A Reader Writes... (We are Our Own Worst Enemy - Part 1)

In response to the 3/9/2011 post, “We are Our Own Worst Enemy,” a reader writes:

Coaching, support and monitoring are the key points to helping teachers improve and build capacity. I agree that limiting the amount of time for observations only perpetuates the status quo.

SC Response

I just read an article that pointed out the correlation between the classroom observations and student performance. It continues to surprise people that as walk-thru’s increase, student performance increases. Unfortunately, most walk-thru systems are set up to mimic the “cop in the rearview mirror” effect or the collected information becomes a stick in which to beat teachers. This means that at most schools there is an artificial terminal limit to the performance increase. Now this artificial limit can be obliterated with the right walk-thru tool and the correct walk-thru program protocols. Unfortunately, 95% of the non-LYS campuses that I initially work with, that are doing walk-thru’s not only have the wrong tool but they are also implementing it incorrectly. These mistakes are compounded when the district is trying to implement a bootleg version of a research-based, field-tested system. Just like “Slony” isn’t “Sony”, the same can be said of most homemade versions of walk-thru systems. The point being that frequent classroom observations are a powerful tool, when implemented correctly. But (and this is huge) when this is not the case, it is HR equivalent of giving a monkey a machine gun. Even if your intentions are sound, someone is going to get hurt.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming 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); Fundamental Five; Tech Tools for the 2.0 Principal

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

June 18 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

Remember the Main Objective is to Drain the Swamp

My grandfather (a very successful military and business leader), kept a plaque on his wall that read, “When you are up to your rear in alligators, it is hard to remember that the main objective is to drain the swamp.”

After my Dr. Seuss books, that plaque is the first thing I remember reading. As I have matured, that message has gone from funny to cliché, to sublime. As educators we spend a lot of time wrestling with the alligators (both real and imagined) when if we would just drain the swamp, the alligators will just go away.

Case in point. As I have experienced and reported, and as numerous LYSers can attest, when we improve the quality of instructional leadership and classroom instruction, student discipline rapidly improves. However, I was recently on a campus where the “answer” to all of the problems that the campus faces is to send teachers to “Capturing Kids Hearts,” training over the course of the next year. Now I have been CHK trained and I am a fan, but this is a classic “wrestle the alligator” reaction. The answers to the problems on this campus revolve around proactive, supportive campus leadership and better implementation of effective instructional practices. The “drain the swamp” solution is the Foundation Trinity and the Fundamental Five.

If you never address the underlying problem, the symptoms never improve.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming 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); Fundamental Five; Tech Tools for the 2.0 Principal

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

June 18 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of April 24, 2011

First, every American owes a debt of gratitude to everyone who ever put on a uniform.

Second, the world is a better place this morning, than it was yesterday morning.

Third, with every major breaking news story over the past year, I either found out about it or got the early details on my I-phone or I-Pad.

Fourth, Middle East Revolutions, Tsunami, Nuclear Catastrophe, Tornadoes, Libya, War on Terror Update – If only there was a tool to bring the changing world into the classroom in real time. Embrace bootleg technology.

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 April 24^th 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. (Combined – LYSers doing great things)

A. Austin Statesman reports Luling High School is the second most improved high school in central Texas.

B. LYS Superintendent, Andy Peters, is the lone finalist for the Poth ISD job!

C. LYS Principal, Dr. Chane Rascoe, is the lone finalist for the Moody ISD superintendent position!

D. Son of a LYSer, Baron Batch, just got drafted by the Steelers!!!!!

2. Why do you have to consider "turn-around"? If things aren't working fix it, now. To wait is to short change students. Why are we OK with that?

3. Here's the problem with most merit pay plans. It's a zero sum game played on an uneven playing field. I win, you lose. My kids are poorer than your kids, I lose.

4. Parent involvement follows successful students. And the good news is that we are the critical variable.

5. I have never been an advocate for exclusionary practice, policy or programs.

6. Anyone who tells you that vouchers are not additional tax subsidies for the rich is either confused or lying. Neither inspires confidence.

7. Tonite's run thought: The most overlooked component of excellence. The amount of pain you can endure before you quit.

8. New study says kids spend 25% of waking hours with a tech device. How much time do you take to leverage that interest? Embrace bootleg technology!

9. Tonite's run thought: The Hard-Working, Proactive and Prepared seek out and relish the opportunity to measure themselves.

10. Tonite's run thought: If you run with your mouth open you will eat a bug and I hate snakes.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Upcoming 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); Fundamental Five; Tech Tools for the 2.0 Principal

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

June 18 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

The Countdown Officially Begins, T minus 30

Yesterday, Dr. Laird and I approved the final digital proof for our book, “The Fundamental Five: The Formula for Quality Instruction”. This means that we will get the hard copy draft in our hands within 10 days and the book will be available within 30 days. To say that we are excited is an understatement. And as many of you have already requested, we promise that there will be a release event and a book signing or two, so watch the blog and the LYS Nation Twitter feed for more details.

