Week Five

Before the class started I was dreading "research". Research had such a negative connotation in my mind. I thought only of data and statistics both of which I tried to previously avoid. But, when I found that we take our wonderings about education, which are practical, and begin to search out the answers to those wonderings as research. It began to make sense. According to the Dana text “administrator inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of inquiry.” As an administrator being willing to change is a powerful tool for the good of the campus.

Week 4 ThE ACTION RESEARCH PLAN

The purpose of my action research is to evaluate how benchmarks are used by the teachers and to learn if rigorous and relevant lessons are being taught in all grade levels as they prepare for the TAKS. Students will benefit from this action research because the goal is to ensure success for all of our students not just a few.


How are benchmarks used to evaluate the success of students at school? How do benchmarking and the TAKS affect the curriculum? How much time do teachers and students spend in preparing for the testing? Is it the same in gifted and talented classes, regular classes, and bilingual classes? How are students being prepared in the “pre-TAKS” tested grades?

Week 3 Action Research Plan

1. Goal of action research: The objective of my action research is to evaluate how benchmarks are used by the teachers and to learn if rigorous and relevant lessons are being taught in all grade levels as they prepare for the TAKS. Students will benefit from this action research because the goal is to ensure success for all of our students not just a few. The target population that we agreed upon is K-3. We are not including fourth and fifth grade because of the number of students that would be involved.


2. Activities: I will be using classroom observation, teacher surveys, looking at TAKS scores at the end of the school year and benchmark data through out the year. There will also be staff development provided for those teachers who need help in implementing rigorous and relevant lessons in their classroom. Teachers will work together in lesson planning.

3. Resources: Campus Benchmarks Results, Campus Administrator District Curriculum Coordinators, Surveys, Classroom observations, Professional Learning Community of teachers K-3

4. Timeline: September: present K-3 teachers with survey to get their feedback on their experiences and uses for District Benchmarks. October: First benchmark is administered to students; meet with teachers to learn how they plan to use the results. Develop small groups of PLCs for the teachers to work with.
November: Meet with PLCs to determine how the benchmark results have been used by the teachers.
December: Second, possibly third benchmark administered I will continue the same process as before looking for steady improvement in student performance. I will continue to look for factors that contribute to student success.
February – March: Continue work with teachers and benchmarks
April: TAKS for third grade

5. Persons Responsible: Leslie Stephens and grade level chairs of grades kindergarten through grade three

6. Monitoring Process: There will be weekly grade level meetings led by grade level chairs these will be used to monitor progress and help to ensure co-workers are on track for upcoming benchmark. There will also be monthly meeting with all grade level chairs and Leslie Stephens. E-mail communication will also be used. Teachers will reflect on lesson plans and planning time together to determine if there are indifferences in their activities or approaches to teaching a subject.

7. Assessment Instrument: District Benchmarks Results and Third Grade TAKS scores will be used to answer the initial wonderings of the action research project.

Week 2: Selecting an Action Research Topic

I have three ideas for my action research:


1. What is the relationship between changing a veteran teacher’s grade-level assignment and getting her out of a rut? Discuss with teachers who have been teaching fifteen or more years the changes and improvements they have seen in the school, in students, and in the curriculum since beginning their careers. Ask: How have you changed over the course of your careers as our school, our students, and our curriculum have evolved? What changes /school improvement efforts do you hope for in the future? What types of support are important for you to receive from the principal as you continue to tackle change and improvement and take on leadership roles in the building?

2. How are benchmarks used to evaluate the success of students at school? How do benchmarking and the TAKS affect the curriculum? How much time do teachers and students spend in preparing for the testing? How are students being prepared in the “pre-TAKS” tested grades?

3. In what ways can our school develop a collaborative culture characterized by teachers from different grade levels communicating, understanding, and sharing expectations for all students? In what ways can the principal facilitate this process?

I will have to discuss these with my site supervisor before I make a decision.  This process of inquiry will benefit many.

Why Blog?

Educational leaders can use blogging for whatever reasons that suit them best. It is not limited to any one reason. I like that it can be used as a way to capture a moment in time. Reflective blogging can be shared with others and comments can be made. It is a way to brainstorm aloud (so to speak) and receive feedback from a community of bloggers. As educational leader we often feel we are alone and by blogging we soon find out that we are not.

Action Research

Administrators should do action research because it gives them permission to do what is best for their campus. Administrators are able to reflect on the needs of their staff, students and themselves. After this reflection and inquiry the administrator can then begin to develop a plan of action. According to the Dana text “administrative inquiry refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry.” It is a powerful tool for learning and school improvement. As a campus administrator I would always want to do what is best for my campus. The action research allows me to learn alongside my teachers. I like what Roland Barth said in the book “Leading with Passion and Knowledge” by N.F. Dana. “The more crucial role of the principal is as head learner, engaging in the most important enterprise of the schoolhouse-experiencing, displaying, modeling, and celebrating what it is hoped and expected that teachers and pupils will do.” Action research is inquiry based and determined by the needs of the administrator/teachers. It allows the administrator to question, analyze, reflect, act collect and interpret data based on the needs of the administrator’s campus. The following benefits are a sample of the ways in which I might use action research.


The benefits of conducting action research according to the Dana text:
1. Engaging in the process of administrator inquiry with other principals, or even in collaborative inquiry with a group of teachers within the principal’s own building, forces the principal out of isolation.
2. Principals become role models for the teachers and students in their buildings. Learning must be something teachers and students do, not something that others do to or for them.
3. Engagement in administrator inquiry can help best practices to flourish on a school’s campus.
4. By making and taking time to engage in inquiry, principals slow down the harried pace that characterize their work.
Doing what is best for my campus will always be my goal and action research will be used.