An LYS Superintendent shares the following: SC, A superintendent and a teacher asked me essentially the same set of questions yesterday – two different districts, two different roles, but the same dilemma. Both districts have just completed a testing cycle of “curriculum based assessments” with seemingly poor results. The following are my thoughts. 1. Great…
I had an LYS principal call me last week with a question and a request. The question was this: “What should I be doing to prepare myself for my next job, in terms of professional development?” This is an excellent question. I told him that there are a couple of things he should be doing….
A LYS Assistant Superintendent recently asked me what four books I would recommend to school leaders that best encapsulate the LYS philosophy. I have to admit that I failed. I could create the top ten list and I could create a top seven list. However, try as I might I could not create a top…
In response to the post, “School Dysfunction,” a reader writes: “SC, I’ve been thinking about your comment, “…that soon LYS schools will be the norm rather than the exception.” I believe this is true. However, after a recent candidate interview with E. Don Brown, we discussed how districts need LYS superintendents and then the public…
I been so busy lately and the LYS Nation has had so many things to talk about that I have gotten behind on my book reviews. Since my last post on this subject, I have finished four books. Here are my short reviews, presented in order from least useful to most useful (from a school…
It seems that the education world just can’t get enough of the LYS Nation. First, on Thursday, over 100 school board members overcame bad weather to hear how the LYS schools have learned to eat the perceived pain of change for breakfast. Look out non-LYS districts, because your board members left the presentation embracing the…
In response to the post, “A Reader Asks… Why You,” a reader writes: “Common sense wasn’t ‘Common Sense’ until Thomas Paine wrote it.” SC ResponseIt is common knowledge that the LYS reader is smarter that the average educator, but a Thomas Paine reference? That’s just showing off. However, I am going to use your analogy….
To add to the discussion that has revolved around Brezina and Brown (their respective “rules” and advice), a reader writes: “Yes, there are many types of principals out there, no doubt. What I was trying to tease out is that the only type of principal that counts is the effective principal. If we distill this…
