Action Research Template/ Plan

Action Research Plan

ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

PROCESS OVERVIEW

DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SCHOOL READING INTERVENTION PROGRAM

1. SETTING THE FOUNDATION – I will first present my action research question at a staff meeting where I will address the need to improve our reading scores. At a later date, I will also address the reading department and inform them once again about my research. At this meeting I will see if any of the reading teachers have suggestions or insights in our reading intervention program. The goal in the research is to determine the effectiveness of the schools reading intervention program and make any changes if necessary that could improve it.
2. ANALYZING DATA – I will be gathering data in several different ways. I will first conduct teacher-student surveys in October and then again in April. The surveys are intended for me to get a feel of how students and staff feel about the reading intervention program. I am conducting one round of surveys in October and a final round in April to gauge any change in their perception of the program. Along with the surveys, I will also be conducting interviews of the teachers and students in March. The interviews are another form of qualitative data that will help me in assessing how teachers and students feel about the program. They may offer suggestions on improving it. As a form of quantitative data, I will be compiling reading benchmark scores, reading report card grades, and their reading TAKS test scores. In order to acquire these different numbers, I will need the assistance of Mrs. Garcia (Assistant Principal).
3. DEVELOPING DEEPER UNDERSTANDING – Once I have analyzed all quantitative and qualitative data, I will form a focus group with which I will share my preliminary findings. The focus group is a collaborative effort to gain a deeper understanding of initial findings. I will also Google and further investigate what other districts are doing with their reading intervention programs. This is all in an effort to try and come up with possible solutions. At this point, the focus group can help me with pros/cons and possible consequences of selecting possible solutions.
4. ENGAGE IN SELF REFLECTION – After the focus group has met, I will look at the possible solutions and recommendations they have made. At this point I need to think about the skills and resources that are needed for my action research to be successful. Will I be able to acquire any resources or skills that I might not have? Is the solution that I propose practical? These and other questions are the ones I need to reflect on at this point in the process.
5. EXPLORING PROGRAMMATIC PATTERNS- Once I have met with my focus group and reflected on their suggestions I will need to consider the programmatic impact of any solution. I will reach out to my site supervisor and Principal to evaluate plausible solutions. It is crucial to identify any pit-falls that might hamper the project. The more pit-falls I can identify the smoother the project will run.
6. DETERMING DIRECTION – At this point in the process I am ready to launch my action research process. I have a clear question and feel comfortable enough with the skills and resources that I have at my discretion. My timeline is realistic and I feel comfortable enough with making adjustments as the project rolls along.
7. TAKING ACTION FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT – I will have a written plan of action to guide me in my research. I will have steps in place to formatively evaluate my project as it occurs. In the end, I will prepare a summative report to share with my campus.
8. SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT – I will take the experience of my first action research and use it as a springboard to future action research projects. If my findings are to have a positive effect on my school, I will make sure to not only share with my school, but my district as well. I will share my results with my online colleagues by updating my blog.

Educational Leaders: The Power of Blogging

Blogging can be used by educational leaders in a sense as a way to bounce ideas off each other. It is a place where people with similar interest, in this case educational leaders can learn from each other. That is known as synergy. Synergy is defined as: the working together of two or more people, organizations, or things, especially when the result is greater than the sum of their individual effects or capabilities. With blogging the educational leaders would use thier individual capabilities and create in a sense a super leader. Blogging is just a resource for educational leaders to tap into other peoples ideas, and possibly use for themselves.

Action Research Summary

I have learned quite a bit about action research in the last few days. Action research is a term used in education circles. Action research takes place in a school setting and is conducted by the people that work/run the school. It is a process that lets teachers, administrators, and even superintendents solve a problem by coming up with a solution themselves either collectively or individually. Like in any process collaboration is encouraged but not required. What action research does is empower the people that seek a solution by making them knowledge-makers, rather than knowledge- users (Adams, 2006). In this process the practioners come usually come up with great solutions that are grounded in practice versus theoretical. For example, action research is not just about learning more about a topic, it is not a quest for understanding what is wrong, but rather how can we improve it. In the end the people working on a solution not only seek for an answer but also a way to improve a particular issue that could be effecting students in some way. The issues that school personal might interested in solving can range from classroom management to increasing parental involvement.