Since we noticed some data anomalies a little over four years ago, the Fundamental Five has taken a life its own. Dr. Laird and I have conducted over 15 national presentations to thousands of board members and district administrators. There have been over two hundred campuses that have adopted the Fundamental Five as its core instructional framework. And LYS has trained over ten thousand of teachers on how to seamlessly integrate the Fundamental Five into their daily routine. The results have been nothing less than stunning. But as a LYSer, you already know that.

Which brings me to a favor that I want to ask the LYS Nation. Send me your Fundamental Five anecdote, success story, or endorsement. When I share with the world the success of the LYS Nation, I’m often accused dealing in hyperbole. No one wants to believe that they are not already working at the peak of effectiveness. So let me attach some more names and schools to this continuing story of student, teacher and school success.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Follow Sean Cain on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

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); Fundamental Five

June 17 (TASSP) - PowerWalks

June 18 (TASB) - The Fundamental Five; Improve Now!

A Reader Writes... (Poisonous Staff - Part 7)

In response to the 2/10/2011 post, “Poisonous Staff – Part 5,” a LYS Assistant Principal writes:

Expectations and expertise must be visible in an assistant principal as well. I hold myself to high standards and knowledge. I constantly want to learn what I don't know or haven't experienced. When an individual holds themselves to such high standards, the leadership of the principal and assistant principal is at its best.

SC Response

I know that the principal that wrote the comment that you are responding to wasn’t disparaging assistant principals. My interpretation was that it is to be expected that APs might have some difficulty explaining the “what and why” for many decisions due both a lack of experience and lack of access. But principals aren’t afforded that crutch, even if it is valid. Which is why the principalship is different.

But that doesn’t let APs off the hook. More than any other position in education, the AP job is all about sorting. Principals and central office are constantly evaluating who is effective, efficient, a problem solver, a hard worker, a team player, etc. APs that look for ways to continue to grow, distinguish themselves, network effectively and add value to their team get promoted over APs that don’t do those things. The fact that you hold yourself to a high standard is why you were a candidate for your current job. The key is to keep pushing yourself to get better, make sure that your teachers and students are successful and don’t turn down the opportunities that are not quite perfect.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain at www.Twitter.com/LYSNation.

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Plan to attend the LYS presentations at TASSP and TASB in June

Can School Turn-around Survive Changes in Leadership

I recently read an article where the, “I’m going to take a broom to this school” principal left mid-year for a higher paying, lateral move job, in another district. This is after firing several teachers and support staff and bringing in people that he had worked with before. The premise of the article is that when the hero principal leaves - the positive change dies.

First of all, the principal in question, isn’t a hero, he’s a braying ass. And obviously, the changes he attempted to implement will die. But for a different reason than what most people seem to believe. His improvement efforts, as are those in most districts, are based on a “talent-driven” model. The talent driven model assumes that success and failure is based on the talent of the individual. An unsuccessful school means that the individual actors in the system lack talent, so the answer is to replace them with actors of greater talent. What the braying ass found out (but still doesn’t recognize), is that if the majority of actors in the system are not successful, the problem is the system.

LYS works to introduce and implement a capacity building system. A capacity building system, purposefully adds what works into the collective practice base while purposefully subtracting what does not work from the collective practice base. As you do this, the machine adds value to the individual and individual, at the very least, maintains the effectiveness of the machine.

Now for those of you concerned about the machine stifling the creativity of the individual, I’ll share a sports analogy. Michael Jordan was recognized as the best athlete in the NBA long before the Chicago Bulls started winning championships. But for the Bulls to compete at the highest level, they had to function as a team with a singular understanding. Individual talent was not enough; it was capacity building (in the form of the triangle offense) that created a dynasty.

So to answer the question, can turn-around survive a change in leadership - sometimes. If the turn-around has installed infrastructure and processes that support true capacity building, and there has been enough time for staff to enjoy some success though the use of the infrastructure and processes, the change can survive. If a braying ass does nothing but slash, burn and force survivors into a bunker mentality, the odds of any changes surviving a transition in leadership are slim indeed.

One final note, as you read about the slim odds of school improvement initiatives surviving long-term, I share this one fact. Of the 30+ academically unacceptable high schools that have adopted some variation of the LYS model since 2005, only one was AU in 2010. And that campus rejected everything LYS worked with them on. That would almost be humorous if it didn’t mean that a whole high school of students would actually be better off if they transferred to any other district in their vicinity and the adults still don’t care.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Follow Sean Cain at www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Coming Soon! "The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction" www.TheFundamentalFive.com

Plan to attend the LYS presentations at TASSP and TASB in June