Action Research Comments

This course has been extremely interesting, rewarding, and also beneficial for my future role as an educational leader. The process of action research is a powerful tool that all leaders should have in their repertoire. Action research is a systematic approach that allows individuals to reflect on their educational and professional practices.  These reflections benefit the organization by continually monitoring and revising the best practices to become more effective leaders. I also learned the difference between action research and traditional research. Action research differs greatly from traditional educational research in many ways. Action research is open ended. It begins with an idea that you develop. The research process is the developmental process of following through the idea, seeing how it goes, and continually reflecting to ensure you are reaching your goal. Traditional educational research is based on information provided by outsiders.  The key participants such as educators and administrators implement programs and policies that they did not have direct input in. It is not customized to the specific campus or to the students attending this particular school. I'm planning on keeping my textbooks from this course as a resource for an action research project. It will beneficial as my educational career progresses.

ARP revisions based on comments

One of the comments was on the ease of being able to post comments on my blog.  There is not much that I can do with that information concerning my action research project.  The information was beneficial because I was able to change the settings in order to make it easier for my colleagues to comment and give feedback on my blog.  This simple action will create a more positive learning community and ease of sharing information.

Another comment was asking to keep updating the blog as my action research project progresses.  This course has made it obvious that all of my peers in this class are going through the same insecurities and questions that I am.  We want to be able to learn through educational communities.  I was encouraged by this because not only is my action research benefiting my campus, but it can also benefit others as well.  The community of my peers from this course will be helpful as my career evolves into a leadership role.

Based on the feedback, I didn’t have any comments specifically on the action research project.  I believe it might be because of the newness of this project for all of my peers. I am sure that there are aspects that I will have to change as the study progresses.

Action Research Plan

Action Planning Template
Goal: To provide more effective instructional and intervention strategies to improve the standardized test scores of the bilingual students.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Analyze group and individual students’ data. Research instructional /intervention strategies for bilingual students	Lourdes Guenard	August – October 2013	Campus Data Standardized test scores Research Instructional/interventions strategies	Analyze data to look for gaps, patterns and area requiring targeted instruction
Administer pre-test to students in the sample	Lourdes Guenard	August – September 2013	Assessment Data	Identify areas needing targeted instruction
Conduct teacher observations – noting areas of strengths and weaknesses in instruction	Lourdes Guenard	August 2013 – June 2014	Assessment	Offer suggestions to teacher regarding new instructional strategies. Provide feedback noting improvement in students’ performance
Provide targeted assistance for students in the sample during classroom instruction and afterschool tutorials	Lourdes Guenard	August 2013 – June 2014	Assessment Instructional/intervention strategies	Note areas of  improvement and modify or replace ineffective instructional strategies
Analyze data for 2014 to gauge the effectiveness of instructional strategies and intervention used with sample population.	Lourdes Guenard	June 2014	2014 Standardized test scores for bilingual students	Analyze test data to note areas of growth

This week in ED 5301 I learned the structure of an action research project.  In the readings and through the assignments, I was able to create my own.  I became aware of the nine passions that drive the journey of action research and how they all intertwine to create great action research questions.  I was also able observe videos of leaders and their knowledge and how they conduct action research projects at their campus.  This week gave me great insight on what I must accomplish as a future leader.

Administrative inquiry is a process used by an administrator in order to solve a problem or make a change based on the information acquired during the inquiry.  It can be effective because certain guidelines are implemented and its primary focus is on improving student performance.  The steps of the process include having a shared vision, self-reflection, analyzing the data, creating a plan of action, having a maintenance plan, and the continuation of reflection.

Action research differs from traditional educational research in that while traditional research focuses on the educator’s practice, the action research focuses on social justice.  Also, the traditional educational research obtains information from outsiders, while administrative inquiry researches their official campus.  It is catered to the school and is more beneficial.  The inquiry will more likely be implemented and be successful.

 

One example of action research is the example from the Dana textbook.  The inquiry in this case dealt with the improvement of reading for the lowest-quartile students.  Another example would be the fostering of relationships between school officers and the principals.  These principals made mandates and different political practice to suit the school.  The third example is the use of PLCs to improve achievement on standardized tests because of NCLB.  A group of professionals came together to find the most effective method in the poverty stricken areas of Colorado.

Some benefits of administrative inquiry include collaboration with other administrators, leading the school by example, which in turn will cause the school to become more involved, and to become more successful.