Action Research Plan

Click on the link above to view my action research plan.

Inquiry Guiding My Action Research Project

How effective are pull-outs in a high school setting for students that either failed a math state assessment needed for graduation or currently struggling in math a class with a state assessment needed for graduation?

So Many Ideas...

Having to develop an action research topic for each of the nine different areas of passion described by Nancy  Fichtman Dana (Dana, 2009) made me realize how many different action research projects an administrator can get involved in.  The nine areas of passion are staff development, curriculum development, individual teacher(s), individual student(s), school culture/community, leadership, management, school performance, and social justice (p. 30).  An administrator needs to be focused on their inquiry because I can imagine that lack of focus can lead an administrator into multiple action research projects that can become overwhelming.

Here are three action research projects that I am considering:

How do pull-outs increase the success of students that have yet to meet the Level 2 assessments on their state assessments?  Are after school tutorials focused on the assessment or Saturday Schools focused on the assessment more effective?

In what ways can PLC data protocols of common assessments guide and improve Tier 1 instruction?

How does the DATE grant increase cross-curricular instruction on our campus?  Does cross-curricular instruction increase state assessments?  Does the concept of a stipend based on performance of students increase teacher’s instruction?


Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge, the principal as action researcher. Corwin Press.

Educational Leaders and Blogs

Blogs are a great tool for educational leaders to get information to parents and other members of their community quickly and at little to no cost.  This could include weekly newsletters, calendar of events, and emergency information.  Another great use of blogs for educational leaders is the ability to share ideas and concepts with other educational leaders.  As an educational leader you are not always able to talk with others on your campus for advice and an educational leader blog would allow you to communicate with other educational leaders regarding issues that are affecting your campus.  Blogging allows you to connect with people from around the country (world) that have gone through the same issues that you are going through and can speak to practical solutions.

What is action research and how can it be used in an educational setting?

Action research is a process in which a practitioner inquires about solutions to an issue, analyzes the data from the issue, researches and reflects on possible solutions, analyzes data from the change, reflects on the effectiveness of the change and shares the insight gained from the change with colleagues.  Action research is performed by the practitioner; in an educational setting this could be a teacher, administrator, superintendent, or other school staff.  The practitioner leads this inquiry to improve their school or teaching.  The practitioner then completes the research and analysis on their own.  This gives the practitioner a greater insight into the issue and possible solutions to the issue.  An added benefit is that the practitioner is able to share their results with their colleagues which can lead to greater buy-in from others.  There are too many times as teachers (and administrators) that we are given a new strategy that is the focus for the campus or district that has been researched by academia that is heavy on theory and not practice.  The benefit of an action research project is that the strategy or solution is being developed and tested by those in the trenches.  The results, whether good or bad, will be practical and not theoretical.

PLCs are a great place for action research to occur.  This is a great place for teachers to inquire whether their lessons are meeting the rigor of their common assessments.  Teachers can analyze their data on TEKS, as a group research and collaborate on different ways in which to teach the TEK, deliver the new method in class, and analyze the data from future assessments.  In addition, they are able to share their results with each other.  One method in which an administrator can utilize action research is through their administrative team.  An example of this method could have the administrative team analyze their attendance data, research methods on increasing attendance, implement the changes and analyze the data the data resulting from the change.  A principal can share the insight gained from the change with other principals in the district.