Over the course of the past couple weeks I have found that action research is a continuous process of reflecting on the direction and progress of the school and brainstorming ways to improve upon not only the practice of the principal, but the functioning components of the school.
Action research should be in line with the campus vision and based on data. When deciding upon the most appropriate course of action within a specific school, the researcher must find ways to directly apply what is learned to their school setting. Not all research will be applicable to all schools.
It is also vital to stimulate support and buy-in to help increase consensus and teamwork when dealing with whole-school change initiatives. This can be done in numerous ways (asking for suggestions from veteran teachers, surveys to stakeholders, and relating the change to the existing vision and culture within the school).
Monday, August 2, 2010
Action Research Proposal
Action Research Topic: After reviewing our TAKS results and AYP, and looking at past CIPs, my site-supervisor and I have agreed that this topic would be extremely beneficial for our school to find a way to improve upon. As with any proposed changes, the process will be time consuming and require cooperation between many stakeholders. It is our shared vision that we increase the parental involvement within our school to help improve student performance. Here is an outline of our proposed activities.
Topic: How can we improve parental involvement at the high school as a way to improve attendance and achievement, decrease disciplinary issues, and bridge the gap between the school and the home?
Goals: Over the next 2 school years (2010-2011 to 2011-2012 school years) we should:
• Improve attendance rate by 3%.
• Improve TAKS scores of our Hispanic subgroup on all tests by 5%.
• Show a 10% reduction in disciplinary referrals.
Activities to Reach our Goals:
• Departments will create take-home tool kits to help parents keep track of their child’s progress, course material, and help assist with assignments.
• Teachers will make periodic communication with parents and keep a mandatory log (6 communications every 3 weeks).
• Increase the number and diversity of the members of our SBDMC in attendance.
• Differentiate meeting times (SBDMC) as a way to accommodate the majority of our community SBDMC members.
• Administrators and department heads will make home visits to our lowest performing school’s homes to discuss effective ways to become more involved.
• We will include in our monthly newsletters: a Spanish version, modes of community involvement, and a “tip” section on ways for parents to help at home and get involved at the school.
Resources and Research Tools:
• Data Collection: Attendance rates, TAKS scores, discipline referrals, parental attendance at SBDMC meetings.
• Interviews: Talk with other school district-leaders to see what they do to improve parental involvement.
• Surveys: Send out periodic surveys to check the effectiveness of the take-home toolkits and request suggestions on ways to improve, check the effectiveness of our modes of communication, and request suggestions on perceived barriers to participation.
• Literature: To effectively monitor/alter the program, I will continuously review previous studies on the topic and try to use their results in an applicable way for my school’s population.
Timeline:
• Implementation will begin with training of the staff prior to the start of school (2010)
- Creation of detailed syllabus and take-home tool kits
- Advertisement for our SBDMC
- Discussion topics in our mandatory home communication program
• The program will run for two consecutive school years to effectively monitor/alter the program to reach maximum effectiveness. It will take time to change parental mindset in our community.
Persons Responsible for Implementation:
• Myself – Program operation and processes
• Administrators – Functioning of the SBDMC on oversight of the programs
• Teachers – Creation of tool-kits and home communication
Monitoring Goal Achievement:
• Not only will we monitor TAKS scores and benchmark scores, attendance rates, and discipline referrals, but we will keep track of parental involvement as well. Periodic surveys and home communication measures will be used in conjunction with the SBDMC to make changes along the way and brainstorm hints and suggestions to parents on how they can help at home and at school.
Assessment Instruments:
• AYP data
• SNDMC attendance
• Discipline Referrals
• Participation in extra-curriculum activities
• Parental volunteer numbers
Topic: How can we improve parental involvement at the high school as a way to improve attendance and achievement, decrease disciplinary issues, and bridge the gap between the school and the home?
Goals: Over the next 2 school years (2010-2011 to 2011-2012 school years) we should:
• Improve attendance rate by 3%.
• Improve TAKS scores of our Hispanic subgroup on all tests by 5%.
• Show a 10% reduction in disciplinary referrals.
Activities to Reach our Goals:
• Departments will create take-home tool kits to help parents keep track of their child’s progress, course material, and help assist with assignments.
• Teachers will make periodic communication with parents and keep a mandatory log (6 communications every 3 weeks).
• Increase the number and diversity of the members of our SBDMC in attendance.
• Differentiate meeting times (SBDMC) as a way to accommodate the majority of our community SBDMC members.
• Administrators and department heads will make home visits to our lowest performing school’s homes to discuss effective ways to become more involved.
• We will include in our monthly newsletters: a Spanish version, modes of community involvement, and a “tip” section on ways for parents to help at home and get involved at the school.
Resources and Research Tools:
• Data Collection: Attendance rates, TAKS scores, discipline referrals, parental attendance at SBDMC meetings.
• Interviews: Talk with other school district-leaders to see what they do to improve parental involvement.
• Surveys: Send out periodic surveys to check the effectiveness of the take-home toolkits and request suggestions on ways to improve, check the effectiveness of our modes of communication, and request suggestions on perceived barriers to participation.
