DISC, The Superpower for Facilitators
With all of the debate surrounding the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie (e.g., Ben Affleck cast as Batman; Jesse Eisenberg portraying Lex Luthor with hair; Gal Gadot cast as Wonder Woman – leading to the huge debate over whether she can carry a stand alone Wonder Woman movie), I can’t help but think about the […]
Lean Procedures: What’s It Going to Cost Me?
When discussing the implementation of lean processes in school systems, leaders are often concerned with cost and rightfully so. In many situations, environmental circumstances force schools to spend less and less per pupil. Every dollar must count. People must question whether or not their system can afford lean initiatives. As a small business owner, I […]
LEAN Energy: Simple Ways to Improve Energy Efficiency
Are you looking for ways for your school to “go green” but do not have a large budget to hire an energy management consulting company? Think Lean Energy. At its heart, Lean focuses on eliminating waste from the value stream of a product or service. (Click here to see some examples of wasteful activities in […]
Citizenship in the Digital Age: It Takes a Village
We gave our son a smart phone for his birthday. My wife has been concerned for a number of reasons- the potential costs (she envisions enormous bills because of texting and downloading games), that the phone will be lost or stolen, that our son will lose his love for hardcopy books (he’s a voracious reader) […]
The Shortest, Most Important Technology List
Everywhere you look there is a top 10 Technology list. From the top 10 science and technology innovations underway in 2014 (including an underground hotel in Shanghai) to the Tech 10 list of tablets to Time magazine’s recently identified Top 10 Tech Movies of the Millennium (Spoiler alert: Gravity won first place), we are at no shortage […]
What Lies Beneath: Taking a Deeper Look
In 1905 a curious 13 year-old boy named Ben Sands re-discovered what is now famously known as The Lost Sea located in Sweetwater, TN. Listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as America’s largest underground lake, the Lost Sea is part of an extensive and historic cave system called Craighead Caverns. Used by the […]
Outstanding Customer Delight: Taking a Lesson from a Pal
LEAN Frog team members were recently in east Tennessee supporting the First TN Superintendent’s Study Council. While in the area, we were able to see the legendary Pal’s Sudden Service fast food restaurant at the original location in downtown Kingsport, TN. You see Pal’s is not your ordinary burger joint. Started in 1956 by Pal […]
Providing Big Value-Add to Students and Parents with a Little Creativity
Everyone in public education is searching for ways their school system can increase the value they bring to students and their parents. We often focus on that one big thing that will make students, parents and the community realize that public education is valuable, that one initiative that will generate support for education funding. Well […]
8 Simple Things You Should Start Measuring in Your Non-Instructional Areas… and How They Should be Measured
The first step in improving anything is to measure it. We have known this for years, going all the way back to our college days when we were first introduced to the likes of Peter F. Drucker, famous writer, management consultant, and university professor. Drucker is credited with the quote, “What’s measured improves.” This principle […]
Breakfast in Classroom: Improving Our Schools… One Bite at a Time
Non-instructional areas, such as the Child Nutrition Program (CNP), can significantly impact the finances, academics, and community relations of a school district. Many Child Nutrition Programs suffer from inefficiencies such as low participation rates, high food costs, and high labor costs. Some districts even operate at a financial loss, requiring the district to supplement CNP […]