My Action Research Plan Template

Action Planning Template
Goal: Is the new grading policy adopted by Irving ISD school district equitable for students.  Should formative grades be used to show that students can be compliant and adhere to deadlines? Objective: To take the necessary action steps to produce results of findings of the grading policy and produce a report in the allotted time period provided by site supervisor that corresponds to Lamar Universities masters program.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Setting the Foundation: Choosing a relevant action research topic: Grading Policy: (Passion 7, 8)	Chuck Summers Ms. Colley Key Stake Holders	Start: November 17, 2010 End: December 3, 2010	Collaboration, Research Websites, Site Based Decision Making Committee, Made from real world observation and dilemma for Irving ISD.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan Documentation of topic.
Analyzing the Data and Data Collection: Quantitative Data analysis from teacher and student surveys.  Semester Exam and Semester grade comparisons to failure rates. Interview Sub committee members for background on initial research of policy.	Chuck Summers Ms. Colley Key Stake Holders Sub Committee members: Adam Grinich and Ryan Flynt	Start: November 29, 2010 End: February 5, 2011	A variety of data gathering:  Student Papers, Field Notes, Interviews, Digital Pictures/videos, Surveys, Electronic Searches: Google and  websites that are resource section containing professional administrative association links, Blogs,  Irving ISD website, Professional Literature, Journals, Books.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan Data collected and documented.  Does this documentation of data show progress? Results of interviews, data analysis, surveys.
Developing Deeper Understanding Reflection of data analysis. Filling in the Gaps.	Chuck Summers Ms. Colley Key Stake Holders (Collaboration)	Start: November 29, 2010 End: March 5, 2011	Additional Data Gathering will lead to new questions in trying to dig deeper in understanding the pros and cons of the grading policy to ensure all students have an equitable policy. Use a variety of data gathering:  Student Papers, Field Notes, Interviews, Digital Pictures/videos, Surveys, Electronic Searches: Google and  websites that are resource section containing professional administrative association links, Blogs,  Irving ISD website, Professional Literature, Journals, Books.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan Are Previous questions answered? Are there new questions that need to be answered?
Engage In self Reflection Daily Journal, Blog posts	Chuck Summers	Start: November 29, 2010 End: April 5, 2011	Reflective Questions: Skills and Resources needed to conduct action research: Do I have the skills needed or do I need to develop them? Do I need additional resources? Reflect using Emails, personal notes, Personal journal, my blog Chuckies Action Research Adventures at: Http://chuckiesactionresearchadventures.blogspot.com, as well as collaboration among colleagues and peer students by using threads and faculty blogs through Lamar University.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan Journal and blog collections and documentation, field notes.
Exploring Programmatic Patterns Narrowing the field of data for definite solutions.	Chuck Summers Ms.Colley Key Stake Holders (Collaboration)	Start: November 17, 2010 End: May 5, 2011	Beginning to formulate a deeper understanding and focusing in on a more definite solution by asking appropriate questions, identifying data patterns and gaps, and addressing equality.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan
Determining Direction Asking pertinent questions determining the results.	Chuck Summers Ms. Colley Key Stake Holders (Collaboration)	Start: November 17, 2010 End: May 5,2011	Am I clear on what I am trying to solve? Have I addressed the skills and resources questions? Have I established a collaborative approach to the issue? Are timelines Realistic? How am I to monitor the project realistically? How will I evaluate the plan and its effectiveness? How will we revise it and improve the plan based on monitoring and evaluation? Addressing above questions as many more to come through out this process, continue monitoring and assessing progress.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan Formulating Rough Draft of report
Taking Action For School Improvement Summative Report/ Blogging Posts	Chuck Summers Ms. Colley Key Stake Holders	Start: November 17, 2010 End: May 30,2011	Monitoring the project by? The use of this template and timeline. And preparing a summative report to share results.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan Finalizing summative report.
Sustain Improvement Summarizing the outcome of the report for positives so that others can share this information.	Chuck Summers	Start: November 17, 2010 End: June 5, 2011	Maintaining the positive aspects of action research.  Sharing Positive aspects of findings with colleges thru email and blog postings.  Use skills learned though action research as an ongoing professional development for myself and school.	Ms. Colley Site Supervisor and Faculty Blog Timeline and Plan Completion of Action Research Summary report on what worked and what did not. Identifying future concerns.

Why Reflection is the Key!

Reflection is a very important and key skill in leadership and it is also a key aspect for action research.  I am going to touch on why reflection is paramount to the success of educational leaders and how action research is the best tool to get that job done. Leaders should commit to take the time for action research and inquiry in a collaborative way.  By using cooperative learning groups, teams, and blogging it ensures that leaders are getting a synergistic atmosphere to gather the best advice and ideas as they approach different problems within their prospective school environments.  When this inquiry and collaboration is teamed with relevant researched literature and reflection, it provides only one direction for results to funnel, up.  Even past mistakes and misgivings can be used as a spring board into new inquires to sure up any lose ends to ensure success.  When these powerful forces come together successful decisions, procedures, policies, and actions can continuously be refined through reflection ensuring better and better results. This explanation should inspire leaders and future leaders and put into perspective what a winning formula should look like.

How Educational Leaders Might Use Blogs

Action research and principal inquiry can be implemented and used in an endless capacity through blogging.  Blogging allows today's leaders to brainstorm areas for study and inquiry that can be used  for areas of growth and change so that continuous improvement along with a collaborative investment can bring about best practical change to their working environment. Professional blogging and learning is a network of professionals that meet to connect, reflect, and learn from each others successes as well as failures. In order to better their practices and instill a contagious, thriving, spirited love for learning and reflection. That will produce a synergistic atmosphere for best practices and better ideas that insure continual development as well as continual improvement.

What I have learned so far about Action Research

1. Administrative inquiry and action research refers to the process that administrative leaders, teacher leaders, and business leaders use to systematically study their own practices.  To gather information collaboratively and individually to reflect and implement the necessary changes as a result of the inquiry.  This is a powerful tool for learning and improvement.  It allows leaders to collect data and analyze it. Research using relevant literature and the use of blogs to share insight and findings to come up with better practices and to have a better self understanding and better all approach as a continual learner and leader that not only says the right things but also models them.  Action research is different from traditional educational research.  Dana Fichman points out several differences between the two forms of research.  She talks about traditional educational leadership as two paradigms.  The first paradigm is the concept of process-product research. Where teachers and administrators implement the findings and research of outside of the school experts who do not know the everyday functions or problems relating to the individual schools that have specific needs.  The second paradigm in traditional educational research is referred by Fichman as qualitative or interpretive approaches.  This process limits the roles of researchers and is not tailored to individualize for specific problems or goals. They do not include, “the voices of the people who work in the trenches of the school building on a daily basis and therefore best positioned to understand and better the educational experiences for all members of the school house-administrators and teachers” (p.50).  They are beneficial for educational purposes but they do not individualize like action research.  Action research is done on the campus by the school leaders that know what is the best course of action for the challenges they face by making cooperative inquires. Action Research tailor’s specifically to when, where, and how best practices will be implemented and reflected upon to better understand what works.  Action research insures that continual developmental change and reflection are achieved by the cyclical approach it takes. Inquires will wind up providing new strategies that will be implemented, evaluated for their effectiveness resulting with more inquiries that stimulate more action strategies and on and on we go.  Continual growth and development is achieved through this cyclical action research technique.