Action Research Plan update

I am in the middle of the data gathering portion of my research plan. The overall goal was to assess school security and whether or not our porous lunches were a distraction and a danger to teachers and students. The first step was to identify teachers and students who might be interested in my research project. Those participants have been identified and I have already gathered quite a bit of information through my interviews with them.

The most surprising thing I've discovered, so far, is that the teachers aren't nearly is distracted by the student leaving campus for lunch and returning with food (that is then eaten in the teacher's classroom) as the students are. The students, so far, believe that it's unfair that some students get to leave while other don't. I'm finding that the teachers I've chosen have a rather laid-back attitude about that kind of stuff, and many see the students exercising their privilege as students who are "well thought of" by teachers.

The next step in my action research plan is to compile the data into a report that can be used by the campus administrators to analyze the current policies, implement changes as needed, and refocus efforts on enforcement of current policies. With 69 exterior doors on our campus, security needs to be a major focus, especially as we move into new construction phases that will have teachers and administrators spread even more thinly than they are now.

Hopefully my research will have a positive impact on our campus.

Action Research Week 4

My action research plan is coming along well. I was initially working toward a plan that would change the way students and teachers organize their classes and, therefore, lead them toward greater success, but I found that I would find greater resistance to change in that area (Force Field Analysis, anyone?) so I decided to switch toward school safety and security, focusing on our closed-campus policy and how it's enforced. Along with that research topic comes the inevitable look at our hallways, bathrooms, and entrances and exits.

One problem my school regularly faces is students who leave campus for lunch, bring lunch back to campus after participating in a school program that gives them off-campus privileges, and student who roam the halls when they are supposed to be in class.

In my opinion, the reason addressing this problem would be beneficial to our school is that our overall culture needs to be one of equal enforcement and equality for all students, yet there are students who are allowed to break these rules because they have developed a rapport with certain teachers or office workers, or participate in off-campus programs.

A school operates best when the staff is on the same page and when all people in leadership positions treat all student equitably.

Action Research Plan

After reviewing my action research plan I thought the 7.1 template better suited my needs, hence the change in format .I also added a step for going over my compiled data with current administrators and discussing changes to policy that might make us more effective.

Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template

Goal: To study current campus policy and recommend changes to better suit the needs of students and teachers and support classroom instruction and organizational culture.

Action Step	Person Responsible	Timeline	Resources Needed	Evaluation
Get principal approval for study	Jason Braddy	January 2013	Current MHS policy	Whether or not the study is approved
Interview ten teachers about the current policy. Focus on teachers who normally teach around lunches. Talk to at least 3 teachers with a split lunch	Jason Braddy	January 2013	Master Schedule	Compile data for later use
Interview ten different students about current policy and how it is enforced. Focus on students in off-campus programs, like PALS for Ready-Set-Teach	Jason Braddy	January 2013	Master Schedule	Compile data for later use
Interview ten students who do not have off campus access about current policy and how it’s enforced.	Jason Braddy	January 2013	Master schedule	Compile data for later use.
Compile the information collected during the student and teacher interview process to be looked at after studying the policy during the 1st quarter of the Fall 2013 school year	Jason Braddy	February 2013	Complied data	Create a professional report for the administrators
Present the compiled data to the building principal and associate principal and make recommendations about changes to the current policy and how that policy is communicated where needed	Jason Braddy	March 2013	Professional Report	List of changes to policy enforcement or recommendations for further study
Observe students and their campus access twice per week during the 1st quarter. Record how many students left campus and returned with food and how many students had fast food brought to them by parents or guardians	Jason Braddy	Aug – Oct 2013	Observation check sheet with ways to record observations	Observation check sheet
Compile observation data into a report	Jason Braddy	Oct – Nov 2013	Compiled data	Data report
Interview the same ten teachers (when possible) about how the policy was enforced this quarter, whether it was better or worse then before	Jason Braddy	November 2013	Compiled data report	Teacher observations and recommendations
Interview the same two sets of ten students (where possible) about how the policy was enforced this quarter and whether it was better or worse than before	Jason Braddy	November 2013	Compiled data report	Student observations and recommendations
Compile data and student/teacher observations into final report for administrators	Jason Braddy	February 2014	Final report	Administrators receive recommendations and give instruction for either changes, further research, or choose to continue with current policies.

Week 2: Action Research Topics

Looking into action research topics is exciting because I've always considered myself more of a doer than a thinker (not a great trait for an educator, but I'm able to make it work). At first my principal mentor and I were intrigued by all the possibilities available at my school. As we drilled down to the action research topic that would give me the best change to affect positive change at our school we went through the gamut of possible topics. Our fist idea was analyzing common assessments at our school and how different teachers might give different formative assessments that led to the same common unit assessments. The questions we asked ourselves: Why is this happening? Is it actually wrong? What would be the benefit of having each classroom on the same content everyday? From there we looked at school safety and security. How accessible is our building? If we have a closed campus, why are students walking around with fast food cups at lunchtime? Is it necessary to have a closed campus? We also looked at ways to more effectively communicate with students and parents and ways to get each student organized through standard classroom procedures.

We eventually decided on analyzing safety and security in our building as the most effective use of our time, the best possibility for realistic administrative experience, and something that would be beneficial to the school without requiring a change in school policy.

How educational leaders can use blogs

Blogs are an effective way for an educational leader to update staff, inform the public, and collaborate with others. Originally known as "Web Logs," a way to log your daily activities, Blogs have become an integrated part of the lives of most educators, specifically those who use technology on a daily basis.

My thoughts on Action Research

Action research and education seem destined for one another. Not only does action research provide educators the opportunity to address problems from a problem/solution point of view, but it also puts the work into the hands of the people tasked with implementing any recommendations the action research process discovers. Following the model set forth in “Examining What We Do To Improve Our Schools: 8 Steps from Action to Analysis” educators can address any problem, face any challenge, and empower any group with an easy to follow process designed with results as the goal. Traditional research tells us that information, or data, is the end result of research, but in an action research model, a problem is identified, researched, addressed, and a plan is implemented, by a small, mobile group of education stakeholders who can move quickly without the added restraints of traditional research methodology.

It is exciting to look at school from the “what can we do” perspective, rather than sitting around asking “why is this broken?” As chairman of a recent action research planning committee, I was able to see, first hand, how action research can quickly and effectively affect change in a school. The results were measurable and the actions taken were a result of thoughtful reflection, honest inquiry, and hopeful action.