I have had a great experience for this class.  Our professor did a awesome job sending us reminders each week for assignment that needed completed.  As a Administrator this is good practice and I believe staff would be grateful  and it would prevent those unwanted conversations.  This class has me excited to do the best job on my Action Research.  So many questions I had are now answered and I know the direction I need to follow.  I hope to have this professor for another class.

revised action Research

Draft Action Research Project Progress Report

1. Title:  Building Positive Connections in Travis

2. Needs Assessment:  We need an organization that provides positive interactions with parents, teachers, students and our community to promote success within our school community.  Research has shown when parents are involved with their children then our students are more successful. The only parent communication we have is sending notes home from students.  The problem with that is that most parents don’t receive the information.  We also don’t have many opportunities to encourage parents to become involved.  However, there are some parents that would like to be a part of our school community and help promote positive interactions with teachers, students and our local community but we do not have a program in order to promote this great opportunity. Our campus is 94% Hispanic and 97% Economic Disadvantage so we have a barrier for effective communication.  So the best way to ensure that our parent is a part of this great organization is to provide a translator as well as have all communication translated in Spanish.

3. Objective and Vision of the action research project:  My vision is to encourage positive relationships among our teacher, students, parents and local community.  Develop an organization to promote success for our students.  Our organization will commit to partner with our parents, teacher, students and community to ensure that every student has a caring, supportive atmosphere to succeed and become a productive member of society.

4. Review of the Literature and Action Research Strategy:  Research has shown that when parents are involved in the school community, the rate of success increases.  Therefore, since our school has no organization for parents to participate it is important to design an organization to promote parental involvement with our students as well as design an organization to include business leaders.  Research conducted indicates that when schools, families, and communities work together as parent, students success increase (Esptein, 1992; Henderson and Berla 1994; Rutherford et al. 1997).  The most high-performing schools at all levels distinguish themselves by finding innovative ways to connect with parents and community leaders (National Association of State Coordinators of Compensatory Education 1996).  This organization is a great opportunity to encourage parents to become involve in their child’s education as well becomes active members in our community.

5. Articulate the Vision: I met with my Assistant Principle to discuss the organization.  It was great to know this idea had been discussed during the last Campus Improvement Committee meeting.  We are extremely excited to implement this organization this fall.  All parents meet the auditorium which at this time I will introduce our new organization.  I will have a room set up during Meet the Teacher night in my classroom after a brief overview before the parents visit the classrooms.  I will send home flyers with incentives as well as the highlights for the success of the organization. 

6. Manage the organization:  I have seen other ways the program has been set up.  My Assistant Principle is going to help me set up the program.  I have several teachers who are willing to help as well.  I am sending out a form asking for volunteers as well as inviting parents to a parent night.  We will nominate Vice President, Secretary, Treasury as well as two representatives who will be a part of the organization.  All monies earned will purchase items for our school.

G.  Manage Operations:  Projects conducted by our organization will be discussed and                     voted on what benefits the projects have for our school.  Open forum will also allow everyone to express their ideas of what projects and goals for school community.  Each member of the organization will have job descriptions and responsible for projects and activities.

H.  Respond to Community Interest and Needs:  Our organization will serve all students of our school community.  Any needed modifications will be addressed when needed.  We can plan activities and events that build on cultural backgrounds of our students, families and community (NASSP Bulletin, 2001).  We will use workshops and meeting as well as use traditional communication such as making telephone calls.  Parents that cannot attend because of lack of transportation or work schedule, information will be provided in a form of a newsletter, posted on a bulletin board as well as posted on our school website.

Description of my conference with my supervisor and revisions to my action research plan

My site supervisor and I met to discuss the Care model and the strategies I will be using.  She gave me insight to the demographic of our student population.  She explained the struggles between incoming non speaking English students and teachers not trained to identify these students.  Many times students are not recognized until they have not been successful on many state and district testing.  Home surveys are used to recognize these incoming students as well however parents are not always honest for reasons such as migrates, non trust in the system and illegal immigrants. Once identified, these students are small groups and pullouts to prepare them for the TAKS test.  These students that remain in the district growth are measured and they progress each year in preparation for the TAKS.  Some become conditioned to test taking.  They began taking the TAK test in their native language in the beginning of their school experience.  As they transition to older grades, they become TAKS trained and continue in small groups and pullouts plus they are exposed to differentiated instruction that is individualized to meet their needs. The longer they remain in the district, the more successful they become testing.   Now enters new students who take TAKS test that school experiences happen outside the district.  Do these students have the same experiences in their districts or state as our “homegrown” kids?  How are their scores similar/different from our students?  My goal in my action research is to collect this data and compare TAKS test scores between “homegrown students” and incoming students and determine if their success is based on being conditioned within our district or does incoming students perform as well or better than our students.  One major revision to my action research is to identify the students who English is their second language.

