Bootleg Technology and the Top Tweets from the Last Two Weeks

If anyone has heard me speak informally in the past couple of months, you know that I have been championing the idea of encouraging the increased use of personal technology (ex: smart phones, I-Touches) and universal connectivity in schools. We have to free up our people and our students or risk becoming the buggy-whip industry of the 21^st century.

Along these lines I have started to use Twitter to increase the reach of the LYS Nation network. With Twitter, you have 144 characters of text to make your point and it is always live. I love it. For me the blog is the deep thought, the tweet is the summary. If you don’t have a Twitter account, just go to Twitter.com and sign up. It takes less than three minutes. For those of you the LYS Nation who are not yet following @LYSNation, here are the top ten LYS Tweets for the past two weeks, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

Week of February 13^th, Top 10 Tweets

1. Districts should make campuses Wi-Fi hotspots. Increase connectivity. Tax dollars pay for it, give taxpayers access. Build knowledge and good will.

2. Coach Odom has her lesson framed, is in the PZ, has kids writing and talking, and is passing out the R&R. 1^st observed 5 tool player in 2011.

3. Fullan keynote address (at AASA) is a great opening act for the LYS Presentation.

4. LYS Presentation at AASA: Enthused crowd, great discussion (Fun 5 works in every setting). Audience amazed by the Zen of the Foundation Trinity.

5. Leadership has a physical component. Ignore that fact and your body will let you down when you most need it.

6. Schools should use Twitter for “wake-up” morning announcements before school starts. Embrace bootleg technology!

7. Watching 3 year olds work an I-Phone like a master. Embrace bootleg technology in the classroom!

8. Just used BeeTag reader on my I-Phone to download free copy of Ben Franklin’s Autobiography. Embrace bootleg technology in schools!

9. Student discipline is improved by better adult practice, not stiffer consequences. LYS schools typically have 40% drop in referrals in year 1.

10. Article says some teachers don’t like C-Scope. No one likes change. Everyone likes success. You don’t have to like the play to run the play.

Week of February 6^th, Top Ten Tweets

1. We must make an effort to embrace bootleg technology in the classroom or be irrelevant. Starting to think that tech departments may be the problem.

2. Perpetually better schools and perpetually lower taxes are mutually exclusive.

3. Just saw critical writing in a math class. BooYah!!!

4. More observed critical writing on the same campus. Red Letter Day!

5. Principal asks: What do we do next year? Answer: The same, with less hesitation and more insight. Good to Great: Keep rinsing the cottage cheese.

6. Ms. Granger cleaned up her act and the kids have loved every minute of it. Halfway there and making progress.

7. Ms. C. Gallagher better organized her room this semester and it looks awesome! And the kids have responded positively! Shelves next.

8. At LBJ Elementary - shiny floors, good lesson frames and a building full of hard working students. Nice!

9. Saw great lesson frames at Whitt ES.

10. Sometimes you have to create a problem to solve THE problem.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Hear the LYS Presentation at the TASB Winter Legal Conference

Visit the LYS Booth at the NASSP Conference

Hear the LYS Presentation at the Texas Middle School Association Conference

A Reader Writes... (Game On! Schools - Part 5)

In response to the 12/7/2010 post, “Game On! Schools – Part 3,” a reader writes:

I am all for a little competition, but this sounds just a little aggressive. I would like to know how Game On schools manage their time, and of the entire day what part of their time is most valuable to them or that they manage better than any other time? What is their secret to being so successful?

SC Response

Yes, the Game On! schools and staff are aggressive. They are aggressively chasing down excellence. Excellence defined terms of student and campus performance. Part of this chase does involve managing time. The simple version of this is that the Game On! schools work on the things that matter and quit working on the things that do not matter. That is how you effectively mange time. Your “To Do” list becomes more focused and your “Do Not Do” list becomes increasingly expansive.

At a Game On! school, what is most valuable? Teaching, learning, and measurable performance. What is least valuable? Anything that gets in the way of teaching, learning and measurable performance.

So what is the secret? The Game On! schools operate a structured PLC system that, to use a Good To Great metaphor, constantly rinses the cottage cheese. That system and the insights that it forces staff to develop, drive student performance beyond what can be expected in traditional settings. If you are interested in implementing Game On! on your campus, send me an e-mail.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Attend the LYS Presentation at the National Conference on Education

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 Conference

Brezina Writes... (The Great Ones Outwork Everyone Else - Part 2)

In response to the post, “The Great Ones Outwork Everyone Else,” Brezina writes:

"What a great comment on "Good and Great." It takes a lot of courage and wisdom to take someone else’s thoughts and extend those words to further challenge conventional thinking.

Good work."

SC Response
Thank you. But I will admit that the courage is mostly the result of the good training I received in the formative years of my leadership career. Staring down rouge boards and power hungry politicians was always a less scary proposition than having to report to you, or Schaper, or Neeley that I came up lacking. As far as wisdom, when you are lucky enough to have almost daily conversations with the best and brightest in our field, a little of it can’t help to rub off.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Asks... 4 Books

A LYS Assistant Superintendent recently asked me what four books I would recommend to school leaders that best encapsulate the LYS philosophy.

I have to admit that I failed. I could create the top ten list and I could create a top seven list. However, try as I might I could not create a top four list. But I did get close; here are the five books that I believe that every member of the LYS Nation should read. These works are a critical part of the tapestry that is at the core of LYS beliefs and actions. Now in order:

1. Results Now, by Mike Schmoker. This book sets the LYS 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. This is the book I had 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. Don't have a clue what I'm talking about? Read the book.

