Principal Learner

Infrequently Asked Questions

2011-11-19T10:15:00.001-08:00

This post at Leader Talk led me to this article at Harvard Business Review on the power of asking questions to lead your organization. Polly Labarre argues that the best way to lead is through asking great questions that disrupt, challenge, and motivate. She also shared the work of Vineet Nayar CEO of HCL Technologies, who has a set of 20 questions that he ponders daily. So, following his model, I came up with some questions to think about for my school:

School

What is the purpose of schooling?

Students

What strengths, abilities, and interest do our students have?

What do our students need to know? Why do they need to know it?

What do our students need to be able to do? Why do they need to be able to do this?

Would my children want to attend this school?

What are the blindspots on our campus?

Parents

If our parents could choose any school in the city, would they choose ours? Why or why not?

Teachers and Staff

What is there at our school that would attract the brightest and best educators?

What do our teachers need today to deliver high quality education to every child?

What can I do today to encourage a teacher?

What can I do today to encourage a colleague, fellow Principal, Superintendent?

What things do I control that I should no longer control?

How can I give control to others, especially those who create value?

How can I encourage others to lead with their strengths?

What can I do to create platforms for the great ideas of teachers, parents and students at SC?

What would happen if there was no Principal at this school?

What questions would you ask at your school or organization?

Reframing

2011-11-16T09:13:00.001-08:00

Today I let someone crawl inside my head and chew on my brain cells, and it didn't feel good. This week at school there were so many things to celebrate. I observed class after class of engaging writing by students, excellent presentations on the history of Egypt, and teachers revising writing to a level I have not seen before. But, I still let that one person mess with my head. So, this is my attempt to extract those negative and useless thoughts away.

In order to get my head out away from those negative thoughts I resolve the following.

1. Make a plan for addressing the issue that is proactive and has potential for redeeming the situation.

2. Forget about it.

3. Read a great story this week. I think it will be this one or maybe this one.

4. Finish a half-done project.

That wasn't so hard. Some optimism is creeping in and it feels great.

Cheers

Grit

2011-11-16T09:04:00.001-08:00

Heidi Grant Halvorson on the Harvard Ideacast discussed her new ebook 9 Things Successful People Do Differently. One of the most significant findings she highlights is an individual's belief that they can improve. It comes down to perseverance and that awesome word: GRIT. Intelligence is overrated. Positive Thinking (without action) is overrated. Determination and a "Never Say Die" attitude rule the day.

Peter Drucker Wisdom

2011-11-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

Jim Champy's new book, What I learned from Peter Drucker looks like a winner. Drucker is one of the pioneers of modern management theory and practice and Champy appears to have had a lengthy personal and professional friendship with Drucker. Here is an excerpt from the Introduction:

Peter's work had two major components. The first was the big picture: He believed that healthy organizations of all kinds — corporations, nonprofits, museums, libraries, sports teams, garden clubs, hospitals, government agencies — are the glue that holds society together and shields it from totalitarianism and economic chaos. Calling himself a social ecologist, he argued that every organization should understand its place in this sustaining mosaic and do its fair share of aiding the common good in all its actions.

The second thrust of his work focused on management per se, on organizational structure, function, and efficiency. His books and lectures were filled with practical and proven solutions to some of the most vexing challenges businesses face. For example, he was unyielding on the importance of focusing on customer needs, using time wisely, and scrapping weak or obsolete processes and products.

The two strands of his thinking intersected in his belief that companies succeed to the degree they make work meaningful, giving employees a sense of purpose and fulfillment. His ability to clearly articulate and balance these two complementary elements of his lifework, the macro and micro, was one of his great strengths.

This connects with the management and leadership skill sets that I Kotter highlight in his article. Leaders succeed to the extent that they can balance progress on the micro and macro areas of leadership.

Great Effort Better than Smarts

2011-11-14T07:21:00.001-08:00

In order to learn, grow, and succeed, we must first FAIL. That's right. Failure is the key to success, however whether you learn from your failures, depends on what you think about your ability and how one learns. Carol Dweck in Mindset has made these two frames of reference quite explicit. A new study by Jason Moser at Michigan State University, highlighted in this Washington Post article, demonstrates that individuals with the growth mindset give more thought to their failure, presumably to learn from it, than those with the fixed mindset, who brush off their failure to their own detriment.
Lesson for schools = Praise students for effort, not intelligence.

Leadership and Management

2011-11-13T13:04:00.001-08:00

Matt Perman shared this excellent article by John Kotter on the actions of leaders compared to mangers.

These two different functions - coping with complexity and coping with change-shape the characteristic activities of management and leadership

The best leaders are attuned to these set of complimentary skills. I was thinking of this when I read this summary of Anne Mulcahy's address to the Stanford Business School discussing her work turning around a near bankrupt Xerox in the early 2000's. She instituted immediate cost cutting and efficiency protocols to begin to stem the tide of debt, and at the same time she focused the organization on their core value of innovation, not cutting any money from research and development. I also appreciate her comments about the centrality of communication to her successful leadership.

"I feel like my title should be Chief Communication Officer, because that's really what I do," she said, emphasizing the importance of listening to customers and employees. "When I became CEO, I spent the first 90 days on planes traveling to various offices and listening to anyone who had a perspective on what was wrong with the company. I think if you spend as much time listening as talking, that's time well spent."

Nuggets

2011-11-12T08:53:00.001-08:00

Jim Collins on Great Leaders Matt Perman always has excellent quotes on the qualities of great leadership. Servant Leadership is personified by many of the successful leaders that Collins has studied.

50 Free apps from LifeHacker Dropbox is leading the way and there are tons of new ways to use it that are worth digging into.

Never Waste a Good Crisis Michael Hyatt has often plugged the benefit of Life Planning. Having gotten a couple stents in an artery two months ago has helped me begin that process in earnest.

Grade 6 student explains how he makes apps

Obstacles Can be our Friend

2011-11-12T00:25:00.001-08:00

In Carol Dweck's book Mindset, she quotes Bruce Jenner, 1976 Olympic Decathlon champion.

"If I wasn't dyslexic, I probably wouldn't have won the Games. If I had been a better reader, then that would have come easily, sports would have come easily ... and I never would have realized that the way you get ahead in life is hard work."

Obstacles can be the means of growth and improvement if we allow them to teach us to learn and improve. We need to encourage students with struggles so that they don't use those as an excuse to give up, but a reason to be determined and persevere.

Setting The Tone

2011-11-10T08:28:00.001-08:00

Every organization has a culture and tone. There is one person who bears the primary responsibility for creating that atmosphere - be it positive or negative - and that would be the leader. If your teachers are unconcerned and dismissive of students, if your parents don't demonstrate a commitment to education, if your students are mean and nasty to one another, you might want to ask what messages are you sending by your actions (or inaction), words, and priorities.

I was reading the account of Pontius Pilate sentencing Jesus to death this morning and I was struck by Pilates' flippant attitude about Jesus being the King of the Jews. He mockingly called him the King of the Jews because he suspected that the Jewish leaders were envious. Well, this call was taken up by the soldiers who mocked Jesus with a purple robe, then hit him and spit on him. They took Pilate's lead and increased the mockery and degradation of Jesus. This same tone was taken by the crowds who called for his crucifixion. There, in a nutshell, is the influence of Pilate (and the religious leaders) who set the tone for that whole scene. So, what messages do you believe are most important to send in your school or organization. Here are a few that I try to instill where I'm working and living.

Appreciation - My Assistant Principal and I write Energy Boost notes as often as we see them. Douglas Conant, formerly of Campbell Soup, wrote 10 personal notes every day to his staff. After a tough year, John Kralik wrote a thank you note every day for a year, then wrote the book 365 Thank Yous to chronicle his experience. Here are his tips for writing the perfect thank you note. I recently went to the hospital for a heart problem and received the most impressive service I've every experienced. With great pleasure I wrote thank you notes to my doctors, the nurses, and the CEO of the hospital. I know the notes were well received, and conversely, it gave me a great boost to write and deliver the notes as well.

Conversation - Learning is social and so is leading. I like to get out and interact with teachers before school, during breaks, and any chance I get - sometimes about school related issues, sometimes about life. Both are equally valuable. I don't want to act like I care. I actually do care. Teachers give their heart and soul to the profession and I appreciate that dedication and try and show it with my time and attention. It's also great to meet parents in the hallways, waiting for their kids or volunteering. I learn about their successes and struggles and find out which teachers they are pleased with and what issues are causing concern. When the leader goes out to see what is going on, the good news gets spread more often and the bad news gets handled more quickly.

Reading - One of the questions I almost always ask kids is, "What are you reading"? I want kids to know that I value reading and I'm a reader as well. I gladly share what I'm reading and try and find similar books for kids to read in the genre they are currently enjoying.

Learning - It goes without saying that if you want your students and teachers to constantly be learning, you need to be a learner as well. You must be reading, soaking up new information, observing best practices inside and outside your organization, asking questions, writing, thinking, innovating, taking risks, and failing as these are the ways that you learn.

So, this post started with a pretty sour example of negative leadership. The great news is that you can turn around a culture that is bent toward negativity with your next action, word, or thank you note. Why don't you get started today.

Teaching is Brain Surgery... Blindfolded

2011-11-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

I recently read Dave Levy's excellent book, Gray Matter. In it he describes his decision to bring prayer into his relationship with his patients. He also describes the intricacies of brain surgery by entering through the arteries with a long, pliable wire and inserting microscopic stents and glue to block off blood flow to aneurysms and clots. It is obviously a profession demanding high levels of skill, vast knowledge of the human anatomy and patience and perseverance. It got me thinking about the work of teaching and learning and the requirements of a classroom teacher. They too are doing brain surgery only teachers don't have nearly as much help and assistance as our medical colleagues. Here are several ways that teaching students is actually harder than brain surgery.

Teachers do not enjoy a live video stream of the immediate effect of their teaching as they work.
Teachers don't usually have a small army of assistants in the classroom to help with the performance.
Teachers' students are not put to sleep while performing the procedure. They are very wide awake and sometimes tend to fail to cooperate with the teacher's intentions.
Teachers must deal with student misbehavior ranging from inattention to defiance and everything in between.

So, hail to our brain surgeons in the classroom, performing critical work on children's gray matter every day with great wisdom, exceptional skill, and unlimited patience.

Introverts Can Lead

2011-11-08T06:12:00.000-08:00

Listning to HBR's Ideacast, I heart Douglas Conant, former CEO of Campbell's Soup and author of Touchpoints, explain his strategies for turning around several companies. The final question he answered was around his character his being an introvert. He explained that the manner in which he finally was able to overcome this trait was by openly acknowledging that he was an introvert and encouraging his team to invite him into a conversation and not wait for him to engage. It was a powerful moment when he was able to embrace this aspect of his personality and leadership style. Once he acknowledged openly his bent toward introvertism, he conversely became less of an introvert. Once again this reminds me of my comments yesterday about leadership styles. All styles of leadership can be effective. The loud, gregarious, and extrovert is probably the most common leader style that we think of when we picture the quintessential leader. However, quiet, reserved, and even introverts can lead. What is more important is integrity, thoughtfulness, clear thinking, collaboration, and courage.

One Leadership Style Not Needed

2011-11-07T06:05:00.001-08:00

I was recently listening to the Catalyst Podcast with Marcus Buckingham, in which he was discussing his new book, Standout. He was mentioning his study of General Managers in a large company who all had very unique and different strategies to lead their divisions - and all were successful. He made it clear that those managers would be less successful if they tried to emulate the actions and behaviors of their peers, who led in unique and individualized ways. The style of leadership is closely tied to the strengths and personality of the leader and the strengths and personality of the team. A bigger need is to be aware of our own strengths and seek to maximize our impact in a way that is congruent with our own leadership style. A good question to ask would be, "When I have been most successful, what actions and behaviors have led to that success?"

Facing Unique Challenges Builds Brain Muscles

2011-11-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

Our students needs lots and lots of practice STRUGGLING with novel and challenging problems that they are capable of solving. They need to learn to try, fail, try again, struggle, and ultimately succeed. This is reinforced by a recent commentary noted on the New York Times Opinion Page, which demonstrated that students performed better on tests when given practice problems that were not all of the same type:

When students can’t tell in advance what kind of knowledge or problem-solving strategy will be required to answer a question, their brains have to work harder to come up with the solution, and the result is that students learn the material more thoroughly.

This practice is called interleaving and has proven effective in improving students' performance on tests.

