When I first read this course title (Research), I had only negative thoughts. Reading pages and pages of information to form my own personal opinions about an assigned topic sounded unappealing and boring. Words such as boring, dull, and uninteresting came to mind. To quote my two young sons: “Yuck!” However, after learning more about the systematic approach of action research and how the end result can positively impact students, teachers, and administrators I then realized this would help me in my professional growth in this masters program.
As the weeks have progressed, I’ve found that the concept of Action Research has been in practice for a while; I just never knew this was the name for it. The thought of collecting data and using the information for something that is relevant to a specific campus, classroom, or school issue is very appealing to me. Being able to identify and work towards a common goal or solution is exciting and far more refreshing than a “boxed presentation” from an outside expert that doesn’t REALLY know about my campus or my students. The methods presented throughout this course have helped strengthen my abilities in identifying topics for inquiry both at my “intern campus” and in my current job assignment.
As an administrator, my use of action research will allow me to determine areas of need and will enable my campus and me to better plan for staff developments that will provide opportunities to improve student achievement and increase teacher participation in the decision-making proves. “The combination or use of mixed data sources can provide a more accurate and meaningful picture and consequently lead to a better decision and successful solution” (Harris, Edmonson, & Combs, 2010, p.7).
Most individuals that enter the field of teaching or school administration do so because they care about the students. Students are not just numbers; they are individuals with personalities, strengths, weaknesses, hopes and dreams. All are required to attend school to get an education. School is not about scores, it is about the individual students and their successes. If a student perceives that he/she is just another number then they may get the attitude that it’s not important to try because no one cares about me as an individual.
Action research studies that delve into the personal aspects of student interest will prove beneficial. Projects that provide support for student achievements, grades, attendance, and overall success will benefit everyone involved on a school campus. Projects that assist students directly or indirectly with their academics will results in students that have a positive outlook on education and the teachers that provide it.
I enjoyed watching the interviews of the three administrators. The one that I enjoyed the most was that of Dr. Johnny Briseno who is the principal at Rancho Isabella Elementary in the Angleton ISD. His discussion of the students on his campus covered both the data-driven paper trail of information derived from the endless reports and statistics generated from standardized test results as well as qualitative data that focuses on the environment and needs of his students. Dr. Briseno appears to be a very caring administrator, both for his teachers as well as his students. He is not so focused on test scores that he forgets about the children on his campus. He realized they are individuals and have needs and requirements that must be met in order to assist them in their achievements.
There have been many examples of student action research studies on the discussion boards for the EDLD 5301 Research course. One in particular is the study by William Bradshaw at Forest Park Middle School in Longview, Texas. His action research study is built around student motivation for “non-academic” students. His pilot program will allow students that show increased improvement in the core subject areas to be allowed to participate in an on-campus “game room” where they can relax and play video games, foosball, ping pong, and other indoor recreational activities. Mr. Bradshaw’s action research study should prove to be an interesting study to follow and it will be interesting to read his reflections as the program continues.
The areas of interest in which I want to learn more are the Action Research plans/topics that the people in this class are developing and will be working on (now and in the future). I can’t wait to see how the game rooms (Eagle’s Nest and VISA) turn out for the students. The study on poverty and raising awareness in this area is wonderful and I look forward to reading the results. Should a school use a regular schedule or a block schedule? Is there a difference there between these two that will save a district money? I’m real curious about this one – how can changing just the length of class times save a district money? Should teachers be assigned only one course or multiple courses to teach? How does one prep vs. multiple preps affect the teacher? There are many more, but I think that the inquiries presented are all relevant to today’s schools and, if administrations are open to the suggestions, can make a huge positive impact for the students.
I plan on following the blogs and future discussions in the classes that follow. I also know that my classmates are paving the way for similar issues that will arise in our future roles as administrators and I will definitely refer back to the sharing of their findings and, if it fits, incorporate those ideas into my campus plans.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., and Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools:
8 steps to improve our schools. Eye on Education Press.
