Top LYS Tweets From the Week of June 10, 2012

Here’s some good news on the bootleg technology front.  A recent survey indicates that the use of smart phones by principals and other top school district administrators is up to 30 percentage points higher than that of the general adult population.  The gap is even larger when the use of tablets (ex: I-pad) is considered.  That means that as leaders in the knowledge industry, more and more of us are taking advantage of advances in knowledge tools. Chalk one up for the supposed “lazy, stuck in the past” good guys. 

But good news notwithstanding, why this information is important is because of another trend the survey identified. It seems that school leaders who use bootleg technology are twice as likely, than school administrators who don’t use it, to allow teachers and students to also use bootleg technology on their campuses.  So what does this mean?

A. If you are a principal, or a central office administrator over multiple schools and you have not embraced your own personal use of bootleg technology, get on board now.  By not doing so, YOU are holding your staff and students back.  And for the record, education icons and admitted “old guys,” E. Don Brown and Robert “Bob” Brezina both are daily users of bootleg technology. If you are a principal, embrace your inner “Brown.”  If you are a superintendent, embrace your inner “Brezina.”

B. If you are a subordinate leader (AP, Assistant Superintendent, etc.) and your boss isn’t using bootleg technology it is time to lead up.  Show her the power of the tools.  Get her set up and support her as she learns.  You get valuable, low stress, face time with the boss.  But more importantly, you, your staff and your students may soon reap the benefits of newly inspired, forward thinking leadership.

As the above mentioned survey confirmed, a number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 June 10, 2012.

1. The assessment of a campus without factoring out false positives and factoring in adversity provides a skewed view of excellence.

2. Fundamental 5 is so obvious, yet so amazing! Can't wait to explore more! (By @krista_scott)

3. Dr. Rascoe: "You wanted to be a principal. You must Lead Your School. Every day.” (By @S_Snell)

4. Mr. Montelongo: "Leaders have to have direct and frank conversations with poor teachers." (By @S_Snell)

5. Dr. Seabolt: "The biggest shock to a dysfunctional school system is for administration to actually do what they say they are going to do." (By @S_Snell)

6. Superintendents and their salaries are the result of a market-driven skill set. How much will they be worth if there is a shortage? (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

7. School boards are a terrible way to run schools. Until you consider the alternatives.

8. No coincidence that Cain’s sessions are always packed at TASSP. The Fundamental 5 increases student learning! (By @blitzkrieg607)

9. Was just informed the success of Lead Your School campuses was discussed yesterday in a meeting at the White House!! Go LYS Nation!

10. Just got the news. The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) was the best selling speaker book, by far, at the 2012 TASSP Summer Conference.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

LYS is currently conducting a Principal Search.  For more information, click on the link. http://tinyurl.com/LYSSearch

• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Channelview ISD Leadership Team Kickoff, Bushland ISD Staff Kickoff, Canadian ISD Staff Kickoff, Highland Park ISD Staff Kickoff, Sunray ISD Staff Kickoff, Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of April 22, 2012

I’m writing this as Lesa and I return to Texas, after spending a week working in the Boston area.  Since this was our first time in New England (by the way, it is well worth the visit), we took advantage of every bit of down time to sample the history, sites and culture.  Our travel tool of choice? Our I-Phones. 

Using our I-Phones, we researched where to visit, when to visit and how to get there. Our phones guided us everywhere, so we never got lost.  After visiting someplace or seeing something if we wanted to know more about it, we would research the topic on our phones.  When deciding where to eat, our phones pointed us to the highest rated (by customers) restaurants in our immediate area. And when our trip was commencing, we checked in to our flight home on our phone. 

Our smart phones freed up us up from basic organization and knowledge based tasks so we could focus on exploration, analysis and evaluation based learning activities. In short, our bootleg technology not only ramped up the rigor of our adult learning, but also allowed us to extend our time at those higher levels of rigor.  Embrace bootleg technology on your campus and in your classroom and before long similar opportunities will present themselves to teachers and students.  

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 April 22, 2012.