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 have to question whether or not you deserve a seat at the table when the discussion turns to instruction.

There you go, my recommended initial reading assignment for the summer.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

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...

A Reader Writes... (Teacher Stress - Part 8)

In response to the posts relating to, “Teacher Stress,” a reader writes:

“What I am realizing in my district is that when you try to create effective change at an entry level administrator level, such as assistant principal, the leaders above you are sometimes more threatened than the teachers. They are afraid of the success that might come from this change, so they will squash it so that they don't look bad. I am seeing way too much stagnant leadership being allowed to flounder. As long as they (principals) don't make waves, the status quo will remain. What a pitiful reality.”

SC Response
Again, I wish that I could say that what you describe does not occur, but we all know better. And having some knowledge about your capabilities and your district, your assessment is somewhat valid. But I do have some advice for you and others like you who are trying to effect change in subordinate positions.

First, the most direct path for creating student success and building positive leadership experience is to attack identified problems at full speed, adjust your tactics based on your short term results, and outwork everybody. You, your students and your team will soon begin to move ahead of the pack. Just know that everyone will not be happy with your success. It is the “A’ama Crab” theory. Your success will make them insecure and jealous and they will attempt to pull you back to the crowd. However, don’t hold it against the crab; it is his or her nature and a waste of your time. Your job is to remain focused on the goal.

Second, Jim Collins (Good to Great) points out that it is possible for sub-units to be disciplined and focused even when the whole is not. By doing so, you make things better for those you serve and often serve as a lever, or positive example, for the whole organization. This means that you can’t give up just because your operations are small, because your impact can often be great. And as I mentioned above, expect and ignore the crabs.

Finally, you may find yourself completely at odds with your boss and/or the organization. If you repeatedly find that you cannot reconcile your energy, passion and vision with that of who you work for, the problem is your's, not your boss'. When this is the case, continue to do your job, but start looking for a boss or organization more in line with what you believe in. The bottom line is the golden rule; who has the gold makes the rules. But you do get to choose whose gold you take.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Advice 2/7/10 - Part 5)

In response to the posts relating to, “A Reader Shares… Sunday Advice (2/7/10),” a reader writes:

"SC, as a former principal and a current assistant superintendent I think you are dead on in your analysis of positional roles and agendas. There are many of my decisions that I now have to make knowing that no matter how bad it tastes, my decision will at least put more principals in the position to be successful. Which admittedly is a couple of degrees off of “Student First.”

SC Response
I think what is important about Brown’s Rule boils down to two critical points.

1. If you are a principal, it reminds you what a pivotal role you have in the overall system. A role that is rarely filled by others if you abdicate your responsibility or compromise the principles.

2. If you are not a principal, it serves to remind you that there is sometimes a need to question your motives at regular intervals and to realize that many of the conflicts that involve you and the principal are strictly contextual, not personal.

When I was promoted to central office, Brezina gave me this piece of advice, “A good principal is difficult to manage. A great one is damn near impossible.”

As usual, he is right. And what I have found is that this good vs. great dynamic generally hinges on the principal’s definition of “win/win.” If the principal’s definition of “win / win” means the compromise between her position and your position, there will be occasional friction, but there is some give to adult considerations. Relationships will remain unruffled, but “good” becomes the performance potential of the school.

If the principal’s definition of “win/win” means that “my kids win / my school wins,” then there will be regular friction. Relationships will sometimes be bruised. However, “great” becomes the performance potential of the school. But only if executive leadership values the particular role that the great principal serves. That role is to keep the system honest. If executive leadership does not value that role, then the great principal becomes the “cancer” in the system and will either be forced out or leave on her own accord.

To sum up, working for a great principal is harder than working for a good one, but much more rewarding. Having a great principal work for you is often a royal pain, but if you can deal with being reminded that sometimes “the emperor wears no clothes,” your district will reap the benefits of her labor and single minded passion. And finally, if you notice that occasionally great principals arrive in your district but never stay, that is one huge red flag.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…

Book Recommendation - How the Mighty Fall

This past week, I spent five hours in an airplane on what was supposed to be a 45 minute flight. The best thing about the trip was that I got to use the unplanned for free time to read Jim Collin’s new book, How the Mighty Fall. A book end to his previous book, Good to Great, I recommend this book to every current and aspiring school leader.

The book provides a warning list of the beliefs and practices that set your organization on the path of ruin. It also provides timely advice on how the path, once recognized, can be reversed.

The notes and highlights in my copy of the book are extensive, but here are two statements that I found compelling.

Statement one, which I believe addresses the disconnect between campuses and central office that many districts are dealing with and can serve as a reminder for all central office administrators. Leaders who often wield tremendous power, yet generally do not have to deal with the day to day ramifications of their decisions.

“Arrogance inflicts suffering on the innocent.”

Statement two, which I believe all campus level leaders and teachers should write down and refer too frequently, is a quote by Winston Churchill. To paraphrase, he said,

“Never give in.

Be willing to change tactics, but never give up your core purpose.

Be willing to evolve, but never give up on the principles that define your culture.

Be willing to embrace creative destruction, but never give up on the discipline to create your own future.”

When you get a chance, read the book, and if you have not yet read Collin’s other works, put them on your reading list also.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Just a reminder for existing LYS readers and an invitation to new LYS readers, Sunday is advice day. Send me your favorite piece of advice and why, along with your mailing address. If I post it, I’ll send you a world famous Lead Your School can koozie.

Your turn...