A study published last year in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology asked fourth-graders to work on solving four types of math problems and then to take a test evaluating how well they had learned. The scores of those whose practice problems were mixed up were more than double the scores of those students who had practiced one kind of problem at a time

Presentations - Begin with the end in Mind

2011-07-31T11:21:00.001-07:00

Since Steven Covey began writing about leadership and personal success back in the 80's, that phrase "Begin with the end in mind" has seeped into our culture. It is critically important when teaching or leading both adults and children. Here's what he says about your ultimate purpose.

If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster.

Purpose must be explicit, clear, and meaningful to your audience. Here are some reflective questions that I consider when beginning my plans for presentations.

What does my audience need to know or be able to do by the end of our meeting?
Is the goal for them to have a discussion and brainstorm possibilities, or come to a decision?
Will the audience embrace the goal I've chosen or am I imposing an artificial goal that the audience will resist?
What are the audience's current strengths and areas of weakness related to the topic?

So, clearly you must be an expert on two subjects: 1) your content and 2) your audience, though I would argue that it's more important to be an expert on the audience than the subject. After all, you may have members of the audience with greater knowledge and expertise than yourself and, knowing that, you can tap into their experiences to craft the presentation.

Once I've reflected on the needs and perspective of my audience, I decide what I want to be accomplished. For example, in some recent staff development meetings we completed the following activities for the purposes indicated in parentheses.

1. Brainstormed a list of strengths and needs of our English Learners and our staff's expertise related to instruction of English Learners. (Building an asset based approach to English Learners and discovering the wealth of human resources available to enhance our instruction)

2. Decided on our instructional focus for the year, which is writing. (Develop consensus around the primary PD that we will pursue as a staff)

3. Made a collaborative timeline of the school from it's inception to present day. (Validate all the people and programs that have contributed to our current success and build momentum for our future work) - btw This idea came from my awesome and inspirational Assistant Principal, Ms. Sylvia Echeverria!

The success of these activities is due to the careful thought about connecting the needs of the audience and the course of action we are seeking to pursue. When these two themes align, there is energy, engagement, and productive creativity. When these two paths are disconnected, there is impassable resistance, passive acceptance and superficial implementation.

Let me close by saying a little about the tools I use at this stage. Often, I start with a blank piece of paper and pencil or pen. Despite many digital tools for mind mapping and brainstorming, I've found that the best way for me to dump out my ideas is to write them out and begin the process of re-reading, revising, questioning, and discussing with my leadership team until we reach a clear consensus on our goals and purpose.

In the next post, I'll discuss the best ways to deliver content and the processes for grappling with that content as a group.

Learning Presentations

2011-07-10T23:51:00.001-07:00

As a Principal, I have many opportunities to present to teachers and on some occasions to my Principal peers. This important form of communication and teaching is one of the primary attributes of a leader. Below are the questions that I ponder to develop and execute the most effective presentations possible.

1. Consider what I want my audience to know and be able to do both at the end of the meeting and at some future date (e.g. end of quarter, semester, year)

2. What is the best way to deliver the content?

3. How can I grab their attention at the outset?

4. Where can I include opportunities for dialogue, discussion, and collaboration?

5. How much time should I provide for my audience to plan and develop next steps with the content?

6. How can I leave them with a bent toward action and an emotional connection with the work?

I will flesh out these questions in the next few posts to explain how I attempt to deliver quality professional development and increase the learning of my staff and colleagues.

2011-06-21T19:24:00.001-07:00

Failure is tolerable and even desirable ... so long as you are learning. Failure that doesn't develop new learning is truly a FAIL, with no redeeming qualities. But failure, that produces lessons for the next try can truly make an organization, school, classroom, student, or teacher smarter and more successful. Liz Wiseman, in her book Multipliers introduces Lutz Ziob who was the general manager of the education business at Microsoft who was described as,

"He brings an intellectual curiosity for why things didn't work out."

We must ask lots of questions about our failures to determine why they didn't work and what we might do differently to reach our goals.

Is that your best?

2011-06-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Liz Wiseman in Multipliers

Asking whether people are giving their best gives them the opportunity to push themselves beyond their previous limits.

Are you Talking to Me?

2011-05-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

If there is one trait that sets apart good leaders from great, it is the ability to listen. Here's how Liz Wiseman describes that trait.

Liberators are more than just good listeners. They are ferocious listeners. They listen to feed their hunger for knowledge. They listen to learn what other people know and add it to their reservoir of knowledge.

This type of listening is possible only if you th ink others have ideas worth thinking about. The Tyrant believes he has all the answers and is rarely ready to hear, acknowledge, and implement an idea that doesn't come from his own head.

Your Best Work

2011-05-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

They (liberators) appear to hold two ostensibly opposing positions with equal fervor. They create both comfort and pressure in the environment,. In the eyes of the Liberator, it is a just exchange: I give you space; you give me back your best work.
-Liz Wiseman in Multipliers

Multipliers

2011-05-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Many of our district administrators have just read the book Multipliers by Liz Wiseman. I'll be posting several quotes and my comments from the book here. It was a great reminder of the power we have to make others more effective, productive, and satisfied in the workplace and at home.

Let's begin with one of the qualities of the "Liberator" as opposed to The "Tyrant".

Tyrants create a tense environment-one that is full of stress and anxiety. Liberators like Robert create an intense environment that requires concentration, diligence, and energy. It is an environment where people are encouraged to think for themselves but also where people experience a deep obligation to do their best work.

So many leaders act as if their colleagues will slack off and do nothing if they are not in their face demanding and directing their every move. My favorite Principal was Dr. Bob Bane who got out of my way and set a vision for our school. I desperately wanted to produce quality results in everything I did because of his respectful and challenging leadership.

The dirty words "Test Prep"

2011-05-09T05:54:00.001-07:00

I've been training for a 1/2 Marathon for this June and as the race date quickly approaches I've been thinking of the parallels of our students getting ready for the annual end-of-the-year assessments. Here are some parallels that would help our students approach the testing with confidence and peace of mind.

The day of the race should be a day of celebration because of all of the training that has been put in preparing for the big day.
Gradual improvement day after day will result in substantial growth over the course of a year.
Pep rallies and slogans are not nearly as effective as disciplined practice and engaged learning every day.
Your results on the assessment will be a direct result of the efforts that you expanded during the course of the year (training period) and not the tricks you learned for race day.

Our most productive endeavor is planning the daily instructional routines that will build our students knowledge and skills over the course of a year to give them the confidence to step up to that starting line on test day with confidence and enthusiasm to show what they have learned.

Silver Lining

2011-04-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

All of us will face hard times. Leaders, teachers, students, and families will all encounter setbacks, disappointments, even - disaster. As a school leader, we need to first manage ourselves in the midst of struggles and setbacks, then assist our staff and students to do the same.

Recently I've come across a couple resources that provide excellent tips on getting through hard times healthier on the other side. The Harvard Business Review Ideacast recently interviewed Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He has done some fascinating work with the military to test out his hypothesis about optimism and resiliency. Many of us our familiar with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its devastating consequences. But, have you heard of Post Traumatic Growth Syndrome? It turns out an equal number of people come through great trauma actually stronger than when they started. Furthermore, the vast majority of people in between the two extremes are resilient and survive their trauma by returning to a state equally as good as before the trauma. The major difference between the first group and the the last two is optimism. Those that have a sense that things will eventually turn out better, tend to be correct. It's a self fulfilling prophecy with significant lifetime effects.

This idea was also covered by Michael Hyatt who came up with seven questions to ask yourself when facing adversity. One of his questions was:

What does this experience make possible?

There are so many examples in life where great discoveries and accomplishments were born out of loss, failure, and defeat. I read recently an article in The Week magazine about a gentleman who was mugged and hit over the head. He subsequently went to the doctor, where a brain scan found a previously undetected tumor that was removed. Basically, those muggers saved his life. For the rest of us, we can build resiliency in ourselves and those we work with and live with by modeling and teaching a positive response to challenges. I'm definitely keeping this in mind as we face the end of a school year with many teachers facing job uncertainty because of our continuing budget reductions.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/billselak/502927600/sizes/m/

Content is King

2011-03-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

The Core Knowledge Blog has a great post on educational reformers called Ed Reformers for Illiteracy. These reformers ignore content and curriculum at our students' peril:

If you are opposed teaching a common body of shared knowledge to all children, you are opposed to teaching children to read. You are in favor of illiteracy, either by choice or indifference. You favor damaging our most vulnerable children by denying them the most critical thing: the functional knowledge they need to succeed.

They also point out that critical thinking is not a skill that can be learned outside of content knowledge. For example, someone who has domain specific knowledge of chemistry will not be able to apply critical thinking skills to history without the domain specific knowledge that field requires. Teaching content = Teaching reading!

Hidden Agenda Unveiled

2011-03-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

On every staff for which I have worked, there are always a few who get the feeling that I have a hidden agenda. Well, today I confess that they are correct. I have always had a hidden agenda and it's about time I revealed what I'm REALLY trying to accomplish. For example, ...

When I share teacher data from every classroom on school wide assessments my goal is that teachers learn from each other.
When I observe a class and head straight to the student least likely to know what's going on, I just want to make sure that student is learning just like the others.
When I ask reflective questions about a lesson I've seen, I want to understand what the teacher was intending to accomplish and how she was going about doing that.
When I insist on using nearly every staff meeting opportunity, it's because I believe that the more time our staff spends together thinking and discussing about teaching and learning, the better we will become.
When I ask teachers to allow me to videotape and view their lessons it's because I want them to learn about their own best practices and how they can get better.

With these examples and many more, my hidden agenda is that it's all about the learning. I hope this provides some relief to anyone who was thinking I had some sinister or evil plot in mind for my methods and madness. Please excuse me for keeping up the game because I've still got a lot to learn.

Productivity Tip

2011-02-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

Late nights can become a habit. Unfortunately, it is usually a sign of lack of discipline rather than a sign of dedicated commitment. A few weeks ago, I committed to getting to bed every week night by 10:00. I actually got to bed by 10:30 all week and here is what I noticed:

1. My energy and alertness during the day was much higher.

2. My productivity at home was better as I had a clear deadline for completing the work.

3. I was able to get up a little earlier to start the day with Bible reading and prayer.

4. I didn't fall behind on any significant projects (my one fear)

There was truly no down side to the experiment. Of course, the next week I regressed to my undisciplined self and had a couple late nights and paid the price. Looks like the knowing-doing gap rears its ugly head again. Good night!

Don't be a Control Freak

2011-01-30T21:46:00.001-08:00

Here's a great quote from Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.

The old organization was built on control, but the world has changed. The world is moving at such a pace that control has become a limitation. It slows you down. You’ve got to balance freedom with some control, but you’ve got to have more freedom than you ever dreamed of.

This is another one of those tensions that we need to manage. Daniel Pink makes the case for autonomy, purpose, and mastery as our prime motivators in knowledge work. When we try to control people, we will not get the creativity and innovation that will drive our organizations to better performance. On the other hand, we also need to measure the impact of our work. Freedom needs to be maintained within a structure of mutual accountability and measured results.

Hat tip to Matt Perman

You need to be Positively Deviant... and Here's How

2011-01-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

Atul Guwande in his book Better gives several examples of Positive Deviants. These are people and organizations who outperform the norm. His examples come from the medical profession ranging from hospitals who have dramatically decreased their rate of infections through hand washing to the highest performing clinics for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. He has some practical advise for those of us who would aspire to be positive deviants in our line of work. Here are his five actions that would enable you and I to achieve improved performance.

Ask an unscripted Question
Don't complain
Count something
Write something
Change

I've been working on #2 lately, though it is no easy task. Complaining can be such an addiction. Many supervisors get trapped into looking for areas for improvement and become focused on what's not working instead of what is working.

What are some things that you do to increase your ability to perform at the highest levels?

Being Positive about Positive Deviants

2011-01-23T20:38:00.001-08:00

There exists a system where data on performance was not collected regularly. Then, one fine day, a group of practitioners got the go ahead to allow data collection on their performance so long as they remained anonymous. To the surprise of the professionals working in this field, not every entity was a high performing enclave. In fact, the performance of all of these centers rather followed the traditional Bell Curve with a few very poor performers, a whole lot of performers in the median range, and a small band of high performers leading the field. Does this sound like your school district, your grade levels, your group of teachers? In fact, this data was collected on the centers for treatment of Cystic Fibrosis and you can learn all about it in Atul Gawande's excellent book Better.

We come to find out that the medical profession has much in common with the education profession. Sharing data on performance is not as enthusiastically embraced as one might think for a field of scientists. Likewise, getting medical teams to rethink their performance by comparing to those who are getting better results is not so common, and hardly the norm. Gawande says, "What we're not used to doing is comparing our records of success and failure with those of our peers".

