Teacher Quality and Qualifications - Why the Right is Wrong

It is interesting scanning the discussions about teacher quality and qualifications. As usual, both extremes have it wrong and those of us in the middle are forced to hold our noses and pick a side. Let’s look at the issue from each angle. First, the Right.

Understand that the far Right is anti-public education, regardless of any posturing. The far Right views education as an unfixable quagmire that is a waste of “their” tax dollars. Their solution, starve the beast and water down the quality of service providers so that they can claim that they are justified as they siphon off more and more tax dollars towards private entities.

From the standpoint of the Far Right, any slightly trained monkey can teach. Don’t believe me? Let’s analyze their actions (which speak louder than any words). Watering down entrance requirements, reducing salary and benefits, and increasing class size all have the very real effect of making the field of education less desirable. More and more educators (both current and potential) that have other career opportunities are now exercising those options. Perhaps any trained monkey can cover content with 18 affluent students (though undeserving any student is reprehensible), but teaching 35+ at-risk students at high rigor, high relevance and high engagement requires an exceptional, highly trained and supported employee. To ensure that this person is attracted to, and then remains, in the profession requires an investment greater than the Far Right is willing to commit too. Over time, this Far Right agenda will lead to our classrooms being staffed with either the most altruistic of teachers or the college graduates with the fewest prospects. If anyone thinks that is a viable solution, visit the public defender’s office or legal aid clinic the next time you need a lawyer.

Next week, we’ll talk about the Left.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference

Quit with the Early Benchmarks

My head nearly exploded last week, and it wasn’t due to the sinus infection that I am currently fighting. I was in two different districts during the 2^nd week of school where they had already shut down instruction to give a release TAKS to every student, to see where they are. At these struggling, high poverty districts there is absolutely no valid information that will come from this test. On day seven of instruction, the students have regressed a little from the results that the actual TAKS reported in May. That is to be expected. And that is all you really need to know. You start teaching at full speed on day one of instruction, assess (not benchmark) at short-term intervals and adjust on the fly. That is the formula for academic growth and success.

When asked why they were administering the release test, staff in both districts told me that their state monitor suggested it. These people could not be more wrong with their advice. Benchmarking this early in the year is the instructional equivalent of bleeding the patient to release the bad blood. It is simply superstition masquerading as professional practice. Just because the person the state send to you has good intentions (they do) doesn’t mean that they have any idea what they are doing (many don’t). We have to be critical consumers of advice and information. If someone advises you to do something that does not quite make sense, ask some questions and challenge some convictions.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference

A Superintendent Submits... The New Martyr Complex

A LYS Superintendent submits the following:

I have noticed a new and distinct martyr complex at work in public education. Actually, the complex may not be new, but I just noticed it. Let me explain.

As schools are facing the results of the State's calculated response to accountability this year, I hear many "leaders" standing up saying "Blame me," and "I own that, I was the leader." There are many variations to the theme, but you get the drift. This is somewhat a refreshing trend, but it is getting to be such a common response that it is almost simply becoming the new "got to say" fad. Everyone wants to be nailed to the cross, because that's what "great" leaders do.

Let's look at this. If your school failed, you are to blame. Say it once, own it forever, and move on. Once you have acknowledged the failure ONCE, move on to the next step. Here is where I see few people treading out fear of being called a bad leader.

Understand there is a difference, a huge difference, between making excuses and looking for causes and solutions. In my organization, I can tell you that I have found very few central office administrators focusing on failure analysis and solution finding. This will change. The ultimate failure of leadership at this point is NOT searching for failure causes. Just as Feynman did when Challenger went down in the mid 1980's, you MUST analyze why you failed and formulate solutions. That is NOT excuse making, that is problem solving. Your central office staff must embrace this. If not, they will hinder your progress in the future.

SC Response

I glad you have been hearing “Blame me” and “I own that,” because I haven’t heard those comments very often outside of the LYS Nation. What I have heard is a lot of “The campus really dropped the ball,” “The principal should have know,” and “If it wasn’t for (insert number and demographic) kids, we would have been (higher rating).”

For a results guy and a results organization (me and LYS), we don’t freak out over the end of the year scores. We view the end of the year scores as simply the starting point for next year. And in most cases we aren’t surprised by the end results. We track and adjust so frequently during the year, that we know what we are doing well and what we still need to correct and improve. I’m reminded of a George Patton dispatch from WWII, “You aren’t beaten until you quit. Hence, don’t.” If you are busy making yourself a martyr, that smells a lot like quitting.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of August 28, 2011

In response to the Top LYS Tweets post from 8/14/11, a reader tweeted:

LYS Nation,

I loved the blog post idea about having kids bring in their own technology to use!