1. Great audience at the NSBA Conference. Many stayed after the presentation to learn more about LYS Campuses!!!

2. School Reform / Improvement can be summarized in one key concept: Adult practice drives student performance.

3. President John Adams’ first job out of college - Public School Teacher

4. Read yesterday that 3% of the voting populace will decide who goes to Austin. (By @cheadhorn)

5. Government investment in education, science and infrastructure has declined as a share of the economy since the 1970s. (By @FareedZakaria)

6. MIT essentially runs a four period trimester with the smartest kids is the world. Why do you still have your weakest students on an 8-period day, semester schedule?

7. To say PowerWalks are useless to education is like saying a tachometer is useless to a car. Both statements show complete misunderstanding. (By @txschoolsupe)

8. Dallas ISD superintendent will make $300,000 per year, manages 12,000 employees, 156,000 students. By comparison, the CEO of Hershey manages 10,000 employees for $3.4 million per year. (By DrJerryRBurkett)

9. MIT students who pass fencing, archery, sailing and pistol earn a degree in Pirate. No joke.

10. MIT is 100% WI-FI accessible. Use of bootleg technology is expected. What is the expectation on your campus?

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 
• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: TASSP Conference (multiple sessions); Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)

The Superintendent's Corner... Consolidation

Below is a submission from a LYS Superintendent:

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a candidate who is running for the District 85 seat of the Texas House of Representatives.  During our conversation the candidate indicated he favored going to countywide school systems in order to save money.  I indicated I didn’t think countywide school districts would save much money at all, and in addition had the potential to cause harm.  Whether you are for or against county school districts, let’s cogitate on the issue.

The concept of countywide school systems is not alien, even in Texas.  Years ago, Texas had countywide school systems.  A brief history can be found at:

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/tea/historyoverview.html

Interestingly, the TEA link says cities and towns wanted more control of their schools, hence independent school districts were formed.  It seems that even as early as the 1880’s local control was of key interest for Texans, and that was before we spent the past three decades relocating school authority to Austin.  Obviously, I think local control is a compelling reason NOT to consolidate back to countywide schools.  Consolidation of independent districts into county districts results in large, centralized government versus small, local government. Our country was founded on the latter, and the former, arguably, is sucking the life out of Nation.  Again, like Senator Hegar has said, our state is drastically different from region to region.   But even within the same county, school districts often have vastly different cultures and priorities.  I know, people in favor of countywide schools say the local communities can keep their schools, traditions, culture, and priorities.  Consolidators say they simply want to have one central administration for all the local schools.  But the superintendent of an independent school district is the executive arm that maintains the culture and priorities of the district in tandem with the locally elected board. Take away the superintendent and the locally elected board and the ability to maintain a community’s culture and priorities will be seriously impacted.  Also, the consolidators will not stop at simply consolidating central administration into countywide administrations.  Once the consolidators have taken the first step, the second step will be easier.  And the second step is the closing of buildings and schools deemed not needed by the county administration.  With the central administration of the independent school districts removed, local control is removed, and the culture and priorities of the community will be supplanted by the needs of the larger collective.  Let me clear: consolidating into countywide school districts is step one; step two is the consolidation of districts by the process of closing buildings.  Once the consolidators win round one, they will not stop.

The main argument for eliminating independent districts and forming county districts is to save money.  Personally I think the de-centralized government argument allowing more local control is the best reason not to consolidate into county-wide schools, but in order to give due diligence to the finance argument, let’s explore it.  There are five independent school districts in my rural county.  The county enrollment is about 8100 students and my best estimate is there are about 21 superintendents, assistant superintendents, and directors in the county.  Looking at a school district like College Station ISD with about 10,000 students, I count about 28 people with the word “superintendent” or “director” in their titles.  So, should my county be consolidated into a countywide district with only one superintendent, I suggest not a single dime would be saved.  In fact, the consolidation just may cost more money, unless you shut down the local school buildings and bus kids to centralized locations (step 2, remember?).  In my county four “fat cat” superintendents would likely become deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, or directors for the larger collective, and their salaries may very well all go up.  Indeed the larger collective will be significantly more complex, therefore the four displaced superintendents may not be enough to fill all of the senior administrative jobs needed, we may need to hire more.  This idea is explored in the following 2011 publication:

http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/consolidation-schools-districts

These researchers suggested there are likely benefits to de-consolidating school districts, especially very large ones.