Imagine for a minute your child has cystic fibrosis and you learn that the children being treated at your child's center lived on an average just over 30 years. Then you find that the children at the most successful centers were living on average to 46. Where would you want your child to be treated?

The good news in Gawande's research is that the center that he highlighted did indeed seek out the highest performing center to observe and learn what strategies, attitudes, and practices they had in place to get such stellar results for their patients. Of course, the journey from mediocre to highly successful is not as easy as making some simple observations, tweaking a few practices and rejoicing at your new found success. There are so many intangibles that are difficult to replicate, much like the art and science of teaching!

So how can we in education take advantage of the Positive Deviants in our field in a way that is respectful of our teachers, yet insistent on learning from those teachers, schools, and districts who are outperforming the rest? Here are a few thoughts from my experience.

1. Be crystal clear about the reason for sharing data. Having landed on a few land mines of my own, I know that the purpose of data comparisons must be made clear and repeated often. It's about the learning.

2. Allow teachers to have input on what data should be compared. You can make a case for a lot of data to be compared that might give a distorted view of end results. Were the classes evenly created at the start of the year? Are there formative data that would contribute to positive end results? Discussion and debate about what data matters is healthy and will lead to a more enthusiastic response to the numbers.

3. Celebrate those who are humbly taking risks to learn from colleagues. Those who are willing to seek out learning from their colleagues need lots of encouragement and praise for their efforts. They are learners who are proving that they are open to any ideas that will help their children learn at higher levels.

If you are interested in seeing the data reports on the Cystic Fibrosis centers across the country they can be found here: http://www.cff.org//CCNP/CareCenterSelector/index.cfm *requires free registration I encourage you to compare your local center with the center at Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Top 100 School Administrator Blogs

2011-01-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

Alexis Brett has put together a collection of the Top 100 School Administrator Blogs. It's a great place to find some new (and not so new) voices on educational topics far and wide. Take a look.

Managing Tensions

2011-01-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Listening to a leadership podcast from Andy Stanley recently, he mentioned the difference between problems to solve and tensions to manage. I see this played out in schools all the time.

Phonics versus comprehension

Improving our current practices versus adding something new

Direct instruction versus inquiry

Academic focus versus whole child

Stanley says the key is not to allow one side to win the argument. Eliminating that tension would lead to an imbalance. He has taught his leadership team to use the language: "That's not a problem to solve, it's a tension to manage". I think schools would do well to adopt this approach to issues such as this. Finding that right balance will unleash creativity and improe effectiveness in every area of our work.

Photo Credit: JLMPhoto

Antecedents of Excellence

2011-01-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

In Doug Reeves' excellent book The Daily Disciplines of Leadership, he explains that schools that regularly perform at the highest levels are attuned to the antecedents of excellence - those habits and practices that are the foundation that allows students and adults to learn and thrive. The task of school teams is to determine what the antecedents of excellence are and measure their progress in implementing those factors into every day life. Here's my stab at some elements of school life that I believe support learning for everyone.

Literacy is valued by every member of the school community.
Growth and progress are celebrated frequently.
Hard work is valued over intelligence.
Assessment of student progress and subsequent feedback is constant, integrated into instruction, and contributes to increased motivation to learn for students.
Reasoning and analysis are evident from school staff, students, and parents
Content is integrated across disciplines.
Technology is used to allow students to create content and interact with the world outside the school walls.
Character is valued equally with academic achievement.
Clear expectations for behavior are articulated and reinforced.
Exceptional character is celebrated and honored.
Disciplinary problems are handled fairly and firmly. These incidents are used as teaching opportunities.
Failure is considered a necessary prerequisite of learning.
Grace and Gentleness are evident in all relationships.
Teachers and administrators share an equal role in leading instructional and school improvement.
Parents are partners in their children's learning through two way communication and mutual respect.
Structured social interactions enhance all learning objectives.
Physical education and the Arts demand the same preparation and rigor as Language Arts and Math.
Students should be spending the majority of the school day reading and writing authentic texts.
Non-fiction should be included in 50% of the school day.

All of these antecedents and any that you can come up with should be submitted to the Reeves test of discovery:

It is the hard work of discovery, precisely the same work we expect of our students as they learn to read, explain a proof, or balance a chemical equation... The effective leader recreates those moments regularly, not through instant wisdom and profound judgment but through questions, errors, admission of ignorance, persistent investigation, and eventual discovery.

So, what do you think? What do you believe are some important antecedents of excellence for schools?

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46145831@N00/

Architects of Performance

2010-12-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

Doug Reeves develops his own definition of leadership.

Leaders are the architects of improved individual and organizational performance.

....

First, the architect designs, but does not do, the work of building.

...

Second, the successful leader is by definition, dissatisfied with the status quo.
...

The third, and most important implication of my definition of leadership is the inclusive emphasis of individual and organizational performance.

- Doug Reeves in The Daily Disciplines of Leadership

Gentle Encouragement and Uncompromising Demands

2010-12-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

Doug Reeves describes his goal as a classroom teacher to create...

...but I knew that my tasks was a difficult balance between gentle encouragement and uncompromising demands.

He tells the story of a young man who met him in a book store years later and thanked him for what he taught him. Reeves concludes that...

I am fairly certain, however, that the thanks Marcus offered would not have been merited if I had created a classroom characterized by false reassurance and the absence of challenge.

-Doug Reeves The Daily Disciplines of Leadership

Being Intersted

2010-12-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

Fast Company had a recent article on the Global Leadership Summit put on yearly by Willow Creek Church in Chicago. One of the attendees remarked that Jim Collins had shared a story of a professor who said, "...instead of spending so much time trying to be interesting, he should try to be interested".

Leaders should spend a lot less time worrying about whether people like them, find them interesting or motivational, and simply show genuine interest in the lives of others. Michael Hyatt recently wrote about his experience sitting down with Billy Graham when Michael was a young acquisitions editor with Thomas Nelson. What he experienced was Billy Graham's complete demonstration of interest and attention to Michael and no evidence of self absorption. This lesson stayed with him for years as an example of authentic and selfless leadership.

Our schools need humble and compassionate leaders who will give their staff, parents, and students their undivided attention, which is the greatest sign of respect and love they can offer.

New Jersey Coalition for World Class Math - A False Dichotomy

2010-11-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

This excerpt from an article by Hung-Hsi Wu, a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, makes a strong case for keeping both basic skills and conceptual understanding as complimentary options in math instruction. Why do we have this tendency to jump from one extreme to the other instead of embracing a nuanced and integrated approach?

Quality Teaching

2010-10-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today I had the great fortune of discussing quality teaching with several of my colleagues from the Chula Vista Elementary School District. These Principals came to our school to observe proficient teachers and discuss the indicators of successful teaching. The conversation was a true discussion around the areas of communication, engagement, questioning, assessment, and more. We had a rich debate on the indicators of true engagement, reflecting that most teachers don't get past compliance or mental assent to the topics at hand. The ideal is that students become cognitively engaged in the work, in short, that they THINK. However, some suggested that the more elementary learning of mastering facts and skills is a necessary and prerequisite step that will enable students to eventually have those cognitively demanding and robust conversations. You can't start off with cognitively demanding tasks until you've laid the foundation of background knowledge and skills that support those deeper level conversations and learnings.

My big take away today was that we need to provide opportunities for our whole staff to engage in similar conversations around quality teaching in order to arrive at a common definition of what quality teaching looks like. Their participation in the dialogue would hasten the improvement of teacher practice, which is our ultimate goal.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22326055@N06/3611501075

Just do Something

2010-07-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Kevin De Young's book on decision making fits right into my frame of mind as the new school year looms on the horizon. The title, "Just Do Something" reminds me of one of my leadership maxims of having "A Bias towards Action".

Year one at my new school was a challenge on many levels going to a school twice the size of my former school. It's great to be past that transition phase with a new staff and community and I'm eagerly looking forward to the work our teacher leaders and administration will be implementing during this school year.

Helping People Succeed

2010-01-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

My definition of a leader is someone who helps people succeed."

--Carol Bartz, Yahoo! CEO

Heaven for Harry Truman

2010-01-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

Here is Harry Truman's idea of heaven according to his daughter Margaret:

"Oh, to have a good comfortable chair, a good reading lamp, and lots of books around that he wanted to read."

Dewey Derailed

2010-01-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

In Tim Irwin's excellent book De-Railed, he investigates six modern CEOs who have led organizations into some large pitfalls. His purpose is demonstrate that we can learn from the mistakes of others to avoid falling into the same traps. David McCullough unearthed another failed leader in his outstanding biography of Harry Truman. No, not Truman himself, but Thomas Dewey who ran for President in 1944 and 1948 seemed to embody several of the attributes that Mr. Irwin warned could lead to catastrophe. Irwin mentioned that faltering leaders usually fail on one or more of the following areas:

Authenticity
Self-management
Humility
Courage

How did Dewey blow a lead so large (14 points) that pollsters like Elmo Roper decided in September to stop doing any more polls, declared Dewey the winner by a larger margin, and devoted himself to something more profitable? Let's see how Dewey measured up in these categories.

1. Authenticity: A remark attributed to the wife of a New York Republican politician would be widely repeated. "You have to know Mr. Dewey well", she said, "in order to dislike him." A farmer was asked about Dewey after the election and he said, "I kept reading about that Dewey fellow and the more I read the more he reminded me of one of those slick ads trying to get money out of my pocket."

3. Humility - His campaign train was filled with over 90 reporters who unanimously thought he would win and make an excellent chief executive, but they disliked him personally because of his haughty and aloof manner.

2. Self Management: One event on the campaign trail cost him dearly. The engineer of the train caused a lurch that knocked some bystanders to the ground. Dewey responded, "That's the first lunatic I've had for an engineer. He probably ought to be shot at sunrise ..."

4. Courage - His speeches were noteworthy for platitudes and a clear lack of controversy or new ideas. His goal was not to upset anyone, assuming that his large lead was safe and could only be threatened by risky challenges to the opposition. Dewey told Senator Robert A. Taft that when he got into controversies he lost votes - an observation Taft thought disgraceful.

Clearly Mr. Dewey exhibited all of the characteristics of a failed leader. Truman, on the other hand, was not liked very much by the press or the talking heads of his day, but he won over the average American with his straight talking and direct manner.

Check out Michael Hyatt's post about General George B. McClellan as described in Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals. He highlights five flaws to avoid that were characteristic of the leadership failure of this weak leader.

Harry Truman would never do an end zone dance

2009-12-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

On the morning of November 2, 1948, Harry Truman was awakened by secret service agent Jim Rowley to be informed that he had won the most dramatic upset election in our nation's history. Literally every poll, media outlet, political pundit, and even his own team were convinced that he couldn't win and yet, on this morning, it was clear that he had won the necessary electoral votes and garnered the popular vote by over 2 million votes. So, did Harry do a fist-pumping, chest-thumping jig around his Excelsior Springs retreat home?

Not exactly.

Here is how Jerome Walsh describes Truman's reaction to the news on that fateful day in a letter to a friend.

I am trying to give you ... a sense of the astonishment we all felt at the unbelievable coolness with which the President faced up to the whole situation, the manner in which he took the thing for granted, as if he had read the answer in a crystal ball two weeks before. At 6 a.m., there still was plenty of reason for Governor Dewey to refuse to concede. Conceivably Ohio might have switched in late returns. California or Illinois might have toppled and the President's lead been sharply reversed. ... Actually, Mr. Truman, at 6 A.M., hardly seemed interested in the matter. To him the election was won, had always been won since the day he began carrying his fight to the people, and his mind already turning to other aspects of his program. ... The serenity of the President ... suggested to all of us, I think, that his years of crisis in office have equipped him with a very large reserve of inner strength and discipline to draw upon.

We've all seen the picture above as Truman holds up the ill timed headline proclaiming Dewey the winner. What we can't do is equate that to a football end-zone dance in 2009. Truman had a confidence sense of himself coupled with authentic humility. His response was more like the seasoned veteran who simply hands the football back to the ref and heads to his teammates for some congratulations to the whole team. I like the phrase that is often used by veteran football players, "Act like you've been there before".

Leaders would do well to keep an even temperament in the midst of the highs and lows that inevitably come with any organization. It's imperative to keep one's eyes on the ultimate goal and work persistently toward that end expecting that the focused labor will produce the desired results. You might even consider a little back flip to celebrate when you finally get there, but only if you have a safe landing place ... and nobody is watching your foolishness.

This any many more insights to this remarkable leader can be found in David McCullough's excellent book Truman.

