Top Tweets From the Week of February 7, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of February 7, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Every generation must reinvent and reinvest in democracy...or it goes away – Sir Ken Robinson (By @Jaibyrd123)

2. In the U.S., public schools are not just a chance for kids, for many it's their only chance – Sir Ken Robinson (By @celiadrews)

3. Human life is not linear but rather organic...dependent on our choices, experiences, and risks we don't take. – Sir Ken Robinson (By @CeverettEdD)

4. Great public education is in the best interest of all people! (By @EkCoulson)

5. The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work. (By @MMotivate)

6. Make the positives so loud that you drown out all the negatives! (By @herbertoneiljr)

7. It’s critical that we exercise selective abandonment before adding something new... When was the last time we actually did just that? (By @BethBrockman)

8. If we waited until we could walk perfectly before taking our first step, we'd never walk... (By @justintarte)

9. Companies that received corporate welfare from taxpayers shouldn't be allowed to renounce their U.S. citizenship to avoid paying U.S. taxes. (By @BernieSanders)

10. Is it me... Or the farther people actually are from the classroom the more of an education expert they consider themselves?? (By @BluntEducator)

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: 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

A Principal Asks... How Do We Stack Up (Part 2)

The following is the follow-up conversation between a LYS Principal and myself that began with the April 28, 2015 post, “A Principal Asks... How Do We Stack Up?”

SC,

Good stuff.  But you get to see a lot more schools and classrooms than I do.  I want some targets, either to chase someone down or expand our lead.

SC Response

Fair enough.

In regards to the implementation of the Fundamental 5, here are some numbers to consider.

Typical Practice (sample size – nearly 1 million classroom observations)

Lesson Framing: Less than 5%

Power Zone: Less than 45%

Recognize & Reinforce: Less than 10%

Small Group Purposeful Talk: Less than 15%

Critical Writing - Less than 5%

Good Practice (significant separation from the typical classroom)

Lesson Framing: 85%

Power Zone: 60%

Recognize & Reinforce: 20%

Small Group Purposeful Talk: 20%

Critical Writing: 15%

Great Practice (significant separation from the good classroom)

Lesson Framing: 95%

Power Zone: 75%

Recognize & Reinforce: 40%

Small Group Purposeful Talk: 40%

Critical Writing: 25%

Your Campus Practice - Fall Semester (612 classroom observations)

Lesson Framing: 64% (Better than typical; not good; not great)

Power Zone: 43% (About typical; not good; not great)

Recognize & Reinforce: 11% (About typical; not good; not great)

Small Group Purposeful Talk: 27% (Better than typical: Good; not great)

Critical Writing - 11% (Better than typical; not good; not great)

This is the important thing to communicate to your staff.

It is not about where we are right now.  It is about where we are going. 

We must continue our hard work and keep improving our instruction throughout the Spring.

If improving the quality of delivered instruction were easy, then typical instruction would be a whole lot better than what it is at this time.

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: 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 December 13, 2015

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of December 13, 2015 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Dr. Darin Jolly!! He is the new Superintendent in Kenedy ISD!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. There are really two jobs in education: those who deliver the curriculum and those you support the delivery of curriculum! Which are you? (By @montelongo)

3. Isolation is the enemy of improvement. (By @tra_hall)

4. In the absence of clear leadership, conflicts last longer and create more damage. (By @blitzkrieg607)

5. We need to prepare students for THEIR futures, not our Past. (By @Snowmanlearning)

6. Teacher talk vs. student talk... Monologue vs. dialogue... Impact education, students learn more when they are involved with their learning! (By @montelongo)

7. Moak report states: "If (Texas) independent school districts were funded like Texas charter school, total state support would increase by over $4.7 billion." (By @tra_hall)

8. Most states providing less education funding than before the Great Recession (2008) - Washington Post (By @BruceLesley)

9. "No one in any other industry thinks that going to a training is going to change someone's behavior" (By @Mr_McComb)

10. Surprise: School that is tolerant of anti-vaxxers suffers massive chickenpox outbreak. (By @Slate)

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: 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 October 5, 2014

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 October 5, 2014.