• Literature: To effectively monitor/alter the program, I will continuously review previous studies on the topic and try to use their results in an applicable way for my school’s population.
Timeline:
• Implementation will begin with training of the staff prior to the start of school (2010)
- Creation of detailed syllabus and take-home tool kits
- Advertisement for our SBDMC
- Discussion topics in our mandatory home communication program
• The program will run for two consecutive school years to effectively monitor/alter the program to reach maximum effectiveness. It will take time to change parental mindset in our community.
Persons Responsible for Implementation:
• Myself – Program operation and processes
• Administrators – Functioning of the SBDMC on oversight of the programs
• Teachers – Creation of tool-kits and home communication
Monitoring Goal Achievement:
• Not only will we monitor TAKS scores and benchmark scores, attendance rates, and discipline referrals, but we will keep track of parental involvement as well. Periodic surveys and home communication measures will be used in conjunction with the SBDMC to make changes along the way and brainstorm hints and suggestions to parents on how they can help at home and at school.
Assessment Instruments:
• AYP data
• SNDMC attendance
• Discipline Referrals
• Participation in extra-curriculum activities
• Parental volunteer numbers
Monday, July 12, 2010
Blogging for Improvement
Blogging is a way for people to share experiences or thoughts on a particular subject. Just as beginning teachers seek advise from more experienced teachers, educational leaders can share their thoughts, problems, successful endeavors, etc. for others to view and elaborate upon. We can collaborate with others on specific issues, take bits and pieces of others' experiences and apply them to our situation, or inspire others to solve their own problem!
Application of Action Research
It is amazing how words can stir up feelings inside the human body. When I read the word "research" for my current class I had that uneasy-queasy feeling deep down inside. All I could think of was upper-level college assignments that had me in the library for hours on end. I was NOT looking forward to this class!
Luckily, it only took a few minutes of reading to discover that action research is different. Dana describes action research or "administrative inquiry" as the process of studying your own administrative practices and initiating some form of change based on the results of the inquiry (2). As I continued reading I discovered that the process is very similar to what I teach my students in science - The Scientific Method. Basically, you identify a problem and brainstorm solutions (experiment). Then you gather data based on professional literature, collegial suggestions, and experiences. Finally, you test the solutions (over a period of time), gather and analyze data, and convey your results.
This form of professional development is more effective because it is specific to your school's needs and population. Too many times we are forced to listen to the latest theories and case studies performed in Utopia or some other school totally unrelated to our working environment. What do we take away from these trainings? Usually many unanswered questions! Action research is a way for administrators to initiate change based on the issues affecting their school. It is a reflective process that allows principals to gather student data, identify specific areas of weakness, and decide what went wrong or what needs fixing. Then, the administrator can work with members of their own staff to brainstorm solutions and initiate change that will benefit their students. I'm not saying that traditional forms of research are ineffective. They should be utilized and a part of the learning process, but to take what was effective for an urban school in Seattle and try to mimic it in rural south Texas, expecting the same results, is foolish. Individual schools face individualized needs.
Many educators already participate in different forms of action research. Site-based decision making committees look at the weaknesses of their school, disaggregate data, and brainstorm solutions to improve their schools. Professional learning communities (PLC) are specific groups within the school who identify weaknesses (usually within a specific subject), discuss ways to improve (using the collective experiences of the group members), and implement necessary changes. Individual teachers and principals can do the same. Reflecting on your work, learning new ways of doing things, and communicating with colleagues are all forms of inquiry that will help improve a process.
Luckily, it only took a few minutes of reading to discover that action research is different. Dana describes action research or "administrative inquiry" as the process of studying your own administrative practices and initiating some form of change based on the results of the inquiry (2). As I continued reading I discovered that the process is very similar to what I teach my students in science - The Scientific Method. Basically, you identify a problem and brainstorm solutions (experiment). Then you gather data based on professional literature, collegial suggestions, and experiences. Finally, you test the solutions (over a period of time), gather and analyze data, and convey your results.
This form of professional development is more effective because it is specific to your school's needs and population. Too many times we are forced to listen to the latest theories and case studies performed in Utopia or some other school totally unrelated to our working environment. What do we take away from these trainings? Usually many unanswered questions! Action research is a way for administrators to initiate change based on the issues affecting their school. It is a reflective process that allows principals to gather student data, identify specific areas of weakness, and decide what went wrong or what needs fixing. Then, the administrator can work with members of their own staff to brainstorm solutions and initiate change that will benefit their students. I'm not saying that traditional forms of research are ineffective. They should be utilized and a part of the learning process, but to take what was effective for an urban school in Seattle and try to mimic it in rural south Texas, expecting the same results, is foolish. Individual schools face individualized needs.
Many educators already participate in different forms of action research. Site-based decision making committees look at the weaknesses of their school, disaggregate data, and brainstorm solutions to improve their schools. Professional learning communities (PLC) are specific groups within the school who identify weaknesses (usually within a specific subject), discuss ways to improve (using the collective experiences of the group members), and implement necessary changes. Individual teachers and principals can do the same. Reflecting on your work, learning new ways of doing things, and communicating with colleagues are all forms of inquiry that will help improve a process.
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