Cats really are annoying

2009-11-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today

2009-10-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Ruth, one of the Two Writing Teachers, here are my thoughts on this fine day.

Today I had space to think, and listen, and learn with colleagues for 7 whole hours.
Today I observed committed professionals doing the same ... and enjoying their good work.
Today I laughed at heartfelt texts from some friends.
Today I took a short walk in the middle of the day and marveled at the breathtaking beauty of a fall day.
Today I enjoyed a juicy navel orange and was able to avoid the guilt of a second muffin.
Today I marveled at the power of a small number of negative thoughts to bring productive work to a halt.
Today I gave a genuine compliment and realized I give too few of those.
Today I swallowed my monstrous pride and asked a rival for help and it was very wise.

The Dip is coming

2009-10-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

Leading a school has plenty of ups and downs. We have enjoyed some very positive developments the past few weeks. Our grade level collaboration time is maturing every week, our ELAC parents had an energetic and productive meeting last week, and our Instructional Leadership Team has expertly laid out our first SMART goal for the 2009-10 school year. So, why am I hesitant to pump my fists and jump for joy at these mounting victories? Well, that's because the dip is coming. Seth Godin described The Dip in his book by the same name. It's the natural trough that any organization will face on the way to becoming the best in their field. The key to coming out the other side is not very dramatic or heroic. It's simple perseverance. Malcolm Gladwell says we need 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert. Dave Ramsay says that we can develop unstoppable momentum through focused intensity, and persistence, reminding us of the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare.

I was reminded of this when I came across some references to the research of Heyman and Dweck on the traits of the helpless learner versus the mastery learner. In terms of school leadership, we need to foster mastery learners, especially since we know that the Dip is inevitable. Our staff need to believe that their efforts will produce results, even though it may take more time than we are comfortable to admit.

Seth Godin summarizes his call to action in his Manifesto: Being average is for losers. The only way to not be a loser is to stop doing anything that is keeping you from achieving your primary goal, put your head down and outwork everyone else until you break through the dip to the other side.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loswl/2904243745/sizes/m/

Losers Quit and Quitters Lose

2009-10-07T21:29:00.001-07:00

This squirrel's odyssey over the wall is much like the many examples of success in Malcolm Gladwell's latest book Outliers . Mr. Gladwell marshalls evidence to support his thesis that successful people reach their high levels of achievement owing more to their opportunities, combined with hard work and persistence then their native intelligence or genius. Persistence gets high billing in Gladwell's thinking. He noted a student who was videotaped working through a difficult math problem. She came up with the answer after 22 minutes of toil and sweat. Asian students were also cited as having more staying power to work through math problems when compared to their US counterparts.

So, how can we incorporate this idea into our schools and classrooms? Here are some thoughts and ideas:

Teach kids about the power of the brain to grow and learn. Here's how Larry Ferlazzo did this with his high school students: Growing Brains
Give less problems that are more demanding and require lengthy solutions.
Gradually build students' stamina to work on challenging problems.
Celebrate and recognize effort and persistence as often as achievement.
Have teachers model this type of learning for students.
Develop this type of thinking with adult learning and school problems.

When my son was playing soccer last year (a sport where he is not anywhere near the very best), I encouraged him to try his best and never give up. He took those words to heart and had a very positive year, drastically improving his skills and contributing handsomely by the end of the year. Winston Churchill's famous "Never Give up" speech is another good example of this critical ingredient for success. This last fellow also had something to say on the subject and I think he had his fair share of academic success.

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." - Albert Einstein

Photo credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeyc/

Quality Saves Lives

2009-08-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital studied the relationship between hospitals' performance on Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) indicators and mortality rates. They found that patients in the hospitals in the highest quartile of HQA indicators had a better chance of living. Here's the money quote from the authors.

"It is clear that the United States has embarked on a continuing and expanding initiative to monitor the quality of hospital care. Our findings underscore the potential of this effort for improving quality of care and changing patient outcomes."

The connection for school administrators is crystal clear. We must monitor the quality of instructional care. That is the most effective action that we can take to change the course of our students' lives. When we attend to the fundamentals of good instruction and productive school climate, we create the environment in which students can thrive. Doug Reeves described these as the antecedents of learning. We would do well to determine what are the antecedents of learning that we believe undergird powerful learning, make those expectations clear and explicit to all teachers, and monitor their implementation every day. Our students will gain the greatest benefit.

Warning: You are a Pig

2009-07-18T15:08:00.001-07:00

Bob Sutton has found that leaders have a big problem on their hands. In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review he stated the following:

People who gain authority over others tend to become more self-centered and less mindful of what others need, do and say.

Photo Credit
He cites an experiment where a group of three students were given a project and one of the three was clearly put in a supervisory role. 30 minutes after the start of their work, a plate of 5 cookies was put in the room. The researchers figured no one would eat the 5th cookie, a clear broach of etiquette, but wondered what would be come of the 4th cookie. Well, you guessed it, the student in a position of power tended to take that 4th cookie and, to top it off, ate like pigs, chewing with their mouths open and spraying crumbs everywhere.

Those of us who have been trusted with leadership positions should take stock of our habits to make sure we are not slipping down that road to totalitarian brutishness - even slightly. Here are a few tips that will help us avoid the fate of the Obnoxious Boss.

Seek for and take action on feedback from a variety of folks in the organization. Look for creative ways to get input. Do so formally and informally. Be careful of asking too many times through the same channels and don't let the sycophants rise to the surface. Find those people who are most critical and let them have their best shot. You don't need to take every criticism at face value, but take the time to reflect on their complaints to determine if their might be some truth in there.
Take on the roles of your subordinates from time to time. It's a great idea to ride the bus one day, serve food in the cafeteria, help a small group next to the Instructional Assistant and answer phones at the front desk. You will see the impact of some of your decisions in a new light.
Force yourself to listen for others ideas before inserting your own. Listening shows such a high level of respect. I once worked with a boss who seemed to start every sentence with "No, but". It was quite discouraging. You won't be able to implement every idea, but give them a fair hearing and serious consideration before throwing out your personal favorite.
Be prepared to apologize when you recognize your own churlish behavior. You will make mistakes of all kinds. Be quick to take all the blame that you deserve. If you failed publicly, apologize publicly. If you failed privately, apologize privately. Having done both of these on several occasions I can tell you that 1) It aint easy and 2) you will gain more respect in the aftermath if done genuinely.
Develop accountable relationships both within and without the organization. Find some colleagues who can serve as sounding boards for your ideas and processes. My wife is one of my favorite sources. She questions me quite freely and I rarely admit that she's right :) but once I think about it, she usually hits it right on the head. (Fortunately, she doesn't read this blog, so she won't know that I admit this.)
Consciously send messages that you will listen to others and you are eager to serve them to improve their performance. Your words and actions will be scrutinized. Make sure that you highlight practices that have been generated by someone other than yourself. Don't be shy about performing menial tasks that will ease the load of your staff. You will build energy and commitment to the cause when you are a model of servant leadership and mutual support.
Frequently recognize the contributions of others. You are not accomplishing anything of value on your own. Find out how each individual wants to be recognized and look for positive contributions to be placed in the spotlight. Some prefer a note in private, others prefer recognition of the group and not the individual. Some like tokens of appreciation, while others enjoy a note of thanks. Some would love it if you gave them time or attention. It's also a great idea to praise others behind their backs. Be creative and genuine in your praise.

In district negotiations recently, the representative from one of the bargaining groups told a story of how he was dancing with his wife one night when he noticed that the dance floor was quite crowded and he kept bumping into this one guy. He got a little frustrated and told the guy to go dance on the other side of the floor. It just so happens that he is a rather large man with a booming voice and when he gave that "suggestion", he looked around and the entire dance floor had cleared out and given him some room. He told that story to make the point that when the District makes demands employees will possibly take those demands beyond their intended impact because of the position of power that they hold. I think it's a beautiful illustration of the trappings of power. Our actions and words will be scrutinized and we need to carefully send messages that we are there to serve the needs of our staffs to deliver quality education to every student. So, don't be a pig and be sure to say please when you go for that second cookie.

Social Learning Starts Early

2009-07-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

A recent study in Pediatrics journal gives strong support for parents to converse with their children early and often.

Parents should be encouragednot merely to provide language input to their children throughreading or storytelling, but also to engage their children intwo-sided conversations.

This is a great encouragement that underscores the value of language. This is a current trend in our instruction and, it only make sense, that children would benefit from having large doses of conversation at early stages of development as well. I mean, just look at this little guy. He is on his way to a degree at Harvard.

Super Baby, Intersting, Little Girl Telling What - Click here for more home videos

Teaching Algebra in 1st Grade

2009-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Lebanon school district in Oregon is revamping their math program and starting young students with algebraic thinking. Based on the principles of Cognitively Guided Instruction, these schools are focusing on the following key points.

Begin simple algebra and multiplication by first grade; have every child talk extensively about his or her mathematical reasoning; let students set up their own problems and equations and allow them to use big numbers if they choose; cover few topics in great depth; use lots of visual and hands-on modeling to make math ideas concrete.

There are several factors in this approach that coincide with Singapore Math including the use of visual models, covering fewer topics in great depth and introducing algebra concepts as early as 1st grade. Singapore actually introduces algebra in kindergarten though model drawing. Every problem needs to begin by placing the question mark (the unknown variable) in the right place. This allows students to easily transition to algebraic thinking.

One of the observations I had in the article is that students began to develop confidence in their math abilities and teachers were surprised at the capability of their students to grasp more complex problems. Notice the kind of attitude this fostered in one of the Lebanon 3rd graders:

Says 9-year-old Casey McEuen : "Sometimes the problems can be very hard and difficult, but we can figure it out."

Let's banish all worksheets

2009-05-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the joyful opportunity of covering a 6th grade class to start the day. The lesson was harmless enough. We were to read the Science text together on the topic of Earth's history. It was a quick survey of archaeological science in terms of fossil dating and making predictions about the observations and artifacts included within our earth. After reading a fairly engaging section of text, the teacher asked that the students work on a worksheet. I'm thinking, what was the buy-in for participation in that worksheet? Probably Zero!! Now, to be honest, I didn't even read the worksheet, because the actual sub came in and I had to run, but I got to thinking that maybe there was a better way to solidify that learning. For example,

The teacher could have focused on this California Reading Standard:

2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion,
and propaganda in text.

...because this text was ripe with inferences.

They could have written a simple 3 column chart with observation, inference, and analysis at the top and listed all the observations included as well as inferences made by the authors of the text. The final column could have included their analysis of the validity of the inference. Was it supported sufficiently or not?

They also could have focused on writing standards of expository composition, research report, or persuasive composition. Any short writing piece that would contribute to one of these genres would have been a more authentic task than filling out ANY worksheet. I'm confident it would have also been more engaging, especially if time was allotted for students of differing opinions to state their cases in small groups or before the class for everyone to judge their logic and thinking.

Basically, I don't see a lot of learning accomplished through filling out worksheets unless there is some opportunity for engagement, discussion, and academic discourse.

Change or Die - Most choose Die

2009-05-16T15:49:00.001-07:00

Victoria is changing
Originally uploaded by victoriapeckham

At least, that's what Doug Reeves says in his book Leading Change in your School quoting Alan Deutschman from Change or Die: The three keys to change at work and in life.

Thus change is defeated by anxiety almost every time. In fact, he concludes the odds against change - even when change is literally a matter of life and death - are a staggering nine to one.

Sadly, I can see why this is true. I know that a good diet would include lots of fruits and vegetables, but that chocolate chip cookie is extremely hard to resist. This is good to keep in mind when seeking to foster change efforts both personally and professionally.

Another voice for mastering those math facts NOW

2009-04-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

The number one course of failure at Oregon State University, you ask: Algebra!!! Professor Argyres, who has taught the course for 10 years, has a theory about this:

He said he feels that this issue originates in elementary school.

"If you never had to memorize your times tables, how do you factor a number with a calculator?" Argyres said. "I see people fail Math 111 for arithmetic issues all the time."

When students never learned the basic information appropriately in high school, or earlier, it is significantly more difficult for them to succeed when they get to college algebra.

Throwing down the gauntlet at our feet. Well, I totally agree. We must send our kids to middle school with those math facts mastered, because if we don't where are they going to master them?

I say we start with a little school wide dose of the KIPP Academy math chants

Hit the road Jack

2009-04-26T22:31:00.001-07:00

Hit the road Jack
Originally uploaded by StuartM1

Dennis Fermoyle had some insightful comments about student discipline in charter schools and the looming threat of transfer that they enjoy as the ultimate tool in their disciplinary tool bag.