In conclusion, I must say I am not strictly against school consolidation.  If two Texas school district’s duly elected boards decide it is in the best interest of their children and communities to consolidate, I think that’s great.  I simply don’t think Austin should be making that decision.  The fact that few districts choose to consolidate tells me the idea is not too popular with Texans.  Also, Premont and North Forest both fought like Spartans to keep their districts from being forcibly consolidated.  The idea of saving money can easily be discredited, both by logical inspection and published research.  Truly I suspect the real intention of consolidators is to further their agenda to end public education.  Once we have countywide collective districts the cultures and priorities of individual independent districts will begin to deteriorate, with only the needs of the collective considered.  Eventually schools will close, communities will die, and the collective will be complete.  Once the consolidators have a collective that is no longer connected to individual communities, there will be little opposition or outcry as the consolidators continue with their true plan, which is to dismantle public education and replace it with a system of charters and vouchers.  

Again, if consolidation is what communities want, they are free to choose that now, and when done forcibly, districts seem to fight it to the bitter end.  I tell you all, however, to be weary of the skullduggery of those who attack the central administrations of local independent school districts based upon the idea of “saving money”.  Little to no money will be saved, saving money is not their intention, and we all need to be aware of the facts before rushing into consolidation.  I am tired of passing bills in order to find out what’s in them.

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/4ydqd4t
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: TASSP Conference (multiple sessions); Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)

Teacher Evaluations and Test Scores

It seems like every day I read where another school is using test scores to evaluate teachers. When I review these plans, almost every one of them has significant flaws in either design and/or planned implementation. Since I am a firm believer that student performance and measurable results should be reflected in educator evaluations (from teacher to superintendent), unlike most critics, instead of throwing stones I will share a draft of actionable solution.

A. It’s not about raw test scores, it’s about value-added. Sorry educators who work with affluent, GT, Honors, and AP students, you have to be on the hook also. You don’t get credit for the fact that these students are already performing at a level of comparative success. Your evaluation has to be based on what you were able to do with all of that raw talent.

B. I’ve yet to observe a district that has the internal focus and discipline to fairly evaluate teachers (based on value-added principles) who teach in non-tested grades and subjects. District developed end of course (EOC) exams could work. But, what district wants to show its public that along with struggling to meet the performance requirements of state mandated exams, that it is also has similar problems in grades and courses that no one has been watching?

C. If teachers are accountable for student performance, then campus support staff (AP, counselor, etc.) has to be accountable for teacher team performance. The Principal has to be accountable for campus performance and Central Office has to be accountable for district performance. Here is fan equitable way to set up such a system. Campus support staff are evaluated based on the performance of the weakest teacher on their team. The Principal is evaluated based on both that floor and ceiling of student performance. Central office staff is evaluated based on the results of the lowest performing campus in the district.

D. The critical variable in value-added evaluation is the performance of academically fragile student populations.

E. There must be the recognition by the organization that state rankings are not equal. Take two “Recognized” campuses. School A with a 4% at-risk population and School B with a 70% at-risk population. In this case, the overall accomplishment of School B and it’s staff would be greater than School A. There should be additional reward for School B.

F. Now for teachers, here is my simple value added performance evaluation.

• Pass / Fail - Components of being a good employee (timely, reliable, professional, etc.) The teacher that can’t meet basic work expectations is a liability to the organization. Pass, continue the evaluation. Fail, terminate the employment relationship.
• 20% - Components of being a good team member (participates, collaborates, communicates, etc.)
• 20% - Components of being a good instructor (observable components of pedagogy, classroom environment, content expertise, data use, etc.)
• 30% (or 0%, if prior year content area EOC is unavailable) - Improvement from the prior year content area EOC. District developed EOC is used in instances where state developed EOC is not administered.
• 30% (or 60%, if prior year content area EOC is unavailable) - Performance on the EOC. District developed EOC is used in instances where state developed EOC is not administered.

