On-going Professional Development and the Book List

I had an LYS principal call me last week with a question and a request. The question was this:

“What should I be doing to prepare myself for my next job, in terms of professional development?”

This is an excellent question. I told him that there are a couple of things he should be doing. First, he should focus on ensuring that his campus is working everyday to maximize student performance (Check – Middle School, Exemplary without TPM).

Second, he should begin attending the state and national principal conferences and also the state and national school administrator conferences (TASA and AASA). These conferences attract excellent speakers and have numerous sessions devoted to current issues and education.

Finally, he should add a measure of discipline and focus to his reading. Spend less time on fiction and devote more time reading about instruction, leadership and organizations.

I told him by doing this, he would begin to separate himself from the pack during the interview process.

As for his request, he asked for the list of ten books I recommend to school leaders. So here is the list again, just in time for your holiday reading:

The First Five

1. Results Now, by Mike Schmoker. This book sets the tone. If on the whole you disagree with what Mike writes in this book, you are going to disagree with LYS (the Organization and probably the Nation).

2. Corp Business, by David H. Freedman. The book I made every new AP I hired read. I have yet to find a book that does a better job of laying out the actionable ABC’s of leading people in the field.

3. Good to Great, by Jim Collins. There are hedgehogs and foxes. Reject your fox instincts and embrace your inner hedgehog.

4. The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. The primer on the power of the few. Those who question the power of the LYS Nation just don’t recognize the implication of a network of the best Mavens, Connectors and Salespeople in our field.

5. Classroom Instruction That Works, by Robert Marzano. The final word on the research that proves the effect of best practice. This book is so critical to our profession that if you haven’t read it yet, you don’t deserve a seat at the table when the discussion turns to instruction.

The Best of the Rest (6-10)

6. The Moral Imperative of School Leadership, by Michael Fullan. You actually should read everything that Fullan writes, but if time is a factor, this is the one to start with. I do have one small problem with Fullan. He’s too smart. He understands the nuances that drive expert leadership and does a world class job of explaining this (perhaps better than anyone). Unfortunately, the smart/lazy manager type can use Fullan as justification for their repeatedly inane actions (or inaction).

7. How the Mighty Fall, by Jim Collins. Yes, it is a business book, but Collins lays out the doom loop that district after district is currently stuck in. Fortunately, he tells us how to get out of the loop and even prevent it. Unfortunately, most senior leadership doesn’t care and isn’t listening.

8. Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson, M.D. The modern classic. I only appreciated it after I read it the second time. First, you have to have tried to manage significant organizational change and made a mess of it; than you are ready understand what Dr. Johnson is really teaching us.

9. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell. Maxwell is a former pastor. He writes about church leadership. In many ways, church leadership is a better model for school leaders than business leadership. Violate the Irrefutable Laws at the peril of your organization and you career.

10. Slot number ten is filled by a number of books, that depending on my mood, interest, or need of the person I’m working with, that I might recommend. Some of those books include:

33 Strategies of War, by Robert Greene for strategic and tactical planning.

The Federalist Papers, by Hamilton, Madison and Jay. If you are trying to lead an organization of more than three people who have competing self-interests, you might find this worth reading.

It’s Called Work for a Reason, by Larry Wingate. Admittedly a pulp book. But sometimes we have to get over ourselves, cut thru the BS and admit that we had a job to do and how hard we tried doesn’t matter if we’re not successful. Just looking at the title ought to give you a little boost when the going gets tough.

His Excellency, by Joseph J. Ellis. Think you have leadership all figured out? If this study of George Washington doesn’t convince otherwise, you must be pretty darn good.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

State of the Blog - The Last 100 Posts (700 and Counting)

Hello, LYS Nation. This is the 700^th post to the column, so as has become a tradition, we will review our progress.

First, the review:

The 1^st post was on Monday, February 16, 2009.

The 100^th post was on April 14, 2009.

The 200^th post was on June 10, 2009

The 300^th post was on September 2, 2009

The 400^th post was on, December 16, 2009

The 500^th post was on, April 7, 2010

The 600^th post was on, August 2, 2010

The 700^th post is today, Friday, December 17, 2010

It has taken 1 year and 304 days to reach the 700 post milestone.

The 700 posts represent more than 600 pages of single spaced text. This is the equivalent of about a 2,400 page book.

The top 7 key words have been: Leadership (230); Principals (111); Teachers (110); Robert “Bob” Brezina (104); E. Don Brown (94); Campus / School Improvement (71); LYS Nation (68); Instruction (63)

The top 3 posts, in terms of distribution, have been: 1 – Readers Ask… More Assessment Questions (11/5/2010); 2 - A Reader Submits… Instructional Strategies (10/19/2010); 3 - More of the LYS Nation in the News (11/23/2010)

There have been over 23,850 site hits.

There are 691 e-mail subscribers. Thank you!

There are now international readers and e-mail subscribers, with the following 9 countries represented: Australia, Canada, Egypt, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands,

All of this is incredibly exciting; especially when you consider that less than two years ago, every number was 0.

A Little Blatant Self Promotion:

First, if you like the blog and you haven’t signed up for the e-mail subscription, please do so. I find that it’s easier to write to people than it is to write to web hits.

Second, if you like the blog and find it useful, tell three other people. This blog is a much more powerful resource for school improvement when it is a dialogue.

Third, if you have not sent in a comment yet, please do so. Education research points out that the act of critical writing actually makes the learner smarter. Let the blog assist you in sharpening your saw.

