The authors Eric Harvey & Michelle Seda in the book , “The Power Of 10%” remind us how small changes can make a big difference. To improve ourselves, we do not need to tackle everything all at once. Results come by concentrating on small areas since all aspects of our lives are connected. When we aim to improve ourselves, we must remember that the positive changes will inevitably inspire other to improve. The choices we make, the words we say and the actions we take not only impact our lives, but also the lives of those around us.

Commit to your goals………………………10% MORE

Commit to your passions…………………10% MORE

Commit to your beliefs……………………10% MORE

It’s clear that the world we live in can be a better and improved place through the committed focus of individuals – through the power of 10%. Where Everybody is Somebody ML

The 13 Trust Behaviors by Stephen M. R. Covey

• *Talk Straight
• *Demonstrate Respect
• *Create Transparency
• *Right Wrongs
• *Show Loyalty
• *Deliver Results
• *Get Better
• *Confront Reality
• *Clarify Expectations
• *Practice Accountability
• *Listen First
• *Keep Commitments
• *Extend Trust

Yes, the one thing that changes everything is TRUST……

• *One thing common to all throughout the world and if removed will destroy everything
• *If developed and leveraged, has the potential to create unparalleled success and prosperity in every dimension of life
• *The least understood, most neglected, and most underestimated possibility of our time……

                                        TRUST

Where everybody is somebody

ML

More research has been published on the role of the superintendent and central office and their impact on student achievement.  These studies conclude that without effective leadership at both the building and district levels, continuous progress is unlikely to occur (Louis et al., 2010; Robinson et al., 2008)  In reviewing the most recent research on district leadership, there appears to be fairly strong consensus on what effective districts do to improve student out comes.  In their review of the research, Leithwood and Jantzi (2008) identified 8 organizational conditions characterizing effective Districts:

1. A district’s focus on student achievement and the quality of instructional practices, including the use of effective research-based instructional practices.
2. The development of instructional leadership at the district, school, and classroom levels, including training for central office staff, principals, teachers on high-quality instruction and the leadership of improvement.
3. Training, capacity building, support, and expectations in the effective use of data across the district in decision making and assessing student learning and progress.
4. Collaborative goal setting in establishing a limited number of focused, nonnegotiable district goals for achievement and instruction that are stable for an extended period of time
5. Monitoring the implementation of the strategies, evaluating the results, and creating feedback loops to all staff on progress in achievement and instructional goals
6. Ongoing, targeted and differentiated professional development and the phasing in of improvement efforts over time.
7. Distributing leadership with an emphasis on the development of teams and professional communities.
8. Allocating and aligning resources to support the goals for achievement and instruction.

Where Everybody Is Somebody

ML

The Chapel Hill Education Foundation is a non-profit corporation formed in 2003. The purpose of the organization is to promote scholarships in the Chapel Hill Independent School District by providing financial support, leadership abilities and professional expertise for students and teachers to colleges, universities, trade or technical schools. It also provides financial support through grants to the Chapel Hill campuses for qualified educational projects.

Every year the CHISD Education Foundation puts a fundraising event called “GO BIG RED!” Chicken Stew & Silent Auction. This year’s event will take place on Friday, January 20, 2012. The event will be in conjunction with the Homecoming Basketball games. The evening will be full of fellowship, fun and fundraising. So it is with great appreciation and on behalf of our school board, administration, staff and students we say , “Thank –you CHISD Education Foundation for enriching this District .”

ML

In an effort to provide an annual point of view from peer to peer, a group of former CHISD students now college students spoke to about 40 CHISD Juniors and Seniors in the Student Center.  The main purpose was to share how important grades are, time management is and taking full advantage of everything your teachers are saying and your school has to offer.  The following is a list of questions that the panel of college students expounded on during the 45 minutes they had to share from their experiences:

1. What is the focus/importance of grades and tests and homework in college?
2. How much studying will you actually need to do in college ?
3. Why is the senior year so critical ?
4. What are some college distractions  (good and bad)  ?
5. How important is managing my time ?
6. What CHISD classes have served me well ?
7. What do I wish I would have done differently while in HS  ?
8. Is attending class important and why  ?
9. How important is peer support in your college classes ?
10. Scholarships – how do I get them and what are they looking for ?
11. How important are extra-curricular activities in HS  ?
12. Why is it important to have a full schedule for all 4 years  ?

