A LYS
Principal shares the following:
LYS (and the
LYS Nation),
I wanted you
to know that recently I was asked to write about one program that I implemented
from curriculum and instruction that made a significant impact at my school.
Consider this my personal endorsement.
The one
curriculum and instruction initiative that I have implemented that has been
most effective with student success is from the book, The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction, by Cain & Laird. The majority of the
training provided to my campus addressing Fundamental 5 implementation was
provided by the Lead Your School (LYS). I am now a firm believer in LYS staff
development. After twenty-three years of education, this is the best staff
development I have ever attended.
The Fundamental 5 is an easy to read and simple to understand program that focuses on best practices in instructional delivery. The genesis of The Fundamental 5 occurred
when Cain was tasked by TEA to identify what successful schools and classrooms
were doing as a resource for struggling schools. This work led Cain and his
team to identify some fundamental “secrets” of great instruction.
Sometimes as
a principal I am fortunate to see great instruction in the classroom. Most of
the time I see good instruction in the classroom. And occasionally I witness
poor instruction. The problem is trying to identify exactly what makes the
great instruction great and to duplicate this in other classrooms. What exactly
do I say to coach the low and average teacher to improve the quality of
instruction?
The Fundamental 5 looks at five areas to address and help any educator to develop great
techniques and systems for improving instruction. By better executing the
fundamentals, teachers can improve their focus and efficiency at lesson
delivery. Students are more engaged in the lesson, which lowers discipline
issues and increases retention.
Principals
are not exempt in this pursuit to improve instruction.  They are expected to monitor and
support teachers as they work to improve. To assist in this, LYS has a great
classroom observation tool, called “PowerWalks,” that allows frequent and
specific snapshots of instruction with data feedback for teachers. In just four
weeks of school I have now conducted over two hundred classroom visits.
Our
elementary school was failing state standards two years in a row, making it a
priority campus. That is no longer the case! Focus should always be on student
success, but sometimes we get sidetracked. LYS ensures that sidetracking
becomes a thing of the past. 
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
  • Call Jo at (832)
    477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies
    available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
     
  • Now
    at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks
    CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool)
     
  • Upcoming Presentations: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple
    Presentations); American Association of School Administrators Conference;
    National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple
    Presentations)
     
  • Follow
    Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation 
    and
    like Lead Your School on Facebook