The bottom line of the good discipline those schools have is a certain reality that has to be in the back of students', parents', and teachers' minds: If a student doesn't meet the behavioral and performance standards of the school, he or she will be gone. In Sweating the Small Stuff, a book about six successful inner-city schools, a teacher is quoted as telling a misbehaving student, "If you're going to act like that, you won't be able to stay here."

He raises a legitimate question regarding those students who are Left Behind through such practices. As I was reflecting on this concept of removing students, I thought about our own context since we are a school of choice in our district. We have the ability, in some cases, to deny or rescind students who are zone transfers. And believe me, we have some staff and parent groups who wish I would use that option more often then I do. In reality, I'm very reluctant to use that tool in elementary school (high school is a different animal altogether and I would be a lot less reluctant to pull the plug).

My thinking is that students who have poor attendance or horrible behavior in elementary school need redirection, reeducation, retraining, and reinforcement of the good behaviors that will allow the student to be successful in the future. We are doing a disservice to the student and our own learning community when we decide to jettison students ... and families when they haven't lived up to our standards. In fact, I like to think that our school is a great place for students who are struggling academically, socially, behaviorally or any other way. We have a staff who will not leave these students in their current state, but will work tirelessly to find the strategy or support that will enable every child to progress and overcome all obstacles. I think that is a sign of a much more impressive school than one that can raise test scores by sending the "troublesome element" elsewhere. My aim is that we would aim to be more of the former than the latter.

Removing Callouses

2009-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Callouses can be a real pain. They start off as a minor annoyance and can eventually become quite debilitating as they grow bigger and dig deeper into your foot. I recently had a callous that developed into quite a stinker. It stayed with me for over three years. That's right! Three years. I tried medicine halfheartedly and it made a little progress, but it kept coming back strong. I even went to the Dr. and had a little cut off. I was told I could cut the rest off myself. Have you ever tried to surgically remove a portion of your flesh from the bottom of your foot? Thanks Doc! So, I tried filing off dead skin a couple times a week. In the end, I learned to live with the irritant and just hobbled along with my little friend. Finally, I decided to carefully apply the over-the-counter remedy according to the directions for a full cycle. After about 7 days of faithfully applying medicine and changing the bandage, I ripped off the cover one morning, and to my surprise, the entire crusty little callous came right out of my foot - completely!

So, why would I share such disgusting personal details and what does that have to do with school and leadership? Quite a lot actually. Our schools are full of little callouses,that if left untended, can grow into big problems. As a leader, I must constantly be on the alert for those behaviors that hamper our mission of educating all children to the highest level. There are attitudes, behaviors, comments, practices, that may seem harmless and might be hidden from the view of most onlookers, but they will lead to cancerous growths that can eventually cripple our system. Sometimes, the leader may be the only one who notices - a classroom instructional practice that leaves a few kids in the dark, recess protocols that gives students too much freedom, or a disciplinary procedure that leaves students broken and battered with no chance for redemption or improvement. So, here's my plan on callous detection and removal at school.

1. Keep an eye out for callouses of all kinds in every place.
2. Apply a remedy for removal at the first opportunity.
3. Analyze the effectiveness of that remedy, and change it until the callous is gone.
4. Walk (and learn) with one less obstacle in your way.

Happy Callous Hunting!

Following Lincoln's Lead

2009-03-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

There is much to be learned from the life and work of our 16th president. Not without reason is he revered for his leadership during the bloodiest crisis in our nation's history. Dorothy Kearns Goodwin has written an insightful book (Team of Rivals) on Lincoln's political genius, in particular, as he worked with his cabinet during his presidency. Here are some lessons for leaders of any organization to take from this remarkable man.

Learn from loss, failure, and mistakes while keeping an optimistic outlook.

Lincoln had many personal losses including the death of his mom when he was 9, the death of his sister when he was 18, and various political defeats as he attempted to make a name for himself. Also, early on in his presidency, the Union army was embarrassed at the battle of Bull Run. All of these defeats proved to be learning experiences as opposed to devastating losses. Lincoln learned from failure and rarely made the same mistake twice. He was able to raise the Phoenix from the ashes on more than one occasion as he never lost his hope and optimism for a successful conclusion to the story.

Allow humor, laughter, and enjoyment to be a part of your organization

Edward Stanton, Lincoln's War Secretary was quite a serious fellow. He often got annoyed that Lincoln would do such frivolous things such as read contemporary humorists to entertain the crowds while awaiting news on the telegram for his re-election bid of 1864. Lincoln, on the other hand, often used humor to build relationships, relieve tension, and drive home a point. Lincoln proved that one can do very serious work while still enjoying life, laughter, and merriment to the fullest. Indeed, his laughter and storytelling were qualities that endeared him to the hearts of many.

Read deeply and widely from contemporary and historic sources.

Lincolns' formal education added up to less than a year of school, however his Personal Learning Network consisted of many of the classics of literature including The Bible and Shakespeare as well as humorists of all stripes. He had a depth and breadth of literature knowledge that consistently filled his fertile mind with wisdom, anecdotes, and lofty ideas. Being immersed in the thoughts of great men helped him craft a course for his generation in their great struggles.

Risk friendship and relationship among those you are leading.

At Lincolns' deathbed, Kearns Goodwin notes that there was not a man in the room that did not love Lincoln. He gained this affection and loyalty by the force of his personality. Words like kindness, goodness, and decency are used constantly by those who knew him well. Although he had to remove cabinet members and generals from their positions, in almost every case the affected member came to understand his decision and lost no respect for the man who had just demoted or removed him from a notable position. Lincoln built lasting and enduring friendships with his colleagues and subordinates and his motives were never in question, even by his adversaries.

Know the status of your colleagues and subordinates first hand.

Lincoln could have written the book on Management by Walking Around. He constantly sought ways to visit the front and speak directly with his generals and shake hands with the troops waging the battle. He often did this facing very real dangers and risks, which caused him to gain greater esteem in the eyes of the Union army. He was also consistently available to White House visitors (and criticized for it) giving his attention and time to all who came calling.

Think deeply and seek a multitude of council, then act decisively.

Lincoln was often criticized for moving too slowly on the slavery issue. His original intent for the war was solely to save the Union. This brought barbs from the likes of Frederick Douglas, who felt him wholly uncommitted to the cause of freeing the slaves. However, when he finally came to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, his resolve on this issue never wavered. Once he had decided the time was right to act, he held onto a position with an iron will and determination against all attacks.

Act humbly by taking no personal affront when attacked and keeping your focus on the greater good.

Lincoln's greatest quality, in my opinion was his humility. He never held a grudge or did a vindictive act against political or military enemies. If a person was going to be helpful to the cause, he would give space for that person to contribute to the effort. He followed this same path on his view of reconstruction. He did not seek a pound of flesh from the South, but rather a commitment to support the Union. He then sent the Confederate army back to their homes. Lincoln told a great story showing how much he valued humility. One of the many office seekers came to the White House seeking a prominent post. Lincoln denied his request, but he persisted in seeking ever lower ranking jobs until finally he concluded by asking if he might be given a pair of trousers. Lincoln delighted in such frank and humble folks and embodied that same humility throughout his life.

Reading this account of Lincoln's tactics and thinking were breathtaking. His keen intellect and sharp reasoning were matched by his genuine and authentic love of people. He remains the model for all Presidents to emulate and indeed any leader would benefit from applying his habits and characteristics to his/her organization.

Creativity and the Fundamentals

2009-02-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

One of the criticisms I've come across about accountability measures based on standardized tests goes something like this: If we assess students based on standardized tests, teaches will "teach to the test", which when translated, means drill and kill, followed by rote memorization and robotic hypnosis and all creativity is thrown out the window. Here's another one of those false dichotomies that is propagated throughout the educational kingdom.

When I think of creativity and flair on the basketball court, one of the first players that comes to mind is Pete Maravich. He was one of the most creative and flamboyant players of his day and age. No one would accuse him of being boring or stale in his approach to the game. You can check out some of his wizadry here:

However, the funny thing is, when reading his biography, I noted that his dad, a high school and college basketball coach, instilled in Pete the necessity of learning and practicing the fundamentals until they were second nature. He performed session after session of ball handling drills that helped him master the basics. Indeed he was fanatical about practice, repetition, and drill. The end result is that he was able to create and ad-lib because he had mastered the fundamentals of the game.

Bringing this back to education, I value students who can think critically and reason with complexity and synthesize information in order to create, and produce new products, but this can only be accomplished by students who are masters of the fundamentals of language, math, and subject matter content. I think the debate would be furthered by a "both/and" mentality as opposed to an "either/or" mentality.

Finally, I'm thinking of classrooms with teachers who get the most remarkable results on standardized tests and those classrooms are lively places with rich interaction and student enjoyment. It's just that those teachers are also attuned to the building blocks of academic success and don't allow their students to miss out on these critical components of learning. Our standardized measures are not the ends that we seek, but I contend that they are a requisite means toward those ends and we are justified in pursuing those goals, measuring them, and expecting all students to achieve them.

21st Century Skills of Abraham Lincoln

2009-02-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

I'm reading Dorothy Kearns Goodwin's outstanding book, Team of Rivals and I was struck how Lincoln had a handle on so many 21st Century Learning Skills. How did he do that without an iPhone and a virtual social network?

Here is a list from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills , so let's see how Abe measures up.

Accountability and Adaptability—Exercising personal responsibility and flexibility in personal, workplace, and community contexts; setting and meeting high standards and goals for one's self and others; tolerating ambiguity

It seems that everyone who observed Lincoln, from his time as a lawyer on the circuit, to his early political endeavors, right up to the Presidency, came away with similar reactions. He was a man of high character, immense skill, and shrewd maneuvering. In terms of ambiguity, his handling of the slavery/union issue on the verge of the 1860 election is a classic example of taking a nuanced approach to leadership, somehow bringing a coalition of Northern Republicans and Democrats to his side without overwhelming the border states who were constantly on the brink of secession.

Communication Skills—Understanding, managing, and creating effective oral, written, and multimedia communication in a variety of forms and contexts

I hear Abe was a pretty good public speaker. Some of you might have heard of the Second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address or maybe the debates with Stephen Douglas. Now, granted he did not use an LCD projector to throw up some PowerPoint, but he gets high marks for hitting that word effective on the rubric, no matter what the medium. His folksy methods belied his careful research and deep insights. I think it's the greatest compliment of a speaker that he is able to make the complex simple and Lincoln did so with good humor and clear thinking.

Creativity and Intellectual Curiosity—Developing, implementing, and communicating new ideas to others; staying open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives

Lincoln was faced with the challenge of preserving the union while the specter of slavery was being debated on many fronts. Somehow, he was able to craft a direction that was forward thinking, yet continuously revised as events changed. He was careful to integrate the intent of the Founding Fathers with the political and social upheaval of his day.

Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking—Exercising sound reasoning in understanding and making complex choices; understanding the interconnections among systems

At the outset of conflict, the South was sending overtures to England for support. Secretary of State Seward was incensed and drafted a threatening and menacing letter to Great Britain to cease and desist. Lincoln was able to see the repercussions of such a harsh tone and softened the language of the letter, then encouraged the ambassador to make sure it was read to no one, but only shared the general ideas with the English. The result was that England remained neutral, and the French followed suit, avoiding an early imbalance of power that would have weakened the North's chances for success.

Information and Media Literacy Skills—Analyzing, accessing, managing, integrating, evaluating, and creating information in a variety of forms and media

Lincoln was able to take in the information from various fronts and sources, evaluate those items that merited the highest priority and craft a coherent policy, then getting that information out to the people in a timely fashion. Now, granted he relied on horse drawn couriers (as the telegraph lines around Washington D.C. were sabotaged by the South), but he used the technology of his day with great effect. The substance of his message won the hearts and minds of his constituents.

Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills—Demonstrating teamwork and leadership; adapting to varied roles and responsibilities; working productively with others; exercising empathy; respecting diverse perspectives

Off the charts. The whole premise of this books is that Lincoln wisely sought to include his presidential rivals on his team so that the best and brightest were part of the cabinet. The manner in which he wooed these men, then skillfully kept everyone placated while melding diverse opinions was what made him truly remarkable. His greatest quality was his magnanimity and humility. He never took offense, even though he was surrounded by some ultra ambitious politicians who felt they were more worthy of the office that he was. You never heard him say something like, "I won, so you need to do what I say".

Problem Identification, Formulation, and Solution—Ability to frame, analyze, and solve problems

Abe faced problems unlike any of us have ever seen. No sooner had he entered the White House, but he was faced with the decision to fortify Form Sumter in South Carolina or allow the Confederates to take it over. He finally decided to send in fortifications, delicately balancing the concerns of the border states, who were sitting on the fence of secession.