Where Everybody Is Somebody

ML

Our Technology Director, Mr. Stuart Burt shared an interesting list with me this past week. Here are 21 thing that will be Obsolete in 2020 (MindShift):

1. Desks
2. Language labs
3. Computers (our concept of what a computer is)
4. Homework
5. Role of Standardized test in college admissions (Digital Portfolios will replace test scores as the # 1 factor in college admissions)
6. Differentiated Instruction as a Sign of a Distinguished Teacher.
7. Fear of Wikipedia
8. Paperbacks
9. Attendance Offices
10. Lockers
11. I. T. Departments (cloud computing & wifi/wireless)
12. Centralized Institutions (buildings will get smaller and greener)
13. Organization of Educational Services by Grade
14. Schools that fail to Integrate Technology
15. Paid/Outsourced Professional development (teachers will rise up to replace)
16. Current Curricular Norms
17. Parent-Teacher Conference nights
18. Typical Cafeteria Food
19. Outsourced Graphic design and web design
20. High School Algebra 1 (the new norm will be to teach in middle school )
21. Paper

Where Everybody is Somebody

ML

It’s not easy being Santa Claus ! Having to be jolly all the time while wearing the same, hot, red – wool suit (that itches like crazy). Give folks exactly what they want and everybody loves Santa; however, miss one or two items on the list and all you hear is “I could do Santa’s job better than Santa” remarks.

So, what are my leadership secrets? Actually there are 8 of them and they are practical strategies for leading others and getting big things done all year long.
(taken from the book, The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus by Harvey, Cottrell, Lucia & Hourigan)

1. Build a Wonderful Workshop
2. Choose Your Reindeer Wisely
3. Make a List and Check It Twice
4. Listen to the Elves
5. Get Beyond The Red Wagons
6. Share The Milk and Cookies
7. Find Out Who’s naughty and Nice
8. Be Good For Goodness Sake

It’s not easy being a Leader. The job comes with many challenges and responsibilities. But…..people need me, they depend on me, we’re doing important work here and knowing that gives me the energy to carry the sack, lead the pack and keep coming back! Merry Christmas !!

ML

Only 3 pennies of every educational dollar are spent on central administration in this state. On the flipside, 49 cents of every education dollar is spent on teacher salaries. An additional 12 cents is spent on curriculum, instructional materials, and instructional classroom aides. The majority of remaining pennies are spent making sure schools are equipped with technology, libraries, counselors and utilities. Think extracurricular activities are too expensive ? Think again ! Only 3 cents of every education dollar are allocated for extracurricular programs (www.moakcasey.com)

Taxpayers and businesses help subsidize education and they want to make sure their money is being used effectively in a system of education that works well. The quality of our educational system plays a big part in our economic success and in the face of ever-increasing standards, public scrutiny, complex policy and budget battles; the Texas public schools continually rise to the occasion on behalf of their students.

“Great things are happening in Texas Public Schools” and “Great things are happening at “Chapel Hill ISD”

ATTENDANCE….It Really Does Matter $$$

I was speaking with Mr. Butch Skelton who oversees CHISDs public education information management system. He reported to me that attendance very important to our school funding. He gave me attendance data showing that over the past 5 years CHISD has always been 1% better in attendance that the state average and from .5 % to 1% better that the average of the school districts in our region (which make up about 48 school districts). I am proud that our students have better attendance on the average and fiscally proud to report that being 1% better every year brings us approximately $35,000 more to educate our students with.

Chapel Hill is always stressing the importance to attend school. Teachers and students alike are made aware of the benefits for good attendance. Incentives are used to encourage attendance. CHISDs attendance rates are always looked at very carefully, according to Mr. Butch Skelton , to help the school district receive the most money from the state for students to receive the very best education possible. So good to great attendance – It really does matter $$$$$

ML

There are two major forces driving education today.  The first is the economic reality that drives schools to make the most effective use of dollars to improve student outcomes.  The second is the exponential growth in digital tools and subsequently digital content that provides the foundation to transform and improve how teachers teach and how students learn.

Survey results from Center for Digital Education 2010

1. 69 % of responding districts utilize video conferencing to offer virtual field trips to students
2. 88% of responding districts have one or more online classes approved for credit
3. 84% of responding districts all educators use Web 2.0 tools like Blogs and wikis with their students
4. 82% of responding districts offer advanced technology skills classes like computer programming, media production or video game development
5. 75% of the districts provide all students with an opportunity to take an introductory class that explores technology-supported careers
6. 69% of responding districts are using “push” technology – where automated systems send information electronically to inform parents and patrons of event and related student information