Week 4 - Improving my Study

I have not had any comments regarding my action research plan.  However, I found three areas to look into for improving my study.

The first area is looking into the reasons why students are switching classrooms. Knowing the reason for this change in classes can enhance the research study.  For the most part, at my school it is not due to behavioral problems but scheduling problems. Some students will be moved to a Pre-AP class or out of that class. Some might be moved because they need a STAAR Enrichment class and still others might be moved because they need a particular elective class. There are many reasons they are moved within the school, which is why teachers need to be on the same page so the students do not miss any instruction.

The second area is looking at the layout of the campus. Looking at this will help to determine whether a common planning period during the day will be a good idea or if it needs to happen at a different time. If the teachers are in two different buildings or really far away from each other, how can we make that work? Basically looking at what is the best way to get the teachers working together.

The third area is looking at the powerful tool of collaborating with other teachers. Getting the teachers in a room together to share and come up with new ideas for all of their classrooms is a great thing to do. With all these teachers working together there will be a wealth of information in the room that will help the teachers and students alike.

These three ideas will be very valuable in looking at my action research plan because they are great points that I was thinking about but really did not look deeper into. With these, I will now make sure to look at each one and try and make sure they are addressed during the action research.

Action Research Plan

School Vision: Creating common planning for teachers to raise student achievement and create a strong team of teachers that are willing to work together and collaborate with each other.

Goal: Raising student achievement and creating teamwork among content area teachers to improve student scores and new ways of teaching certain topics/concepts.

Outcomes	Activities	Resources/ Research Tools Needed	Responsibility To address Activities	Timeline	Benchmarks/ Assessment	Revisions to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments
To see what the result of having a common planning period will have on student achievement.	Have teachers work in their common content area and figure out what works and what does not.	The same planning period and copies of student work before and after the common planning period.	Teachers need to be able to meet at the same time and discuss what is going on in the classrooms (what is working and what is not.)	Teachers should start the year off in their common planning period.	The district and campus assessments from the two different years to see if common planning has helped.	If there is no change or a decrease in the student scores, look at if the teachers are really meeting and staying true to what is being said in the meetings.
To see what the result of having common planning period will have on the teachers and their lessons.	Have teachers try new ways of teaching lessons and be on the same page at the same time (teaching the same topic/ concept at the same time).	Student surveys or samples of work if that student has been moved from one teacher to another teaching the same subject.	Teachers being able to be open to trying new activities and being able to listen to what others are saying.	Comparing two years of research: one without common planning and one with common planning to see how the students compare.	The district and campus assessments that come from a student that has been moved from one teacher to another teaching the same subject.	See if the teachers are really on the same page and if not, adjust accordingly.

Week 2 Reflection

My primary focus this week has been choosing the topic of my action research topic.  While choosing the topic, I want to ensure that it benefits student achievement.  After all, the education of our students is top priority.  It is important for today's teacher to be action research oriented in their classrooms in order to provide the best education possible for their students.

Action Research - Week 1

Administrative inquiry or action research refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study or his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry (Dana, 2009, p. 2). This type of inquiry or research allows the individual to make decisions based on their individual findings and not the findings of some outside observers. This type of research allows change on a specific topic where as other types of research done by others is more of a overall fix. This allows the individual to look at themselves/their own schools and correct a problem more effectively where as the other looks at it in a more broad view.  It allows the principal a chance to sit down and learn with the teachers and students in their building and make a more educated and practical decision as to what needs to be changed and the best methods that can be use to carry out that change.  After some time, the principal can then sit down and reflect upon the goals set forth, gather the needed data to determine if these goals have been met or what other resources are needed to achieve these goals.

Educational leaders can use blogs to get information to other members of their staff.  They can also use it as a way to get others opinions on what items should be researched at the school. Another benefit of the use of blogs among educational leaders is that a blog can be done from anywhere, instead of coming or staying at school for longer periods of time, they can go home and write from the comforts of their couch, home office, etc. Educational leaders should use blogs and other technology to get the word out and to get other teachers and possibly students involved.

http://5301actionresearch.blogspot.com