Self-Direction—Monitoring one's own understanding and learning needs; locating appropriate resources; transferring learning from one domain to another

Lincolns was self taught, with a formal education that didn't amount to more than a year of school and he never set foot in a college or university. However he was an avid reader who constantly sought to acquire books to feed his fertile mind. His lack of formal support probably spurred him on to devour learning any way he could get it. I think he had one of those Personal Learning Networks (PLN) all these tweeters are talking about.

Social Responsibility—Acting responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind; demonstrating ethical behavior in personal, workplace, and community contexts

I'm sure there are not many 21st century politicians who can lay claim to this skill. Mr. Lincoln was dedicated to the preservation of the Union and felt that his generation was given a sacred task of furthering the initial intentions of the Founding Fathers by doing whatever was necessary to prove that this grand experiment in democracy would not fail.

Now, don't get me wrong. I want our students to be skillful in the use of 2009 technology. I want them to learn to use social networking and digital story telling to its greatest effect, however I still see way too many horrendous PowerPoint slide decks that teachers think is cutting edge, when it's just full of shabby research and shallow thinking. The habits of mind that Mr. Lincoln had were obviously pretty good for both the 19th and 21st century and they will serve as excellent standards for our little learners of today.

Struggles

2009-02-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

Infrequent posting can only be explained by one thing. This year has been tough. We have been implementing a new math program (Singapore), new processes (Standards-based planning), and trying to replace our benchmark assessment system because of rising costs. There have definitely been many more frustrations than successes thus far.

The thing that pains me most is the sense that some of our staff are losing their confidence in our direction. However, a few things have given me encouragement as of late. We have finally fond a replacement (even if it may be temporary) for our benchmark assessment system and we have come to some agreement about our instructional focus for the remainder of the year.

Furthermore, I have a greater sense of urgency to support teachers as they intervene with all of our borderline and below students for the remainder of the year. I think can truly make huge strides as we tailor our instruction and interventions to each individual student.

I was reminded of this by a post from Dan Meyer recently where he shared his enjoyment playing some Guitar Hero and how his enjoyment was increased when the difficulty increased and the success rate dropped.

I don't think the happiest students in my class, the happiest teachers at my school, are the most successful. I suppose it goes without saying that failure and satisfaction go hand-in-hand, to a certain extent.

So, I should content myself to stop looking for the smooth and easy route and realize that these bumpy roads are the ones that we indeed ought to be traveling. We just need to keep falling forward and all will be well.

One Very Large Bummer

2008-12-10T22:49:00.000-08:00

Who’s the dullest? People born between 1961 and 1965 posted the lowest NAEP and SAT scores, writes Robert Pondiscio on Core Knowledge Blog.

And I'm smack dab in the middle of this little demographic. That explains a lot.

hat tip to Joanne Jacobs

Enthusiasm is the only option

2008-12-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

This speech by the late Jimmy Valvano at the 1993 ESPYs is a reminder that life should be filled with laughter, enthusiasm, thought, and genuine emotion.

Our schools deserve people with the spirit and determination of Jimmy Valvano showing kids all the great things that can be accomplished with a life well lived.

Designing your Legacy

2008-10-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a recent Podcast from the Stanford University series of Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders and William McDonough was discussing the tombstone of Thomas Jefferson which was designed by Jefferson himself and included the following:

Author of the Declaration of Independence

of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom

and Father of the University of Virginia

So, what exactly is missing here? McDonough pointed out that there is no mention of the fact that he held down a day job as a two-term President of the United States and didn't even mention it. His point is that Jefferson's legacy had to do with the products that he left behind that were the fruit of his best thinking and designing talents and not the title that he held, important as that was.

So, I got to thinking about my career tombstone (not that I'm hoping to write it real quick). Will I be satisfied with something like, "Principal of Halecrest Elementary"? I'm thinking that I ought to be shooting for something along the lines of Thomas Jefferson...

Designer of a ground breaking school where learning by students and adults is celebrated daily, where expert literacy instructors and students of high character work together to expand their knowledge and become thoughtful members of their local community.

Author of a one-posting-a-month blog read by dozens (OK, it's actually only read by about 4, but why not dream big?)

The first one has some promise. I know I'll be thinking a lot this week about the school that I'm helping design and whether it's worthy of the students that come across our doors and the students that will be coming through our doors for generations to come. And you, what kind of lasting structure are you helping design today?

This I believe

2008-10-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

I recently caught a This I believe segment from NPR and heard the story of William Wissemman, a young man who shared all the life lessons he had learned from solving the Rubiks cube. This got me thinking about all the things I believe about teaching, learning, and education. And with this school year shaping up to be the toughest of my current assignment, I really need the inspiration of my core beliefs to sustain me to do the work well with these teachers and these students at this time. So this I believe.

I believe that whatever you think about learning (learning is fun - learning is a bore) your students will come to believe the same thing.

I believe that many factors affect student's academic growth, but one trumps them all by a landslide: teacher quality.

I believe that high school drop outs are born and bred in elementary school.

I believe that some kids fail because of poor family support, lack of background knowledge and skills, etc, ad nauseum, but I'm going to focus all my energy on what I can control.

I believe that intervention must begin the first day of kindergarten if we want all students to succeed.

I believe some teachers are hungry for the kind of adult learning that will allow them grow, risk, change, and my job is to help create an environment for them to do just that.

I believe that I'm an accomplice to poor teaching every time I fail to confront an ineffective practice.

I believe that the professional teachers deserve my respect, admiration, encouragement, and gratitude and I need to go out of my way to give them everything that they need.

I believe that reading and writing are joyful, creative activities that are motivating in themselves.

I believe that reading and writing sometimes can be drudgery and hard work and we have to show kids how to persevere through those times as well.

I believe that every class and every teacher should be good enough for my own children or I need to do something to make that so.

Just writing these out has encouraged me to stay the course. I highly recommend some others join the fray and share their thoughts as well. So, what do you believe?

The Language of Science

2008-08-29T22:34:00.001-07:00

Here's an excellent article on a study of the teaching of science by simplifying the language before approaching the content.

Urgency Alert

2008-08-14T22:12:00.001-07:00

After seeing CST and API scores drop for the first time in four years, I've been doing a lot of soul searching. Although, some would say it's not all about the test scores, when the percentage of students who are proficient in math drops at every grade level, then I don't see how anyone could characterize that year as a total success even if the kids left for summer vacation with smiles on their faces.

Today, we kicked off the year with a Principal training led by Andy Platt, co-author of Skillful Leader II. One item in his book that caught my attention above everything else was a descriptor for urgency. Here's a paraphrase, "If you have a teacher at your school, that you would consciously avoid putting your child into her class, you need to take action". Ouch! Hey, my kids attend my school and the above statement is true for me. This thought has jolted me into being resolved to confront any performance that is less than excellent in myself, our teachers, staff, and students.

My goal is to help build a school that is worthy of my own children... right now! How's that for urgency?

Book Talks Hit the Mark

2008-07-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

I've recently discovered another great teacher blog called The Reading Zone. Stop by for great book reviews on children's books and other fine writing. This fired-up teacher makes a great point about the best way to encourage joyful summer reading. Here's my favorite line.

I do find it interesting that the newest book on the list seems to be the most-read. Yet it is also the longest book! It just shows what a great book talk can do for a book. Kids who would never choose a long book on their own chose it based on the summary I gave. Summer reading lists need to be booktalked!

We have found the same thing to be true. Students will jump all over books with a simple and engaging introduction by an enthusiastic reader.

Time for Clarifying

2008-07-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

The long stretch of summer is now coming to a sudden halt on Monday. It's time to winnow down the many ideas floating around in my head to focus on the few Mission Critical initiatives that need to be the theme for my work this year. At this time, my overarching goal is to improve the professional dialogue of teachers and staff with the aim of improving practice. There are some other large content changes (introducing Singapore math across campus and moving from Tungsten Benchmark Assessments to MAPS assessments to name two large elephants), however I can't shake the sense that changing the way teachers think and learn together will have the most dramatic and long term benefit for our school.

This is my favorite time of the year as it affords the rarity of large chunks of uninterrupted time to drink, think, and plan.

That's what I meant to say

2008-07-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

Jay Matthews of the Washington Post has some clear thoughts on the Achievement Gap discussion that just plain make a lot of sense. Citing a study by the Fordham Institute about the impact of NCLB on high-achievers, Matthews thinks the achievement gap focus leads to some strange outcomes.

Here are some ways the gap could narrow: Low-income scores improve but high-incomes scores don't; low-income scores don't change but high-income scores drop; low-income scores drop but high-income scores drop even more. In each of those cases of gap-narrowing, something bad is happening.

Exactly! Narrowing the gap while improving all levels of performance is the obvious preference, but very difficult to attain. He has a better suggestion:

While we are at it, why not curtail all this achievement-gap talk? Let's focus instead on the progress of every child, no matter if she or he starts the year two grades behind classmates or two grades ahead. All children deserve a chance to climb as high as they can.

This is a much healthier approach to school improvement than closing the gap. The only aspect that really ticks me off about this is that my friend and I will need to scrap our idea to publish a breakthrough tome on the subject:

Drop the Top
Closing the Achievement Gap by bringing the high achievers down to size so we can all be in the same boat together (Then we'll have more people to bail the water out of that boat)

Student ownership of learning

2008-07-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

In this excellent article by Joe Paterno (yes, the football coach) he expresses the joy of learning to read Virgil in Latin during his high school days and has this insight from his instructor that describes the gradual release of responsibility of learning to the student:

Starting from his first day as a teacher, Father Bermingham always kept an eye out for kids who had begun what he calls the most important task in education: their “self-education.” He meant kids who showed signs of taking responsibility for their own expansion instead of waiting for teachers to do it for them. Even the most talented teacher can try what he or she thinks is “teaching,” but it won’t really take unless the student takes charge of the more important job: learning.

What an excellent goal for every teacher to focus on as the new year gets underway.

(HT to kitchen table math, the sequel)

Isolation should be a thing of the past

2008-07-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

Reading David Mccullough's fine book The Great Bridge I've come to learn about some amazing feats of engineering of the late 19th century. Washington Roebling, the chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge needed to bury two mammoth towers on each side of the East River and to do this, he used pneumatic caissons. This technology was in its infancy at that time, but there was another engineer, James Eads who was using the same strategy while building a bridge over the Mississippi at St. Louis. The caissons, pictured above were a hollow structure that was lowered to the bottom of the river, then filled with compressed air to drive the water out and allow the laborers to dig deeper into the waterway's floor. The problem that was soon found out on Eads' project is that workers began to get sick from their exposure to the compressed air. Some even died. They were suffering from what later would be termed "The Bends". What's interesting is that Roebling visited Eads' site before starting on his project and was aware of the problems he was facing, but because of fierce competition, pride, and distances not easily overcome, the men did not share notes and details about their experiences. This isolation exacerbated the problem and led to far more suffering than necessary. When I picture these workers far below the surface, working in isolation in these stuffy enclosures, I think about teachers and schools. Traditionally, teachers and schools have been just as isolated as these laborers, but in today's environment, that isolation is no longer necessary. Because of modern tools (video tape, Internet to name just two) we can learn about each others' successes and failures and all improve because of it. The problem is that too many of us are satisfied to wallow in our lonely state for a host of reasons. When we struggle with students who aren't learning, we should eagerly seek out teachers and schools who have had breakthroughs with similar students. Or, we can learn the hard way and the slow way and lose a few more kids in the process.

It's our fault! I tried to tell you.

2008-06-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

A recent study from the Public Policy Institute of California demonstrates that failing the California high school exit exam can be predicted by 4th grade. Here is one of their pearls.

The study suggests that shifting resources to struggling students in early grades will be a more effective way to improve achievement than the state’s current approach of focusing on students in the last year of high school.

My educational response to this brilliant finding would be, "DUH"! And here's another nugget we've been talking about for a couple years now.

Help with reading in early grades would benefit students in all other subjects, a particularly important benefit for English learners.

Of course, I'm convinced starting in 4th grade is way too late. Schools should start in kindergarten, and give parents plenty of resources to do the one thing that makes a difference before school: read to their child 20 minutes a day. Maybe we also ought to get out the CAHSEE blueprints for math and language arts and make sure our kids have mastered all the prerequisite skills embedded in that test before leaving our doors.

A year worthy of our gifts

2008-06-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin makes me consider whether our efforts are worthy of the privileges that we enjoy.

