Week 2 Reflection

This week, I gained a LOT of new knowledge about how and where to use action research in school.  I am very happy to have chosen a research project and I am excited to begin working toward the goals of the project.  

In my action research project, I plan to investigate the correlation between school-home communication and academic performance and discipline incidents in 9th grade students. 

Students face a critical transition when entering high school.  The atmosphere and expectations between middle and high school are drastically different and the success or failure of students in 9th grade can set the tone for the rest of their high school career.  Many students fall behind academically and make poor social choices due to the anonymity that comes with a larger, less restrictive high school setting. It is my belief that with increased school-home communication students will be more successful academically and see fewer discipline incidents per student. 

I plan to employ several different communication strategies through technology and traditional communication methods.  I would like to keep parents informed about classroom behavior and performance, involvement opportunities for both family and students, extracurricular events and important campus information.  My hope is that by opening the lines or communication, parents and families will join the team of administrators and educators working to ensure student success.  My goal is to increase student success and lower discipline issues.  If students know that their actions (both positive and negative) will be communicated to their families, then they will be more apt to make positive academic and social choices.

My goals for the project are more positive academic performance (earning credits toward graduation, higher state test scores) and lower incidence of discipline referrals both in the classroom and out. 

Action Research

This week I was tasked with expanding my knowledge relating to action research.  Considering that I had NO idea what action research was, I had room to work with.

Through my study, I have found that action research is a very cyclical process.  It begins with a question, curiosity, or identification of a need for some sort of change.  This could be in response to any number of educational situations ranging from office administrative processes, to parental involvement to teacher moral and so on.  Through the process, the administrator is expected to engage in research, gather and analyze data, reflect on learning, and find a solution to the problem or an answer to the question.  From there, the solution can be implemented evaluated and the process reflected upon.

Due to the constant need for reflection on the part of the administrator, action research demands that he or she devote time to addressing the issue at hand.  That devotion of time will slow the harried pace of the normal administrative day.  Also through the process, administrators engage in the kind of learning process that enables them to be role models for the teachers, staff and students on campus.  Administrators are educational leaders as well as wearing all of the other hats required of the job.

Action research also requires that the stakeholders in the school take part in the process leading to buy-in and ownership, rather than being handed a solution to implement.  This part of the process facilitates change from within the organization and decreases the punitive aspect of recognizing a problem.

The cyclical and respective aspects of action research make it a very viable tool that lends itself to being a vehicle for school improvement.

To Blog or Not to Blog...

Given the discussion and analysis of action research that we have been tasked with this week, I believe that the answer to the question is definitely - to blog.

Educational leadership requires collaboration in order to facilitate growth and change in a positive manner.  If a principal is left to be an island unto him or herself, then he or she will lose the opportunity to learn from the successes and failures of his or her colleagues.

The nature of action research is also reflective and blogging is a tool for administrative leaders to reflect and share with others.  The act of blogging also leaves a trial for analysis of change over time and the ability to have a written record of one's thoughts throughout a process.  We will all have so much to consider during our daily lives as principals.  This is a very useful tool to document those things that we simply won't remember over the course of our careers.  Reading the thoughts and reflections of others might also give us the "ah-ha" that we need in order to facilitate change on our campuses.

Educational leaders could use blogs to facilitate discussion among teachers and/or community members about issues facing the school.  They could also be used to disseminate information and allow for questions.  Blogs could be used to reduce faculty meeting times, in that information can be posted and viewed at one's convenience.  Blogging can also be a useful tool to keep stakeholders informed about progress in a particular school area or just to congratulate staff members or students on a job well-done.

The possibilities are as broad as the needs of the school.