Week 3 Action Plan steps

Steps for action research Week 3

1.   Setting the Foundations:  All of our students have taken a State Evaluation until entering the 6^th grade.  Students from Texas are given the TAKS test. TAKS test evaluate how well students are learning TEKS in Writing, Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies.  It can also be used in preparing students for college.  TEKS are the same in all districts in Texas.  Performance expectations for teachers are all the same, high quality instruction delivered to each student in Texas.   Evaluating these results within your own campus prepare teachers to individualize student needs and focus on weakness.  If there are continuous deficiencies in student performance is it a district issue, campus issue or state issue.  Are students entering our school out performing our students within our districts?

 2.  Analyzing data:  Examine data collected from TAKS test as well as scores of assessments of students entering our district.  Collect this information from cumulative folders for all students.

Use a variety of resources such as cumulative folders, teachers and field supervisor.  Stay on completion track by utilizing a pre-made form.  Also use this form as a way to monitor achievement of goals set forth and reaching objectives set.

3.  Developing deeper understanding:  While gathering data, meet with Site Base Committee and discuss my findings of scores and interpretations of data gathering.  Listen to advice and recommendation from the committee to help my progress along.  Interview coaches and asked how they develop staff development based on data.   Continuous meetings with my Principles to discuss my progress and data.  Use the internet at look at similar research. 

4.  Engaging in Self-Reflection:  Reflect periodically and insure my goals and objectives are being reached.  Some other reflections questions answered is:

                            *Am I gathering the information I need or missing needed data

                            *Have I gathered data from only general education

                            *Have I paced myself adequately

                            *Do I need clarification?  

5.  Exploring programmatic patterns:  Identify gaps and patterns in the data collected.

6.  Determining direction:  Keep communication between my site supervisor, field supervisor and site base.  Provide them with my data to ensure I am accomplishing my goals and objectives as previously discuss.  Identify missed information from my data.  Does my research need any clarifications?  How can I improve my plan? 

7.  Taking Action for School Improvement:  Complete Tool 8-1 weekly as a checkpoint and monitoring system.  Scan the sheet for convenience.  You can not copy the chart, you have to print it and then scan to edit.

8.  Sustain Improvement:    Great ways to share information.  Post to my blog so that I can get others viewpoints.  Share with my peers.  Share with my classmates in discussion blogs.  This year the STARR test will replace the TAKS test so my next step will be to compare the scores of the STARR test to those of the TAKS test and examine if the increase rigor of the test caused a big drop in test scores of the past.       

 

Challenges for Action research

Challenges and Solutions

Some of the specific challenges that i foresee and have experience is the managing time. My action research is examining 6th grade students cumulative folders and determine if they have been in our school district grades K-5 and success on TAKS scores. I will compare their scores to students who have not been in our school district and took 5th grade TAKS. The cumulative folders are kept in the registar office and I have access during school hours. My best opportunity is early mornings before the school day starts. I have meetings three times a week during my conference period, so that leaves me two days. I also have other things to complete for our intern hours.

I have thought of a couple of solutions. One is continue to utilize my early mornings for research so that I can attend extra meetings for intern hours. I have a couple of things coming up that involves Saturdays at our school with students and my principle will allow me to do research on those days before the activities and a little time after the activity.
I also can use Euphoria but I can only attain my students which only leave me 150 students to search folders.

However, i have to use my time wisely and this will have to be a great challenge. Any suggestions

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Educators using blogs for communications

A great way for Educators leader to communicate with their staff, students, parents and others from the community is to blog.  Technology is the leading highway of information.  Almost every home has access to a computer.  It is a great tool for communication.  For those who can not communte to a traditional classroom or town meeting can use the internet to obtain the same information.  Blogging allows open communication lines and the freedom of expressing yourself in a different way.  Sometimes there are people who is rich with information however, don't lile to speak. 

To succeed is to inquire, to lead is to inspire

Administrator Inquiry is the key to a successful leader.  Administrator now have control over their own professional development and is the "head learner" of their school.  Inquiry is asking questions, using data that is collected and design a plan for the problem.  If the plan doesn't work, then inquire about more information and re-think the plan and redesign.  Inquiry is also a tool for improving students success.  Teachers reflect on their style of teaching by examining student's success and if alternative ways of communicating the information, then teachers changes their teaching style and adapt to the successful teaching methods.  Inquiry is a tool to promote successful administrators by reflecting on their own actions and reform their decisions to better choices.  Professional development is focused within their building using Administrator inquiry and not from outside resources.  Principles are role models for students and staff therefore principles learn about issues from within their school as students and staff learn from the role of their Principle taking ownership of those issues.  There were four types of context ripe of inquiry.  Professional Learning Communities is my favorite.  It involves everyone in the school to work together to solve issues.  This Community collaborates in decision making.  A true Principle has many roles and the best approach to use is learner-centered approach in decision making process. This also involves teachers and allows staff and the Principle to reflect and make great decisions.