SC Response

Thanks! I can't think of a more relevant and engaging classroom practice that any teacher can begin to implement now, other than the Fundamental 5. In fact, the Fundamental 5 sets up the classroom to better integrate the use of bootleg technology.

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 August 28, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Some teachers go to happy hour on Friday afternoon. At Seguin ES, they get together to frame lessons for next week. Awesome!

2. Why would a Central Office have a staff ice cream social during school operation hours?

3. Ice cream socials certainly set the example for others: free days and parties. (By seaboltm)

4. Fourth grade teacher, Amy Henderson, just filmed a testimonial on what the Fundamental 5 has done for her students. She is my favorite LYS teacher for this week!

5. Don't be overwhelmed or overconfident... have a plan and execute it for "discrete, measurable chunks" leadyourschool.blogspot.com/2011/08/reader… (By tlongannecker)

6. If you are going to show up late and unprepared, at least have a good attitude.

7. Teaching to the test is not necessarily bad. I want my lawyer, doctor, CPA and pilot taught to the test.

8. It is better to teach the right thing poorly, than the wrong thing well. Learning Chaucer doesn't help me if the test covers Twain.

9. One of our high schools drove over 600 miles round trip to play pre-season football...budget cuts? What budget cuts? (By mustang_mama)

10. Congratulations to LYS'ers Leslie and Tony Thomas on the wedding of their daughter, Whitney!

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

Visit the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference

A LYS Principal Submits... Lead Your School

A LYS Principal submits the following:

Sean,

I hope all is well with you this summer. I thought you did a great job at the TASSP conference—a much needed shot in the arm. I enjoyed visiting with you and the rest of the LYS Coaching Staff.

I thought I would share some thoughts with the LYS nation today. Douglas Reeves in his book The Daily Disciplines of Leadership notes:

Feedback (i.e. data) is not about transmission of information. It is about using that information to change us.

• What will you do differently from what you did last year?

• What will you stop doing that you did last year?

• How and when will you know that you are making progress?

If the answer to the first question is a list of initiatives and the second question remains unanswered, then the new initiatives are doomed. If the answer to the third question does not include measurable results produced at frequent intervals—the daily disciplines of accountability and feedback—then we should not expect anything to change.

Remember, at the intersection of principles and evidence lies an opportunity to Lead Your School. Leadership carries great risk, much discomfort and plenty of unpopularity—as does doing nothing. While the realization concerning the above-mentioned questions may sting like a jab to the noise—know that the fundamentals, practiced daily, and with discipline always lead to improved student achievement.

Regroup, plan with simplicity and fundamental clarity, and come out hitting hard and fast from day one. Administer the Foundational Trinity with clinical discipline and precision. Always coaching to enhance lesson frames, increase power zone frequency, refine FSGPT transitions, recognize & reinforce more specifically and critical write, write, write…..

Above all remember we’re LYS Principals—I can’t think of a better point from which to begin “Tipping” from….

Succeeding Together…Whatever It Takes!

SC Response

Great post, great reminder. There is a reason why your staff keeps producing exemplary ratings year after year. Keep raising the bar for all of us.

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

A Reader Submits... The Classroom Doom Loop

An Old School LYS Principal submits the following observation:

Here is my classroom doom loop recipe.

1. Poor instruction

2. Students off task and don't care

3. Minor, yet chronic, discipline problems

4. Teacher use failing grades as their primary motivator / punishment

SC Response

You forgot the critical catalysts of leadership failure:

1. Disengaged, absentee managership

2. Poor or no tools, support and feedback for staff.

The silver lining in this doom loop recipe, adult practice builds and accelerates the loop, but adult practice can slow down and dismantle the loop. Don’t believe me, look at the initial remedy for each element of the loop

1. Problem - Poor instruction / Solution – Fundamental 5

2. Problem - Students off task and don't care / Solution – Fundamental 5

3. Problem - Minor, yet chronic, discipline problems / Solution – Fundamental 5 and Foundation Trinity

4. Problem - Teacher use failing grades as their primary motivator and punishment / Solution – Fundamental 5 and Foundation Trinity

5. Problem - Disengaged, absentee managership / Solution – Foundation Trinity

6. Problem - Poor or no tools, support and feedback for staff / Solution – Fundamental 5 and Foundation Trinity

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