I take so much for granted. Perhaps you do as well. To be here, in this moment, with these resources. To have not just our health but the knowledge and the tools and the infrastructure. What a waste.

If I hadn’t had those breaks, if there weren’t all those people who had sacrificed or helped or just stayed out of my way... what then? Would I even have had a shot at this?

What if this were my last post? Would this post be worthy?

So, what if 2008-09 is our last chance to lead Halecrest. Will we give our best to show our appreciation for all the benefits and opportunities that we enjoy at this school? Let it not be said at the end of the next school year that we wasted the opportunity. Many new and exciting ideas are being considered and I think the time to make some bold moves is upon us.

After the fact treatment

2008-06-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Patterson, et al in Influencer The Power to Change Anything begin their book by describing the typical response to a difficult problem. They describe it as "after-the-fact" treatment. Like the scourge of AIDS where treatment of the disease's effects gets much wider attention than treatment of its causes, we often attack problems by trying to clean up something after the damage is done.

In education, I see this as the attempt to shrink the learning gaps in middle school and high school. We must start in kindergarten, when we still have a chance to stem the tide. Indeed, the more effective we are at getting parents and preschools to do a few simple behaviors (most notably - Read to their children 20 minutes a day) will allow us to eradicate the number of students reading below grade level to zero!

Summer Reading

2008-06-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Since I have at least one more loooooong summer before our district goes to a common calendar, I'm breathlessly awaiting the chance to hang out with the family and explore our usual vacation spots as well as curl up with a few good reads. Here are some selections that I'm planning on digging into, and in some cases, have already started.

This book gives you the criteria by which ideas have been made memorable and has application as a school leader and classroom instructor. I mean, I know I sure would like the staff to remember what I said once in a while. Hopefully I can learn to present well thought out, compelling initiatives that actually get implemented for a change.

This book is a tip from Scott McLeod who invited folks to a summer chat on its implications. I browsed through the first few pages at the bookstore and couldn't resist the purchase. This will help me exert profound influence over everyone in my sphere, ideally with some of the sticky ideas I came up with because of the first book. It's all part of my master plan...

This gem is a gift from one of my outstanding teachers. Having already perused the first few pages, the subject is obviously sobering and humbling. It is needful to often get out of the small confines of one's immediate circumstances and understand the profound suffering that so many are facing because of this deadly disease.

Stay tuned for a few more selections coming up. Does anyone have any suggestions for more enlightening reading this summer?

My best day ever...well pretty close

2008-06-03T22:22:00.001-07:00

Despite a frantic work day that included lots of preparation for end of the year activities, I had a great day because it was Twin Day at our school and my twin was a cute little 1st grader named Emily who was tickled pink to be my twin; she also just happens to be my daughter. Now, I had way too many people remind me that I should cherish this moment since she'll soon avoid me like the plague any day now. So, although I refuse to buy into their cynicism, I have fully enjoyed being her favorite twin for this day at least and I've got the photos to blackmail her if she starts getting nasty around Middle School.

Literacy in the content areas

2008-06-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite teacher bloggers are crying foul about the literacy first, last, and only folks. Go read their posts here and here and let them know you feel their pain and love their content, which is one of the greatest keys for developing fully mature literacy skills, beginning... in the womb!

Everybody who issomebody loves assessment

2008-06-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

You see, I'm not the only one who is obsessed with the proper role of assessment. Scott McLeod gives a logical case for assessing before instruction, just in case your little learners already know what you're trying to teach 'em. The concept is so simple and elegant, however it opens up such a can of worms. If they already know it, now what do I do? Actually, it opens up a world of engagement and enthusiastic students who can go on to explore something new and challenging and in greater depth. So, jump right in and start assessing Day one!

Thinking About Math

2008-05-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a good article to jog our thinking about math instruction next year. It advocates the death of the textbook, and I say, Here Here! I'd love to attend the funeral. These folks claim that our math textbooks lack coherence. You think so? You need a bloody PhD in calculus to understand some of those explanations. Good 'ol Singapore Math gets another nod. We've got some serious work to do to improve the quality of our overall mathematical reasoning of our students.

Got You

2008-05-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

I know it's sneaky and sinister, but I actually want my son to spend his time in worthwhile activities so sometimes I resort to a little trickery. My son loves DS games and I'm a little reluctant to give him too much time on the ADHD producing machines, but there are some games with redeeming qualities. One such game is Professor Layton and the Curious Village . This game is full of puzzles and logical challenges that need to be solved to reach the goal. He bought it hook line and sinker. He says the game is challenging and interesting, which is music to my ears. He probably doesn't even know that he is learning! Actually, he knows my evil plots, but he plays along anyway so he can get some time with Pokemon and Mario Karts. I'll take the trade off for now.

Losing is Underrated

2008-04-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

After quite a sabbatical, I'm back on the theme of competition and, for my money, one of the great benefits of competition that is not appreciated nearly enough is the benefit of losing. Having been a loser all my life, I've realized that there is a lot more to be gained by losing than winning. Think about it. Losers are learners. They are always looking for ways to improve and get better. There is always someone just a little better to shoot for that next goal and there is a wealth of feedback in the air from all those know-it-alls who can help you learn from your many mistakes. So, may all of us losers stick together knowing that we are actually in the driving seat for future stellar performance. Just be careful, loser friends, because if you apply all those lessons from learning you might just find yourself on the winning side someday and then all the problems start.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenore-m/401685160/sizes/s/

The benefits of competition

2008-03-03T20:21:00.001-08:00

After reading this post from Jason Dyer, guest blogger at Dangerously Irrelevant, and the start of our adrenaline inducing Reading Challenge, I began thinking about why I love competition so much. I remember running in a relay race one summer in junior high. I got the baton as the last runner and was well behind the first place runner, however right behind me was Ron, a monster combination of speed and power. My only goal was to keep as far away from Ron as I could. I took off with my eyes in the rear view mirror running like crazy. Not only did I somehow keep Ron from catching me, but being spurred on by his menacing presence I shot past the other fellow who had the lead going into the final and our team won the race. My point is that running in the canyon behind my house could never have produced the effort and stamina I exerted that day because of my little friend called "competition". Running against others motivated and inspired me to do things I didn't think possible.

The eventual goal of competition is to compete with yourself, however sometimes one needs to measure oneself against ones "peers" to determine if you've really reached the limits of your potential. That picture of Jesse Owens reminds me of the Germans in Berlin in1936 who thought quite highly of themselves and were humbled by the feats of the amazing Owens.

So, for starters, competition spurs us on to achieve to our highest potential and it also helps us gauge our high achievement against standards outside of ourselves, thus showing us what is truly possible. And finally, competition is a whole lot of fun. Everybody gets excited and that enthusiasm and energy help build bigger and better accomplishments for everyone. I think I've got a lot more to say about this topic, but I need an early night's sleep or I wont' even be able to beat a 1st grader in a race to the cafeteria lines.

Prisons and Schools

2008-02-22T16:21:00.000-08:00

California is having quite the budget deficit for the coming year, but one segment of our state government is expecting another raise (5% proposed for 2007-08). While most schools are sending layoff notifications to their teachers and plenty of other staff, our prison guards will be offered that 5% raise if the legislators approve the Governor's last best offer. This raise will add to their base salary that ranges from $45,00 to $70,000, which was supplemented by an average of $16,000 per employee during the 2006-07 fiscal year. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm very happy we have lots of folks willing and able to handle the prisons. That's not a job I would personally volunteer for. However, one has to wonder if the current offer is necessary in dire financial times when the state is receiving 130,000 applicants a year for these much sought after positions. Could it be that a sound investment in education might have a positive effect on keeping some folks out of prison?

Reason #285...

2008-02-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

... why number #1 son should be attending Halecrest in the fall.

Dad, we did a creative writing assignment today.

Really, son what would that be?

Our teacher told us to write out our class rules in cursive.

And your teacher called this Creative Writing?

Yeah.

Well, there you have it. I think I'll go bang my head against the wall.

Chart Mutiny

2008-02-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

My teachers can tell you that I really love charts filled with data. They are all so neat and orderly and, at a glance, I can tell if we are on track as a school and where we might need to give more attention. However, I'm willing to chuck the infamous reading charts* if my teachers can guarantee a positive response on the following three questions about reading from every student:

Have you ever secretly read under your desk in school because the teacher was boring and you were dying to finish the book you were reading?
Have you eve been scolded for reading at the dinner table?
Have you ever read secretly under the covers after being told to go to bed?

These questions were created by the students of Rafe Esquith who shares this rubric in his excellent book, Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire. His point is that students who are so engaged in reading that is takes a prominent place in their lives are what we ought to be developing, and I wholeheartedly agree. That's the beauty of our upcoming Halecrest Reading Challenge. I can't wait to see more and more kids get excited about books and begin to eat, drink, and sleep reading.

*OK, I won't actually chuck the charts, but I might lay off the teacher who can prove her students' worth with the questions.

My second conclusion

2008-02-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Coming to Elementary from Secondary Education, I have been slow to make pronouncements about what is needed in all classrooms. Some of my teachers would probably disagree with that "slow to make pronouncements" statement. If they had any guts they would read this blog and share their opinions with the world - or at least my three readers (including me). After my first couple years, I came to my first conclusion. Reading widely through read alouds, guided reading, and indpendent reading is the most crucial element of literacy development. I've written about before several times in this space.

So, now nearly four years into this job, I've come to my second momentous conclusion. You can only teach reading well if you have large amounts of time in small group instruction. That may be a no brainer for some of you, but it has become crystal clear to me in the past few months as we have focused on good reading instruction at our school. The classes where students progress the most always have some form of small group instruction that allows the teacher time to get to know the students as readers and target the instruction at a variety of levels. Well, there you have it, my second commandment. Now, how to help all teachers incorporate that good small group instruction into their routines is the next challenge.

Coaching through results

2008-01-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

How does the Principal serve as the instructional leader with a collection of teachers who are more diverse than any group of 6th graders could ever be? One thing that I think is most effective in helping each teacher grow is to remember the line from Jerry Maguire, "Show me the Results". Well, that's what he would have said if he were the Principal talking to his teachers. Here's how this works out in a school.

If you are a teacher who gets positive results (Every child grows at least one year's worth of growth or more in a year) then I will be your champion and cheerleader and would like to sit down with you to discuss the secrets of your success. Let's figure out what you do that works and hey, would you be willing to sit down with one other teacher and teach them a thing or two about a thing or two? Get these people out sharing the sunshine. Help them find the eager ones that want to learn something so they don't get discouraged by the Champions of Excuse.

If you are a teacher who believes that your way is the right way and, as one Board member from a previous district once was heard stating, "Research never proved anything". No problem! Ignore all the staff development that I've been shoving down your throat. Don't implement anything suggested by any one of those experts we've been reading, but "Show me the Results". That's right. You're not responsible for implementing the latest and greatest, you're just responsible for the positive results described above. So, put up or __________.

These are the two extreme types on our campus. There are all sorts of shades of variance that demand unique and thoughtful responses, but keeping everyone focused on results that everyone is pursuing helps the Principal decide where time and energy can be invested for the greatest result.

Why what we're doing today is not good enough

2008-01-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

As the build up to the AFC championship was in full force this week (I've finally got over the Chargers sad ending), I read a quote from a player from the Patriots who said, "If we're not getting better, we're falling behind", or something to that effect. I think the truth behind that statement is applicable in any area of life. When we start skating through relationships, work, exercise, fill in the blank, we will start to lose ground. Achieving progress and growth requires effort just to maintain past improvement and even more effort to get even higher. That's one of the reasons why leading Halecrest can be a tricky proposition.

We are doing pretty well by most people's standards, however I think it has been said that the enemy of the great is the good. Also, we are just a few months of complacency away from falling back and finishing the year scratching our heads wondering what happened. Every student, every teacher, every employee, including this Principal, should be looking for ways to do things better tomorrow. Otherwise we all stop learning and we're like the person who could be sitting on that boat on the river. Without picking up a paddle and rowing, you're just going to float downstream with the current. Eventually that current might take you to a place like this one, which wouldn't be all that pretty an ending.

The Gifted Dropout - Ouch!

2007-12-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

We all need to read this article from the state of Delaware and think again about whether we are serving all students. This line struck me the most.

Statistically, 20 percent of U.S. school dropouts test in the gifted range, said Jill Adrian, director of family services at the Davidson Institute for Talent Development...

Now, I don't want to say "I told you so", because that would be just a little petty and I'm above that. Take a look at this nugget and consider how you do or don't challenge gifted students to work hard for their learning.