1. A big “THANK YOU” to the organizers, presenters and participants at The Fundamental 5 National Summit! It was a great day of learning and fellowship! (By @LYSNation)

2. Congratulations to LYS Principal, Jayne Ellspermann!! She was just named as the 2015 NASSP National Principal of the Year!!! (By @LYSNation)

3. Be a broken record:  "Continuous effort over time will bring success." (By @mike_metz)

           

4. A leader wants to know what's happening in the classroom. Choosing to do other things limits your ability to lead your school to success. (By @CabidaCain)

5. "Critical writing is the most natural and AUTHENTIC way to increase rigor." (By @mike_metz)

6. Today's Quote:  "It’s simple – education is the key to pretty much everything – prosperity, economics, stability - and peace." (By DrRichAllen)

7. Truth – The Fundamental 5 has the potential to be a GAME CHANGER. (By @leslmeek)

8. America: a nation that invests more $$ in its inmates & prisons than it does in its students and schools. (By @NicholasFerroni)

9. It is now a fact that one half of the students who graduate from college never read another book. (By @tgrierhisd)

10. Hanlon's Razor: ""Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." (By @DanielPink)

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); Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: ASCD Annual Conference; TEPSA Summer 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 January 20, 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 January 20, 2013.

1. Ms. Bracken (Hines ES) hit for the cycle when I visited her classroom. All 5 practices of The Fundamental 5 in play. Awesome to watch!

2. The physical environment of the classroom can affect a child’s academic progress by as much as 25%, says new study. (By anniemurphypaul)

3. By end of decade China set to have nearly 195 million community college and university grads, U.S. about 120 million. (By @FareedZakaria)

4. A campus parking space assignment plan. The spaces closest to the campus are for parents. Then those who get to work early get the best spots.

5. My position on arming teachers: Once we implement with perfect fidelity the best practice we've been trained on, then we'll revisit the issue.

6. Newly hired armed guard leaves gun unattended in school bathroom. (By @eschoolnews)

7. Reaffirmed: Great is the enemy of good. (By @txschoolsupe)

8. Without meaningful change in leadership practice there is no school change. Leadership change is the leading indicator.

9. Even the best teachers operating in tough settings without a scope and sequence, relevant data, and support will quickly become struggling teachers.

10. Had school visits at Rugel Elem and Agnew MS. Both implementing framing from Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird). Looking forward to SC being in MISD soon. (By @LindaHenrie1)

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: North Dakota Principals Association Conference (Keynote Speaker), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations), Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

A Reader Writes... (Brown's Middle Ground Answer)

In response to E. Don Brown’s post on finding middle ground, a reader writes:

“As a leader, I realize I have made a mistake (actually, many). I am passionate about my beliefs and philosophy. I am 100% about kids all the time. However, I have allowed those to become part of my identity as a person. Therefore, any attack or resistance to systems and plans are by definition an attack on my image, style and strategy. By allowing this to occur, I have set myself up for failure. My intent is to apply these new lessons learned in the upcoming school year:

1. When I deal with an insubordinate teacher, I will take the time to reinterpret the situation. “Followers” will do what you say, because you say so. People with innate leadership characteristics will question you. It’s not personal, so I can’t take it that way.

2. People are generally not against you, they are merely for themselves. If you mess up in point #1 above, however, they will likely be against you.

3. I must out-communicate the dissenting voices.”

SC Response
Failure is not a bad thing if you learn from it. When you meet educators that have never failed, either they are not very self-aware, they have never purposely put themselves in a difficult situation, or they work in a setting with low expectations. I know when I meet with new school leaders and I quickly provide them with a solution they have been searching for, I have to explain the following truth (even though it hurts a little). I tell them, “Don’t be too impressed. You get the solution that was 15 years in the making. You don’t have to deal with the string of failures that led to this answer.”

Remember the 3 F Rule: Fail forward faster!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...