SamTastic Weekly Tip: 7/21/25 - Four Times More. That’s Impressive.

This week’s tip: Four Times More.  That’s Impressive.

SAM principals spend four times more time working with teachers to improve practice than their non-SAM peers.  The 2025 SAM Team Performance Annual Assessment was shared with the NSIP Board at its summer meeting, July 8.  Member were impressed and each has elected to prepare comments that will be shared oved the next several months in the SamTastic Weekly Tip.

To access the 2025 SAM Team Performance Report:   http://bit.ly/44MbQ8t

To access the Executive Summary, 2025 SAM Team Performance Assessment:  https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k 

Please feel free to share these links with colleagues.  

Here’s a report on the July 8 Board meeting from Bert Hendee, President NSIP Board of Directors:

As we have shared with you before, the board of directors meets two times a year in person.  One meeting is held in conjunction with the National Conference and one in the summer either June or July.  Two other virtual meetings may be held each year as well.  At each meeting we have updates from each member of the board and the executive director.  We are passionate about this work and always working towards improvements in our performance and support of NSIP.

During this most recent board meeting we focused on several important things:

1.    Revised a few of our board policies to more align with the work we actually do. 

2.    Renewed Board Officers for another year: Bert Hendee, President, Paul Katnik, Vice President, Nathan Roberts, Treasurer, Dave Sechler, Secretary, Jennifer McCrystal, SAM Principal and Jennifer Stapleton, SAM. 

3.    Reviewed the results of the annual SAM Teams Rubric Assessments and were so very impressed that 100% of the teams submitted their assessment and 95% of those teams can directly connect their use of time to improved teacher practice!  Very impressive!!  All Board members will be sharing their thoughts about the assessment results in the coming weeks.

4.    Reviewed the results of our board self-evaluation and set goals for the coming year.

5.    Revised the Mission and Vision statements to more clearly articulate and simply state our “Why” for NSIP. 

Mission:  Provide a comprehensive process and set of tools to develop effective instructional leaders resulting in greater student success.

Vision:  Increase principal time spent improving teacher practice and student outcomes.

If you have questions please feel free to reach out to any board member at any time.  Our contact information is on the NSIP website.

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 7/14/25 - Enjoy Your Apples!

This week’s tip: Enjoy Your Apples!

Four times more.  That’s a lot of apples.  It is also a key takeaway from the 2025 SAM Team Performance Annual Assessment.  SAM leaders spent four times more time during the school year working with teachers to improve practice than non-SAM principals. 

TimeTrack audited data and interviews with nearly 800 SAM teams paint a positive picture of leaders who have figured out how to spend the majority of each day doing intentional work to improve teaching and learning.

SAM principals spent 57% of each day instructional engaged; non-SAM leaders, 13%

• SAM principals spent two times more time in classrooms.

• SAM principals spent three times more time in instructional conversations with teachers.

• 95% of SAM leaders can connect time spent with improved teacher practice.

• 92% of SAM leaders can connect time spent with improved student outcomes.

Congratulations to SAM teams across the country!  Also, to the 54 Time Change Coaches who support SAM teams, the NSIP office and tech staff who make the SAM process possible.

To see the full report:  http://bit.ly/44MbQ8t

Please feel free to share this email with your colleagues who haven’t found SAMs yet.  We’d love to share.

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Music Video: I Am a SAM  https://bit.ly/48OCjCm

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 7/7/25 - Try Seeing Instruction without a Plan, Rubric, Checklist, or Pre-conceived Opinion.

This week’s tip: “Try seeing instruction without a plan, rubric, checklist or pre-conceived opinion.”

In an effort to be intentional, many leaders use tools, formal and informal, when observing teachers work.  These tools can, sometimes, help lead to improved teacher practice.  They can also prevent a leader from seeing the larger picture and miss opportunities to truly assist teachers in improving their work.

Teaching is more about art than science.  Teaching is more about relationships than conformity.  Perhaps observing instruction by participating as a student, with a focus on learning and enjoying the lesson, might allow you to see a larger picture?  Perhaps suspending your professional role will allow you to have a few Ah Ha moments that you can use to benefit teachers and students.

A former SAM High School Principal, Michael Bregy, liked to go to school as a student occasionally.  He said this different perspective helped him learn how to better assist teachers in their quest to improve practice.  During the day, he would shadow one student from arrival to departure.  He would go to every class, do every assignment and follow every rule the student had to follow.  He did not take a break, use tech or leave his role as a student.  He wanted to immerse himself in school the way students do every day to spark his own creativity as a professional leader…and learner.

I never tried this idea when I was a principal.  I did like to spend a complete day in a classroom as an aide to gain a better understanding of, and relationship with, a teacher.  I found this helpful and teachers seemed to like it, a lot.  I then began doing this in shorter classroom visits.  That early experience in my leadership work led to “Working with Students” to be a SAM instructional descriptor.

One of the best things about teaching is there isn’t one way to do things.  Creativity and curiosity may be the best pre-cursors to the surfacing of ideas to improve teacher practice.

PS:  You can find Mike Bregy’s “go to school as a student” summary, and hundreds of other one page ideas from SAM TimeTrack users, at this link: 

What a Great Idea! Main Document

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Haven’t received an invoice yet for SAM services for next year?  You can request an invoice now by using this link:  https://bit.ly/40GtA33

2024 SAM Team Performance Report:   Executive Summary - https://bit.ly/4fh2V2k

Music Video: I Am a SAM  https://bit.ly/48OCjCm