Action Research Journey

     As I continued learning about action research inquiry this week, I had the opportunity to watch videos of leaders sharing their experience with action research.  They gave great advice.  One said, “When deciding to conducting research, we need to ask ourselves – Is it going to increase student performance?”  After all, we are in this profession for the students.

     The second leader that impacted my thinking suggested that when problems arise on campus, pull up a report, read, google it, see what other campuses/districts have done when faced with that problem.  “Why reinvent the wheel?”  I love this!  It makes me really feel like anything is possible if we take the time to research and reflect on problems that may arise!

     Next, I focused on the following nine areas that the author of Leading with Passion and Knowledge describes as major wonderings of many school leaders:

1.     Staff development

2.     Curriculum development

3.     Individual teacher(s)

4.     Individual student(s)

5.     School culture/community

6.     Leadership

7.     Management

8.     School performance

9.     Social justice or equity issues

          After reviewing the 9 areas and examples of inquiry wonderings, I met with my site supervisor to discuss a possible action research plan.  Here is what we decided:

           My school is spending money to subscribe to a KidBiz reading intervention program.  My principal  informed me that struggling students at our school receive KidBiz interventions paid for by the district, but it is a big expense for the school to provide this service for every student in grades 2-5.  She suggested that instead of tracking the progress of struggling readers, I track all 4^th grade students throughout the year to see if this is an expense the school wants to continue paying for.  This program tests students’ reading levels to make sure they are always reading news articles that are just right for them.  The students read news articles and take tests over what they read in a STAAR-like format.  As their reading improves, the program automatically adjusts their level to reflect that growth.  Our school is paying for the program this year because they thought it would be a good resource for all students, even the higher readers.  Since so much of a teacher's time is often spent pushing struggling readers to read on grade level, this would give the higher readers extra practice to ensure their reading also continues to grow significantly.  This research would help us to decide if it is an expense we want to continue paying for, so I thought this would be a great idea!  Let the research begin!

Question, Research, Collaborate, Reflect, Change, IMPROVE!

Action Research?
     Administrative inquiry or action research is the systematic process an administrator goes through as they strive to continuously grow as an administrator and improve their school.  In this process, the administrator reflects on their school and practices, identifies a question or something they are wondering about, researches by reading and collecting data, and reflects on their new learning to decide what changes should be made based on what they have learned.  This is a process I imagine a lifelong learner engaging in – always seeking and striving to improve.  Action research can take place in various forms, including Professional Learning Communities, Leadership Teams, and Principal Meetings.  This type of research is different from traditional educational research, which does not necessary include the voices of the people working in the school building on a daily basis and does not necessary lead to change.  I want to be the type of administrator that constantly uses administrative inquiry as a way of improving the school I work with to ensure that we are doing what’s best for the school and students I work with!


Why Blog?
     Educational leaders can use blogs in a variety of different ways.  For example, we can use it as part of action research.  I can talk about a concern or wondering that I have, and followers can collaborate with me and tell me about their experiences.  Educational leaders can also use blogs as newsletters to keep teachers, parents, and students informed and updated on assignments and things that are happening in the school community.  This keeps all information in one place and helps to prevent an overflow of emails that can get overwhelming to keep up with and get lost in the shuffle.