Action Research Plan Progress

Action Research Progress

I am very satisfied with my progress on my action research up to this point.  I did have time to research more information regarding parent involvement over the summer and I found Epstein’s framework for six types on involvement to be important and meaningful to my action research plan.  I took each type of involvement and looked to see how our district can accomplish those goals. I also looked to see what was keeping us as a district from having success in these areas.  I know that the lack of a Parent Teacher Organization is just a small part of the picture.  In order to truly be successful I need to make sure to include all grades from Pre-k through 12^th grade.  Meeting with parents on their time not just the time best for teachers has to be a priority.  If children are missing key components in their education like internet access and guidance from adults at home then our district need to  help parents meet those needs and provide them with resources available to aid in their child’s education achievement.   

            I presented my plan to implement a District Parent Involvement Committee to teachers and staff at our district convocation in August and received a great deal of support from all campuses and grade levels. The survey I created and used after my presentation gave me some insight on topics that need to be addressed on the agenda for the first committee meeting.  I was also able to find stakeholders willing and able to serve on this committee.  Our first meeting is planned for October 9^th and I hope to have a plan of action laid out for the rest of the school year.

Steps to follow in my Action Research Study

Steps to Follow in my Action Research Plan

Setting the Foundation:  The lack of parent involvement over the past five years has created an environment that does not support student’s achievement or teachers in the classroom.  Attendance issues at all campuses have also increased. Teachers are trying to keep up with the rigorous curriculum of CSCOPE will preparing students for the new state assessment test STAAR.  Our district has failed to meet the requirements of AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for one year. In order to shift towards an environment filled with teacher, students and parent success, we must implement a Parent Involvement inquiry and reflect on the outcomes as they take place. 

Analyzing Data:  I will gather a variety of data from various resources in the community, establish a community, establish a committee of teachers and parents that will plan and implement activities to involve parents throughout the district. I will conduct research on the following web sites.   www.aasa.org   www.naesp.org   www.pta.org

  www.knowledgeloom.org   www.connectforkids.org   www.parentsmart.com

www.parentsoup.com  www.parentparties.com www.livestrong.org

I will be research effective plans to involve parents in their child’s academic success and set goals for creating a district that supports parent involvement at all levels. 

Developing Deeper Understanding:  Once I have created a Parent Involvement Committee of teachers and staff, I will then with the help of our Parent Resource Center Liaison and interested parents to successfully form a Parent Teacher Association.  The PTA will include a teacher representative from all three campuses.   Teachers will assist in completing surveys on Euphoria that will indicate the amount of parent participation for any given activity at their campus. 

Engage in Self-Reflection:   Throughout my inquiry, I will reflect weekly on my progress.  For example- Do I have the skills and resources to conduct a successful action research plan on the topic of parent involvement? How I can motivate more parent involvement in our district? In what ways can I utilize the community to assist in supporting parents, students and teachers?  What resources will in use to create adequate surveys for teachers and parents? The development of a Parent Involvement Committee will aid in setting guidelines for achieving student attendance and academic support.

Exploring Programmatic Patterns:  Once the Parent Involvement Committee has been established, we will meet to discuss further reflective questions that should be included and discussed at future meetings.  Regularly scheduled meetings with the Parent Resource Center Liaison will be conducted and emails will be sent to all campuses which will update the inquiry process.  After reviewing the research done online and among the different campuses, objectives and goals will be set and a timeline for theses will also be discussed and logged on to Euphoria. I will meet with representatives involved in the District Advisory Committee, to include additional staff in this action research study.

Determining Direction:  At this point I should be ready to launch my action research project.  To make sure all is ready I will do a double check on my implementation of my action research project.  I will ask myself the following questions: 

1. Am I clear on what I am attempting to solve and is my research question being answered?
2. Have I adequately addressed the skills and research questions?
3. Have I established a collaborative approach to the issue?
4. Are my timelines realistic?
5. Do I have a reasonable plan to monitor the project?
6. Do I have a reasonable plan for determining the level of success and how will I evaluate the plan for effectiveness?
7. How will I revise and improve my plan based on my monitoring and evaluation?

Taking Action for School Improvement: I will organize and create a Parent Involvement Committee that will assist me with my action research plan. I will develop a written plan of action using the template steps to guide the implementation of my research project.  I will monitor the project (formative evaluation) and prepare a summary report (summative evaluation) of the results of my action research project addressing the plan that will help motivate an increased parental involvement in our district.

Sustain Improvement:  After completing my action research project on increased parental involvement I will be eager to share the results with our district.  I will also share the result with online colleagues and I will use the information learned in other areas of my personal professional development.

Blogs in Education- Tools

Blog can be a very effective resources tool for teachers and administrators.  Blogs can be the reflection part of your day that is needed and suggested while implementing action research.  Blogs can also be used to help build on your technological awareness around you. Students could participate in distant learning with other countries and given a wide variety of ideas to use in successful technology education. 

This is the first time I have blogged and I can already say that it is addicting.  I am learning and building my knowledge through every phase or phrase I complete and post or read.  If administrators do not take the opportunity to use blogging as a reflection piece, you can receive and feedback on your practices, which is a vital part in action research.

Why Action research?

Action research is what hundreds of practicing administrators across the nations are focuses on to help their school succeed and run the most effective way possible.  Becoming a “head learner” will ensure this goal.  The term “inquiry” was created to describe a systematic study by administers and teachers which allows them to view their own practices. (Dana 6)  Action research is not a fad in education but a true tool for achieving professional growth to help guide effective student, teacher and administrative learning.  Action research is a continual set of spirals consisting of reflection and action. (Elliot 1988)

            The inquiry focuses on the concerns of practitioners and engages them in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around questions that are discussed and developed collaboratively.   It gives principals and teachers time to take a break and look at the changes that have been implemented and decide if successes on the goals created have been reached and reflected upon.  The information is then actively and effectively used to create a plan in a new direction or to keep up with the flow and current arrangement.

            My district has used professional learning communities successfully in the move toward the new curriculum CScope.  Our district created a small group of faculty members from two other elementary campuses with a focus that pertained to a certain grade levels and used time management and discussion topics to assist in an effective overall meeting flow and review.  My district is not new to change and has experienced issues in current and future budget, had an interim for about four months, hired and received notification of withdrawal and then continued the hiring process again to obtain a new superintendent who began three months ago. My district exhibits contexts that are ripe for inquiry. We are still at the mercy of the state and continue to receive inadequate amount of funding for student attendance.  As an early childhood campus, we are most likely to experience the repercussions of student attendance. 

            I feel that our campus is blessed with an administrator that strives for constant motivation and promotes PLC’s and leadership teams. Our campus has participated in practicing under a superior model of leadership and supported faculty members in obtaining a Master’s in Educational Administration. A research study will be conducted by two interns studying with Lamar University to review and develop an effective plan for implementation and participation that will allow Parent Involvement to thrive at our district.  We will not only develop a short term goal but a long term goal as well to assist in our steps towards success.  Our district has recently developed a Facebook and twitter page to allow others to follow our progress with parent and community involvement.  I plan to lead the long term goal that focuses on Parent involvement in Burnet CISD with the help of action research model.

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