Finally,

Thank you so much for reading and responding. This network which started out as a way for just a handful of principals to stay connected has turned into a small nation of board members, central office administrators, campus leaders, and teachers who are focused on redefining what students are capable of. Who knows what we will discuss in the next 100 posts.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…

Go on a Field Trip

I was recently working with some principals and I specifically wanted to review the results of their district assessments. The principals had done some extensive analysis and knew exactly what their students were struggling with. But they were also at a loss as to what to do about it. I asked them who was beating them.

At first they were confused, so I clarified my question. “What campus or campuses that should not be outperforming you, are currently doing so?”

They did not know, so we went though a quick exercise (less than 5 minutes) and we were able to identify a campus that getting significant, but unexpected positive results. Then came the fun part, I said “Let’s call that principal and go see what he is doing.”

The principal in question was surprised by the request but quickly said, “Come on over.”

So what did we see on our field trip? We saw a school that is implementing the Foundation Trinity and embracing the Fundamental Five. We also saw in class after class, teachers and students who truly seem to like each other and are enjoying themselves. The big difference between the campus that was unexpectedly in the lead and the other two campuses was the seamless fluidity in the use of the Fundamental Five.

When I asked the principal what he attributed this to, he said, “We took to heart what you told us this summer. You said that the Fundamental Five is what we control. So that is our focus. We practice it, we observe it, we talk about it, and we review our progress all the time. I guess it is starting to work.”

Something to consider as you plan your focus for the spring semester.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Question What You Do)

In response to the 11/2/2010 post, “Question What You Do,” a reader writes:

Assessments are to determine what needs the students may have. It is always great to have an assessment. But to use the assessment to determine if a teacher is doing a good job or not could be why that school district is conducting so many assessments.

If that is the purpose, then the question becomes are the results of those assessments true? There are a lot of variables that impact student assessments. Variables that are not well managed in most campus assessment programs. What is wrong with just using the state assessment? I wonder why they are testing so much?

SC Response

First, in the case of the two campuses I was writing about, they are very poor (low SES) campuses that compete toe-to-toe with schools that are considerably more affluent. They are constantly looking for information that better informs them on student performance. My point was that sometimes that search leads to superstitious behavior. With instructional time representing a mission critical resource, I am loath to use it frivolously.

Second, the best use of an assessment is to determine which instructional practices are more effective and which practices are least effective. While I do not advocate using short-term assessments to rate teachers, I have been, and remain, crystal clear on my position that if assessments do not highlight the effect of adult practice, then we are merely shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

Third, I really don’t worry about the common assessment testing environment. I fact, if it is my classroom, I want to keep the atmosphere somewhat relaxed. I want to communicate to my students that I taught them the material and they worked hard to master the material so the work is already done. I’m not worried because all they have left do is to let the world know that they have arrived by completing the task we had been preparing for.

Finally, we have to realize that if we are only using the state assessment to determine our level of success, we have waited to late. The common assessments let us make small adjustments to our practice and quickly gauge the results at regular intervals throughout the year. The longer you go without monitoring and adjustment, the greater the risk of completely losing your way.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Broke is Broke - Part 2)

In response to the 11/11/2010 post, “Broke is Broke – Part 1,” a reader writes:

This goes beyond bullying. A teacher’s refusal to write lesson plans also affects our students’ education. It is an affront to teamwork and can have a negative effect on the accountability rating of the campus. Relying on someone else to do your planning work boarders on unethical behavior. The person you describe is a teacher who needs to rethink why they became a teacher in the first place.

If the grade level team members take turns writing particular parts of lessons or specific lesson for their team because they favor a particular subject, and all agree on and discuss teaching strategies, that is a professional learning community. But the teacher who refuses to participate in group planning meetings yet demands access to the product of those meetings, is only concerned about themselves.

SC Response

As is the case with you, I was appalled by what was described in the original post. My response to the original writer was advice on how to address the situation with the individual.

1. Do your work and the work of others (not fair and tastes bad).

2. You can refuse to share with those who do not reciprocate (feels bad).

3. You can point out the lack of teamwork with administration (can be bad).

But understand that situations such as the one described occur when leadership is not doing an adequate job of supporting and monitoring the instructional planning process. Much like the bully who terrorizes the playground when teachers don’t pay attention, the same can occur when administrators and instructional coaches do not actively participate in the discussions and meetings that drive instructional design. The campus manager who espouses the belief that, “I was hired to run the school, the teachers were hired run instruction” has ensured that both the campus and instruction are operating at sub-optimal levels.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Poisonous Staff - Part 4)

In response to the 10/27/2010 post, "A Reader Writes... Poisonous Staff - Part 1,” an assistant principal writes:

It sounds as though your Principal might be under as much stress as you are. The comment, "This is what you will do," sounds as though your Principal has never done what you are being asked to do.

If he or she had, then the response might be more along the lines of, “Here, this is how I did it,” or “Try doing it like this,” instead of just issuing commands.

It sounds as though you might have to step up to the plate and help find a solution to the problem or at least be a part of the solution.

SC Response

Ouch. Insightful, but ouch. You just nailed a concept I have been talking about for quite a while now. What we ask teachers to do now has never been done previously in education. That’s right, the good ol’ days just weren’t that good. That means that for teachers to improve, leadership has to improve. We must do a better job of identifying tools for our teachers, providing training for our teachers, providing implementation coaching for our teachers and working with them to identify both performance hindrances and potential solutions. If all leadership is able to provide to you with is “work harder, work faster, and work longer,” do yourself a favor and find a new leader.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...