn’t matter now. It’s a brand new year, with only 177 days of instruction. So you need to make every one of them count.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...