Granted, the plan above isn’t perfect, but it is miles ahead of everything that I have reviewed. Mull it over for a while and then let me know what you think.

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
• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASB Conference; TASSP Conference (multiple sessions); Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)

Superintendent's Corner: Three Legged Stools

Below is a submission from a LYS Superintendent:

I am reminded of the customer who enters an engine shop and wants a 1) high performance engine; 2) that is reliable enough to drive daily; and 3) is inexpensive to build. The old saying is pick any two of the three; the third is compromised. Inexpensive and fast will not be reliable. Inexpensive and reliable will not be fast. Reliable and fast will not be inexpensive. You get the idea.

I suspect such a relationship exists in public school finance. We have three competing priorities: efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. Each of these competing priorities are complex and subject to interpretation, but I will weigh in.

First, let’s address efficiency. Of the three it is the only priority required by the Texas Constitution. In the modern context many argue that the framers of the Texas Constitution meant for efficiency to be translated as equitable. I am not convinced, but I do know attorneys make a living in the intricacies of such language, and I am not an attorney. I think efficient, in the financial sense, means getting the most output from the money put into the system. There is friction in any system, and friction causes inefficiency. In organizations, friction almost always increases with organizational size and complexity. As more is demanded from an organization, size and complexity are almost sure to increase.

Second, we will discuss effectiveness. In the simplest terms I can think of, effectiveness is determined by the mandates and accountability standards required of schools. To be sure, adding mandates is likely to increase organizational size and complexity. And, as we have discussed, if organization size and complexity increases, “friction” increases, and the system is likely to be less efficient. In this example we are beginning to see the interdependence of efficiency, effectiveness, and equity.

Third, we have perhaps the most misunderstood American idea: equity, or it’s cousins, equality and fairness. I don’t care to get into a discussion of the historical context of equality or equity. Certainly I believe our current definition of equality does not match the definition of equality our country was founded upon, but that is a different discussion. In context of Texas school funding equity seems to be interpreted as fair and equal. Equity is the 800 pound gorilla in the room, because equity to one person may very well seem inequitable to another. People living in high property wealth districts think it is pretty inequitable that their tax dollars get redistributed to property poor districts across the state. People living in property poor districts want their children to have the same opportunities that other children have. In the end it becomes a question of how much equity, or inequity, will be tolerated. As one person’s equity is often another’s inequity, there has to be a balance, otherwise a revolt begins. I believe we are in the midst of such a revolt in Texas and perhaps across the nation. In order to fund property poor districts at a sufficient level, taxation and redistribution of taxation has reached a point deemed intolerable and inequitable by the people paying the bulk of taxes. That is a problem. On the other end, state demands for increased school effectiveness for all children creates a demand for an ever increasing stream of funding in order to create organizations that will meet the effectiveness requirements. As funding increases and organizations grow in size and complexity the organizations become less efficient. Clearly the imbalance is driven by ever increasing state demands for effectiveness, the need for taxation cash flow to pay for the effectiveness, and the amount of taxation and redistribution of taxation that will be tolerated. The question now is, how much effectiveness and equity can we afford?

So we get to the trifecta I suspect exists, a trifecta that is making it virtually impossible for Texan’s to resolve the school funding issue.

A system that is highly efficient and highly effective will not likely be highly equitable. The amount of funds needed and the redistribution of those funds will leave one group feeling disenfranchised.

A system that is highly efficient and highly equitable will likely not be highly effective. Some of the mandates and accountability standards would have to be relaxed, hence compromising effectiveness.

A system that is highly equitable and highly effective will not likely be highly efficient, as the cost to maintain the high effectiveness will require a tremendous amount of organizational structure and complexity.