Some make poor grades, either because they no longer care or because they have spent so many of their younger years unchallenged that when they suddenly face a rigorous course in middle or high school, they don't know how to study.

We need to wake up and remember that all students need the same level of challenge and expectation for performance. So, all I want for Christmas is more and more differentiation across the land.

Catching the Bug

2007-11-25T21:09:00.001-08:00

Genuine enthusiasm for the topic is an instructional strategy that doesn' get enough attention. Just think back to the most influential teachers and professors in your life and I'll bet that the vast majority of those teachers had enthusiasm. This month's Educational Leadership magazine from ASCD has some great articles on math, but it was one of their inserts that caught my eye. Take a look at this "Aha" moment from Jeremy Kippatrick, Regents Professor of Mathematics Education at the Univesity of Georgia.

Although I did well in mathematics in high school, it was not until I went to Chaffey College, a two-year college then located in Ontario, California, and took calculus from Arthur E. Flum, that I discovered that learning mathematics could be simultaneously difficult and enjoyable, elegant and fascinating. The moment I realized all this came during the first week of class, when Mr. Flum's infectious enthusiasm for the subject we were about to work on together became apparent. Calculus was a new world for us, but under his guidance, we would succeed not only in learning it but in seeing its power and elegance. I ended up taking every mathematics course I could from Mr. Flum, and when I transferred as a junior to Cal Berkeley, mathematics was the obvious subject in which to major.

When I learned later that research on effective teachers has repeatedly shown that enthusiasm is one of their signature traits, I thought of Mr. Flum. In all that he did—coaching the tennis team, sponsoring the booster club, teaching mathematics—he had a flair for pushing you harder while helping you enjoy what you were doing. Successful mathematics teachers are enthusiastic about mathematics, and that enthusiasm is contagious.

Without a doubt, all of life's challenges will be more successful and fulfilling when we embark on them with enthusiasm. Professor Kilpatrick used the word infectious which describes it beautifully. The receiver doesn't have to do too much to "catch" a cold or flu. One needs only come in contact with someone with the disease. Are you contagious with the love of learning today?

Cool, we should all be able to read this...

2007-11-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

Cash Advance Loans

A Gift for my teachers

2007-11-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

Browsing through our local Barnes and Noble with the family tonight I came across Tim Rasinski's book The Fluent Reader. I noticed that he had a list of the 1st 300 Dolch Instant Words developed into phrases. He states that research indicates that students actually become more fluent and accomplished readers by reading at the phrase level, not the word level. Therefore, someone has gone to the trouble of putting the first 300 words into phrases. How cool is that? Follow this link to the magic list.

Hold your horses. I just went to Rasinski's website and, lo and behold, he has compiled the 1st 600 words. I think I'm going to kiss that guy!

10 Reasons Why Your Child Should Attend Halecrest Elementary

2007-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

1. It's Free - Basically, if you are sending your child to a local private school you are wasting about $5,000 to $10,000 a year on tuition. For the reasons listed below, the quality of education at this school is better than any private school within 25 miles of our area code. (Which is why my daughter now attends Halecrest!) Now, if you're going there for strictly religious reasons, for example, than you should stay put, because the last time I checked we still have to remain neutral on matters of personal religion.

2. Our Community is Rabid - Led by an energetic and ever-present PTA Board and their volunteer army, we have remarkable school activities and events and a true sense of a small community kinship around campus. Take, for example, our recently completed Fall Festival. We had 3 hours of booths and activities topped off by a fireworks display (OK< the fireworks display was a lucky coincidence since the neighboring high school was having its homecoming celebration, but you get my point).

3. At least 4 people will know your child by name - Obviously, your teacher will know your child's name, but I guarantee you that at least one of our noon duty will get to know you and at least two more people from the front office staff, school psychologist, or Principal will know your child by name. As the Principal I pride myself on knowing every child's name and with 500 kids I probably have about a 95% success rate.

4. Expectations are High - NCLB doesn't call the shots around here because we are well ahead of their targets, yet nobody is complacent. It's all about continuous improvement for every child and the entire school. When I walked on this campus over three years ago this was one of the first things I noticed. From the attitude of the front office and throughout the school, everyone expects excellence and achievement - and we get it.

5. Teachers are learners - Our teachers are constantly looking for any resource, strategy, or idea that will help them reach one more child. They collaborate formally and informally to improve their craft and they are eager to implement ideas from our staff development training.

6. Individualized, differentiated instruction is the expectation - I still can't say that we are differentiating as much as we need to, but we are working together to accomplish this. We have individual goals for every child on this campus in the area of reading improvement and will eventually develop the same plan for math instruction. Percentages and averages are not good enough. Every child needs to grow at least one year and if they are behind at the start of the year, they need to grow one year plus.

7. We have balance - We don't apologize for our academic focus, as many of us believe that this is the primary function of schools, however we do have all students enjoying art, PE, and Music/Drama on a weekly rotations. We also find time to do Ballet Folklorico for 5th grade (during school day) and 6th grade (before school). The teachers that run these programs are dynamic, engaging, and fully committed to Halecrest.

8. We recognize achievement and effort - Both are important to celebrate. We believe that students who achieve a certain standard of excellence should be rewarded, and we also believe that effort and improvement are just as valuable to praise.

9. People enjoy each other - Working at schools is a high stress job. You should just try and be responsible for 20-30 young people for 6.5 hours a day! Tensions could easily run high, and they sometimes do in the best environments. However, for the most part, the staff, students, and parents really like each other and get along. These positive relationships spread from adults to kids and there is a general feeling of safety and warmth, and dare I say, love at Halecrest.

10. Daily assessment is much more important than the end-of-the-year scorecard - We could talk a lot about our state and local results, which are stellar, but those numbers aren't nearly as important as the daily improvement of every child on formal and informal teacher classroom assessments. The purpose of all this assessment is that teachers constantly keep a pulse on students progress toward state standards. T he more precise we are at identifying student needs, the quicker we can turn those needs into strengths with just the right instruction.

So, what do you think? Did I miss some things that are important to parents? If you were looking for a school, what qualities would you be looking for in a school?

Prey seals it

2007-11-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

I was poking my guinea pig (AKA Phillip) this evening by giving him some running record passages to see how they are administered and to see how he is progressing. He did a great job on accuracy and fluency scoring 100% on both passages in accuracy and getting 133 and 154 words per minute respectively. He struggled a little with the 5th grade comprehension questions getting only 70% so his parent, teacher clearly has an instructional plan to work with him on those inference questions with 5th grade passages.

So here's what I learned about running records. First of all, they are fun to give (of course, I didn't have 19 or 29 other students to keep productive, but I did have Emily and she counts for more than a couple). Second, and most important, they give you tons of information. Based on this 10 minute assessment I learned that my son can decode just fine and his growth will come from increased vocabulary and reading comprehension strategies that relate to analyzing text for meaning. With a little coaching and discussion, I can really see him growing in this area quite rapidly. If I were his teacher, I couldn't wait to put him in similar passages to practice deciphering meaning from a variety of texts. This gives me a clear roadmap of where to go with his reading instruction.

I also was reminded once again of the value of wide reading for vocabulary and comprehension improvement. One of the questions had to do with the meaning of "prey", which he nailed. His comment was, "I got that from Warriors", which is his current favorite series he's been reading since last spring. Score one for reading quantity once again.

Halloween Treat

2007-10-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

When the Superintendent schedules his visit on Halloween, you always kind of hold your breath and hope the roof doesn't cave in as the sugar levels reach epic proportions. So, there I am, awaiting the latest visit, cleaning out all the junk from my office and sprucing up every corner of the kingdom when the Superintendent not only shows up in Halloween costume as a washed up surfer, but has brought bags of treats for all the kids and the only scolding I get is that I haven't donned my Abraham Lincoln costume yet.

I've got to say that walking around campus and watching the Superintendent hand out candy and congratulate all the students and staff for their great work was rather otherworldly. After all, it was only three years ago on that very same Halloween that he told me, "Dan, things are already slipping here at Halecrest".

Today's treat was a vindication of all the hard work everyone has been engaged in and demonstrated the amount of trust and respect we have earned from our leader who expects the very highest level of performance from everyone.

Happy Halloween Halecrest. You've earned a sugarfest celebration.

Now, let's get back to work. :)

Modeling is really hardwork

2007-10-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

California Teacher Guy is trying on some modeling for size and finding modeling is just another name for hard work.

Graphing Relationships

2007-10-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

This nifty entry by Dan Meyer got me thinking about plotting educational practices at both the school and classroom level to determine relationships between a variety of factors and achievement. For example, is there a relationship between the number of minutes given to independent reading and improvement on reading comprehension, accuracy, and fluency? Is there a relationship between the amount of non-fiction reading and vocabulary learning? Hey, maybe there's a relationship between the number of minutes spent coloring and student satisfaction with school? To be fair we should analyze everybody's theory. Maybe the Crayola Curriculum critique is all wet.

Basically I think we (I mean I) still do a very poor job of proving what instructional practices and school practices are indeed having a positive effect on student learning. Here's another good one. How about the relationship between the number of worksheets completed and student retention of the stated objectives! The rain forests will thank us if we can come up with an answer to that one. If you want to look at a bunch of other nifty and creative relationships, visit Jessica Hagy's blog.

Beware the Crayola Curriculum

2007-10-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Touring some classes this week I came across some hard working students coloring pages during their language arts block. We've always got to be on the look out for signs of the Crayola curriculum. Joanne Jacobs shares a story of a father who had a bad experience in South Carolina with the gifted program and decided to say thanks but no thanks to Alaska's "gifted" curriculum. Believe it or not but the best way to learn to read and write is to...read and write ... a lot! Creative, purposeful teachers understand that there is great motivation and inspiration in the written word.

Sometimes, I think some teachers just don't like to read and write, because too many seem to think of these activities as boring and uninteresting to kids. Reading an informative or exciting text and writing a meaningful message make life richer. So, put down those crayons and read and write with your kids. They'll have a blast!

Tall Poppy Syndrome

2007-09-30T21:32:00.001-07:00

Educational Leadership is tackling the role of Teacher Leaders this month and and article by Charlotte Danielson called The Many Faces of Leadership discussed how school culture can support teachers by eliminating the "tall poppy syndrome."

It's not only administrators who, on occasion stand in the way of teacher leaders. sometimes the teachers themselves resist taking on leadership roles, or make it difficult for their colleagues to do so. In Australia, this is called the tall poppy syndrome-those who stick their heads up risk being cut down to size. The phenomenon might take the form of teachers' reluctance to announce to their colleagues that they have been recognized by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. To counteract this syndrome, the school administrator needs to create a culture that honors teachers who step outside their traditional roles and take on leadership projects.

We have seen several teacher emerge as leaders at Halecrest and, despite their real fears of getting cut down, they are courageously stepping forward and influencing their colleagues in a variety of settings. The big winners are the students who benefit from improved practice on a wider scale because of the leadership of teachers among teachers. Keep fighting the fight my friends and don't sweat the small stuff.

Long Live the Amoeba

2007-09-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

This past week our Instructional Leadership Team was enjoying some outstanding staff development working on our collaborative culture, when we were grilled by the facilitator who finally described our school as amoeba-like, mostly because we are resistant to the linear, one focus for all, approach that is espoused by our district because of their work with Focus on Results. While our facilitator is a little concerned that we are like an amoeba because we are not following a clearly defined path. My reaction is that I kind of like the amoeba tag, because at least it's a living organism. We are actually moving forward on several different fronts at once, and there certainly is the real risk, that we won't become excellent at any of them if we continue down this path. However, after reflecting on this the past couple days, I think we are acting in a way that is consistent with a learning community. We are working on a consistent literacy assessment calendar, processes for analyzing data, the gradual release of responsibility instructional model, and reading instruction. You tell me, which one should we put off until tomorrow?

The Fall

2007-09-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the research says about year round school, because I really don't care. There is only one day of the year to start school and that is the day after Labor Day! Those poor fools who started in July are all messed up.

The first day of school is tomorrow and I can't wait. Eager little kids in their new clothes and school tools will be flocking to our doors while parents drop them off with either a sigh of relief (Grades 1-6) or a tear or two (Kindergarten). Though there are a few kids who are nervous and anxious about the new year, most of the kids I meet are excited and enthusiastic. Their enthusiasm is only matched by their teachers, those amazing individuals who spend their life (literally) coming up with new ways to motivate, educate, train, and inspire little minds.

Wherever you are starting the new school year I wish you a hearty Happy New Year! Before you know it we'll be hosting a Fall Festival and counting down the days to the Holiday Season.

Best wishes as you create memorable learning experiences for every child.