My Action Research Plan

What are some concerns that teachers, students, and administrators may have with our current tardy policy, and what are some changes that can be made to that policy to alleviate those concerns?

¨ Goals and objectives/outcomes of the research investigation

My goal throughout this process is to determine if the current tardy policy on our campus is effective, and if changes can be made to improve the current policy. During my research, I will determine the number of students acquiring tardies, verify which class periods/departments are subject to the highest number of tardies, determine the amount of missed instruction time because of tardies, evaluate the effects that tardy students have on classroom instruction and organization, and acquire faculty concerns over the current policy.

¨ Activities designed to achieve the objectives

I will be using several different activities throughout this process. Collaborating teachers will be given tardy logs to keep track of late students, as well as a teacher journal to document how tardy students affect their classroom. Surveys will also be given to teachers, students and administrators to determine how the school perceives the current tardy policy, and possible changes that could be made to improve it.

¨ Resources and research tools needed for data gathering

Teacher tardy logs will be used in classes that will be sampled to obtain quantitative data on student tardies. This log will be individualized for each collaborating teacher, will include the teacher’s class roll, and will provide space for the teacher to keep specific records of tardy students. Teacher journals will also be used in classes that will be sampled to obtain qualitative data on student tardies. Collaborating teachers will make weekly journal entries documenting their observations on the tardy students effect on classroom instruction and organization.

¨ Draft timeline for completion or implementation of activities

One week prior to the start of the six week research period, an informational meeting will be held for all collaborating teachers. This meeting will discuss activities they will be involved in during the research period. Tardy logs will be turned in and analyzed weekly. Teacher journals, as well as surveys, will be turned in and analyzed at the conclusion of the six week research period, and determinations will be made on the possible necessity of additional research.

¨ Persons responsible for implementation of the action research plan

John McCleskey, assistant principal and site supervisor, Jayme Carr, and collaborating teachers will be responsible for the implementation of the action research plan.

¨ Benchmarks and assessments

Tardy logs will provide quantitative data concerning the number of tardies given, which period/departments are receiving the most tardies, and how much actual instructional time tardy students are missing. This will allow us to see if patterns are developing with certain students or particular times of the school day. Teacher journals will provide qualitative data in regards to the effects tardy students have on classroom instruction and organization, and a deeper understanding of how tardies are affecting the classroom environment.

¨ Process for monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives

During the six week research period, I will retrieve, examine, and analyze tardy logs weekly. At the end of the research period, I will analyze teacher journals and surveys. This information will help determine possible improvements for the campus tardy policy.

Week Two Reflections

I have learned so much about "action research", and how it can be used in the school setting. I have used action research in the past, but have never really put a name to it. I can see where action research and reflection can be beneficial as a teacher and an administrator, and am looking forward to using it on a regular basis.

After completing the week two assignment, I feel it is very important to spend time in choosing an action research project. So many positive things can come from action research; such as continual learning, improved student achievement, an improved learning environment, as well as improved instructional techniques. There are many ways that action research can be done, and each of those ways have the possibility of producing a positive change in the school's atmosphere. I have chosen to do my action research project on the subject of tardies. After discussing this topic with my site supervisor, we both agreed it is a problem that affects the majority of our school. I feel that our current tardy policy is ineffective by causing classroom disruptions. I look forward to researching this topic, and coming up with possible solutions that will give our campus an environment more conducive to learning.

How Educational Leaders can use blogs

Educational leaders can use blogs in a variety of ways. They can be used to disseminate information to all interested parties. They can post the URL on the school's website so that faculty, students, community members, and parents can have access to all that is going on at our campus. Educational Leaders can also use blogs to paint the vision of the campus. They can do this by posting their theme of the month for the campus. For example, a campus' theme of the month could be "good stewardship." A principal will then post the actions that a good steward participates in. The blog could also include examples of some famous "good stewards." Blogging in this manner could be an excellent way for the community to connect to the principal on a more personal level, and it will allow the community to see the vision being painted by the educational leader.

What I have learned about Action Research

Through the investigation of these publications, I have learned there is a systematic way of analyzing current situations, developing and implementing a plan of action, reflecting on the outcome, and revisiting and expanding on the original problem. These are things that I have done before, but now view in a different context knowing that it is a research process. I have also generally used these strategies on my own. I now know that action research can be done by a group of people trying to formulate solutions to everyday problems in the classroom setting.

I plan on using exam data to determine what test questions are being answered incorrectly, and to what extent they are being missed. I will question students on question wording, mode of content delivery, etc. This will allow me to formulate questions or deliver content in a better manner so that student achievement can be increased. I will work on this with members of my PLC, and we can present our findings to other teachers in our school.

I will also seek out teaching strategies that have been researched to see if some of those strategies can help me in things such as classroom management and working with special education students. I can look at another teacher's research on tardies and their effect on the educational experience. This will give me some insight into another professional educator's strategies into solving an everyday issue on our campus.