So where does that leave us? Clearly the public has little stomach for more taxation. That limits the amount of effectiveness that can be squeezed out of the school system. We seem to be at a point where the State of Texas can not afford the level of effectiveness it wants from public schools. It also seems the amount of income redistribution that will be tolerated by the public has reached an imbalance in equity. One solution is:

Roll back mandates and accountability to a manageable, affordable level.
This will require less money and redistribution of money, which will likely ease the imbalance of equity.
This will also lead to a more efficient system as schools will need less organizational size and complexity.

Of course there are other solutions, but the point is a three legged stool can be balanced, if the legs are strategically placed.

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/4ydqd4t
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASB Conference; TASSP Conference (multiple sessions); Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of February 19, 2012

I often refer to the LYS Nation as the freaks of education. And I say that with nothing but respect, love and affection. We are the freaks because we operate outside of the norm. When you are two standard deviations away from the mean, it doesn’t matter if you are on the left or right side of the bell curve. You are different.

Last week I ran across an article that highlighted the “Freakiness” of you, the LYSer. You are brainstorming ways to embed bootleg technology in your classroom and on you campus. On the other hand, one of our Mensa candidate peers in Pennsylvania has decided that the best course of action on his campus is to ban Uggs and other high-top boots on his campus. Why? It seems that students are smuggling their cell phones and I-pods on the campus in their.... wait for it.... Bootlegs.

While he’s at it, I think he should also ban backpacks. I hear that students often use these to carry books of their own choosing on to campus. After all, we run schools, we can’t have students accessing the depth and breadth of human knowledge just willy-nilly.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 February 19, 2012, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. The academic performance of fragile learner is the best indicator of the health of the instructional system.

2. With the GT learner, the understanding must be that “Commended” (Texas annual assessment ranking) is the floor. Anything less is instructional failure.

3. Elementary teachers - There's a reason why kids are talking while waiting in line. They are bored! Have flash cards and distract them with practice.

4. When you use small group purposeful talk, the positive energy in your classroom doubles.

5. Download PW Pro... I just did... best $1.99 you will spend for the students. (By @cheadhorn)

6. Like head coaches, there are two types of Superintendents. Those that have been fired and those that will be fired.

7. Rank order (unofficial) why Superintendents are fired. 1 - Doing the wrong thing. 2 - Doing nothing. 3 - Doing the right thing. 4 - Just because.

8. LYS Update: Sean Cain will provide the keynote address at the Region 10 Leadership Conference in November 2012.

9. The latest lawsuit over our school finance system is just another example of failed leadership by our elected leaders. (By @SadlerTX)

10. Our book, The Fundamental 5 (by Cain & Laird), sold out and was the top seller at the Oklahoma Middle Level Educators Conference!!!

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
• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference; Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)

A LYS Superintendent Asks... Hot Water?

A LYS Superintendent asks the following:

SC,

Do you think Commissioner Scott will be in hot water for his Mid-Winter testing remarks?

SC Response

Here is my analysis of the situation. It is pure conjecture and opinion.

I don’t think that there is any hot water. In fact, I think that the comments were a calculated move that were designed to help the Governor. Remember, Scott and Perry are tight. Though there is no question that Scott is brilliant and would be a success in almost any arena, he owes his job and stature to Perry. He understands, better than any prior Commissioner, that his job is to further the education agenda of his boss. Which means that I believe that his comments had a political purpose. The question is what purpose?

Perry based his run for the president by embracing the agenda of the far right. In the math of getting the next job, proving your conservative chops by gutting public education is worth it... if you can get elected as either President or Vice President. Obviously, he miscalculated and that ship has sailed. But now, Perry has a problem. His policies and leadership (or lack thereof) has united educators of all ranks (board to teacher) against him. The last Governor to face this was Mark White. And we know that White did not do well in his next (and last) election.

Perry does not need the educator vote to win, but typical educator indifference during the election makes his job easier. So look at the audience at Mid-Winter. It was made up of Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents, overall a politically conservative group. But this group also believes that the pendulum of accountability and belt tightening has gone to far. When Scott throws them a bone, like he did, maybe in the voting booth they hold their nose and pull the lever for Perry again, instead of his opponent.

