8 Steps, I can't Forget!

1. Examining the work: Setting the Foundation – After reviewing our school annual yearly progress we determined that there is still a slight disparity in the achievement of our African American in Hispanic students on the STAAR test.
 2. Analyzing data – Compare data that indicates instructional strategies and styles being used by staff members (Campus Walk-Through Data), examine teacher “readiness” (professional development opportunities), compare student achievement this year on STAAR compared to last year, teacher interviews and surveys, and various scholarly journals and research-based text.
 3. Developing deeper understanding – 2011-2012 STAAR data with scholarly journals and text will provide a starting point for my research. Surveys about professional development opportunities and classroom walk-through data will outline possible causes, or links, to the gap in achievement amongst our diverse learners.
 4. Engaging in Self-Reflection – I have met with my mentor and she agreed that my research is not only helpful to a current problem at our campus but it will also increase our instructional strength from this point forward. I hope that I am able to find research that directly relates to my plan. My initial research revealed far fewer studies than I had hoped. I hope that by looking for more specific subjects I will find more research to support my plan. I also hope that I am able to effectively share my research with my peers in a manner that they find helpful and beneficial.
 5. Exploring Programmatic Patterns – Does my data and current research findings adequately correlate with my action research plan? Have I correctly laid out my time lines and evaluations? Ask for input from my mentor and peers about the best method of carrying out my research and collecting my data.
 6. Determining direction – Discuss with mentor and ESS (Laurie Toben) working with our campus concerns about my research to insure that I am on the right track. For example, does my data and current research findings adequately correlate with my action research plan? Have I correctly laid out my time lines and evaluations? When will I meet to collaborate with grades 3-5 and my mentor? How often does my mentor want to meet to discuss progress? What is the best way to share my findings with the staff?
 7. Taking action for school improvement – With guidance from my mentor I will implement and follow the steps laid out in the Action Research Plan from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools (Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010).
8. Sustaining improvement – Any achievement or links to short comings in our instructional strategies will be shared with the staff during professional development. My findings will also help drive decisions for professional development opportunities.

Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs, (Eye on Education, 2010). 

Plan In Place...I think

During week 3 I have completed my readings and put my thoughts and ideas in to the  Action Research Plan below. I'm sure that I will have many changes as I become more familiar with this document and process. For now, I think it works. WE SHALL SEE!

Choices, Choices, Choices!

After this week’s assignment, I feel like I have made a good choice for my action research topic. My goal is to look at what changes we can make to instruction to address the needs of our Hispanic and African American students. These two sub groups kept our campus from making AYP this year. This is a huge problem considering our school’s demographics. We are 36.1 percent Latino, 27.0 percent African American, 22.3 percent Asian, and 14 percent White. It goes without saying that if we have African American and Hispanic students failing on standardized test, we are not meeting the needs of the majority of our students. As my campus begins making steps to improve this year, I plan to compare this year’s walk-through data to last years. This data will allow me to see what we were doing instructionally last year, compared to this year. I will then be able to use that information to determine if we are using best practices defined by research for diverse learners. I also plan to look at what professional trainings are offered by our campus this year that may, or may not, be helping our teachers change their instruction. In the end, I hope to see that changes are being made compared to last year and that these two sub groups will show gains on this year’s STAAR test. I’m very excited about this project. It will be very empowering and beneficial to me and my campus.

Week 1 It Has Begun!

This week I learned the difference between Action Research and traditional research. Action research or administrative inquiry - “focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around their question….. (usually the) research (is) intended to bring about change of some kind” (Dana, 2009, p.5) process in which educators study their students’ learning related to their own teaching (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon, 2004; Rawlinson & Little, 2004; Sagor, 2000).  Action research is deliberate, solution-oriented investigation that is group or personally owned and conducted. It is characterized by spiraling cycles of problem identification, systematic data collection, reflection, analysis, data-driven action taken, and, finally, problem redefinition.  Administrative inquiry is stemmed from the original practioner inquiry which is essentially research in the ‘trenches’ so you get immediate feedback and can change on the spot. 

From my experience it seems that ‘action research’ is the "real educator’s research". Action research is not from a random third party with no experience in the educational trenches.  Traditional research is usually in a ‘vacuum’ it doesn't consider things like changes in policy (building and government), transient population, curriculum, or time availability.  Traditional educational research is so protected that as a practioner in the field of education, we often see that these pieces of research cannot be applied in their purest sense or they will not demonstrate the overall effect.  Action research immediately sees the problem, states the problem, discusses and creates a possible solution and then if it doesn't work goes back to the drawing board and tries again. Action research brings the scientific method back to teaching as a whole. Using data in this way is a very powerful tool to changing schools and maintaining school success. Currently, as a second grade teacher, my team is using PLCs a vehicle for action research. We look at student achievement on informal assessments and design reteach lessons for areas where the majority of the students were not successful. After we meet, plan, and implement the interventions, students are given a formal assessment. Those assessments are then broken down by question and compared to the state objects they address. As a grade level, we are then able to determine if more reteach is necessary and if so, what instructional strategies will be used. By working collaboratively we have grown as educators and have increased our student achievement. Other grade levels on our campus use the PLC model as well. I'm hoping that by researching our campuses ability to reach diverse learners through various educational practices I will gain a wealth of experience to help me be successful as an administrator regardless of my campus, or districts, dynamics. 

Why Blog?

Blogging can be compared to electronic journaling. It provides administers and teachers with the ability to reflect or participate in self analyzation.  It allows the blogger to reflect on the mistakes they have made or document the moments of brilliance that they don't want to forget!
I feel like leaders can benefit most from blogging because it can provide a communication component between teachers and administrators. It should allow for more vertical integration and implementation of ideals which can lead a staff in the same direction.  A blog shouldn't just be a post of articles it should be a true exchange of thoughts and ideals in the staff that allows you to develop a shared philosophy and goal that you are all trying to meet. A blog can also be a great way for the staff to bring issues to the forefront without feeling attacked or for clarification.  Teachers can also implement blogging as a means to allow students to reflect on new knowledge and communicate with each other. For example, Students, with teacher guidance, could use blogs to collaborate and elaborate science learning.  For many students this will be the first time to use such a collaborative technological resource.