In summary, it is my belief that Scott did not go off the reservation. His comments simply confuse those that would be tempted to support Perry’s opponent, which for Perry, equals a win. But overall, nothing has changed. STAAR is still coming and funding is still going away. That, like Scott’s comment, is by design.

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
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Oklahoma Association of Middle School Principal’s Mid-Winter Conference; NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of January 22, 2012

A LYS Superintendent shares the new Bootleg Technology initiative in his district (the 31^st poorest in Texas).

DATELINE: SPLENDORA ISD

Many of our students are digital natives—meaning they have never known a life without technology. Our students live in a world of Google, Apple, and Yahoo. But too often the only place they are not free to use their natural skills in technology is in the classroom. If we as educators truly believe Splendora ISD is preparing our students to be productive in the 21st century workplace, we must open up more opportunities for our students to be exposed to technology on a daily basis in our classrooms.

Splendora ISD began this journey three years ago with the implementation of a one-to-one laptop program for all students in our college programs (Early College, Dual Credit, and CTE). The following year all certified staff were provided with a laptop. The idea being that our staff would be expected to use and be role models for our students and bring more technology into the everyday classroom.

Our next phase will begin in January 2012. A pilot program for sixth graders will be implemented that allows students to use a district-provided smart tablet. The tablets will be used for 21^st century learning opportunities. We recognize that mobile devices today play a significant role in our students’ lives. We want to incorporate these devices into our classrooms, change the way our teachers teach, and give our students the opportunity to explore, collaborate, and develop skills that are necessary to succeed beyond the classroom.

By August 2012, we will expand the pilot program and allow 7^th-12^th graders to bring and use their own devices (laptop, netbook, cell phone, tablet, etc.). With fewer resources and dwindling budgets, and by allowing students and staff to bring their own devices, the district leverages its technology in a cost-effective manner.

Additionally in the 2012-2013 school year, Splendora ISD will offer a filtered wireless network (Wi-Fi) on all campuses. Students will be expected to connect to the filtered Splendora ISD public Wi-Fi for educational purposes and exhibit digital responsibility. Learning about and being held accountable for the responsible use of either district-owned or personally owned electronic devices is an important part in preparing students to be successful in the future. We also plan to convert our libraries to electronic checkout by August 2012. In other words, we will allow our students and community members to checkout books electronically using our e-readers or their own.

Technology is integral to student achievement. It is time to embrace what you, as parents, may have already provided for your children, and by the District providing a filtered Wi-Fi network, the District can partner with you to provide students with the best academic resources available. Splendora ISD will always strive to provide the best learning environment for our students and staff. Initiatives such as Bring Your Own Technology and electronic libraries are only the first step in our journey to continuously provide opportunities for digital natives (students) to compete and succeed once they graduate from Splendora High School.

When the 31^st poorest school district in Texas embraces Bootleg Technology, what exactly are you waiting for?

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 January 22, 2012, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Tablet and e-book ownership nearly doubled during holiday season. (By @PrincipalDiff)

2. I’m visiting classrooms now. The improvement in engagement when the teacher is in the Power Zone is astounding!

3. The Closing Product is not the lesson activity. It is formative proof of learning.

4. BRILLIANT: One stereotype we have not been able to break in the United States is that ‘faster is smarter’. (By @anniemurphypaul)

5. Without deliberate practice, even the most talented individuals will reach a plateau and stay there. (By @anniemurphypaul)

6. In my experience, those who hate failure generally beat those who love success.

7. "Where we say something is as important as what we say". Wisdom from Sean Cain of Lead Your School about being in the Power Zone. (By @principalschu)

8. Just finished a promo video for my ESC 16 Leadership Conference keynote presentation. Can't wait to meet with the LYSers in the Panhandle!

9. Senator puts teachers, police officers, and fire fighters in the 1 percent. (By @eschoolnews)

10. Vouchers are education welfare for millionaires. (By @johnkuhntx)

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
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Upcoming 2012 Presentations: Oklahoma Association of Middle School Principal’s Mid-Winter Conference; Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference