More reflections...

As I reflect on this course the first thing that comes to mind is the importance of doing action research to improve schools.  According to Harris (2009), “… inquiry is an essential component in order to establish a firm foundation for school improvement.”  It is seen as a tool that engages practitioners to seek answers to their concerns and results in improvement of their practices.  During the process of looking for an area to do my research, I was surprised to discover that there are many areas at my school that can benefit greatly from action research. I questioned why we aren’t doing more of it if it is a process that results not only in self growth but also in increased student achievement.  It also helps to increase collaboration among school leaders and teachers.Another aspect I liked about this course was reading some of the chapters in the book Leading with Passion and Knowledge. The book is very informative, engaging and easy to understand. Having learned about the definition of administrator inquiry/action research and the nine areas of major wondering for leaders, truly provided me with the needed guidance and knowledge to understand what action research is all about as well as reflect on the areas that interest me.  This allowed me to choose my topic of interest. I also liked reading about the different strategies to sustain improvement: Field Force Analysis, Delphi Method, CARE model and Normal Group Technique.  These strategies can easily be implemented at schools to help leaders to continue to improve those initiatives that are working or to implement new ones.What I found most valuable during this course was creating the blog and being able to collaborate with other teachers. The blog has allowed me to become more reflective and truly look at the issues that need change at my school.  Receiving and providing feedback to others through the blog and discussion boards have helped me grow more as a transformational leader.

In order to continue to build on the knowledge gained during this course I plan to involve the science teachers in one of the strategies to sustain improvement I learned about to sort of reflect/evaluate different programs that our department currently has in place to increase student achievement. I look forward to utilizing many of the ideas learned in this course to continue my personal growth as a leader and collaborating with others to improve my school.

 

Dana, N.F.(2009).  Leading with Passion and Knowledge:  The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks.CA: Corwin Press.

Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2009).  Examining what we do to improve our schools: 9 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.

 

Revised Action Research Plan

Here is my revised action research plan based on some discussion board comments and my site supervisor.  The major recommendations were in the timelines, interview/survey topics and that I should compare the data between inclusion and non/inclusion students in the same classroom.  This is a "living document" it will change with your valuable feedback as needed.  Thank you.

Action Planning Template
Goal: To evaluate the effectiveness of the inclusion environment on special education students in 9th grade Biology
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Read research on Inclusion Classrooms and the Power of Two	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  10/25/10 End:  10/29/10	Internet Resources and Special Ed Coordinator	Examine the concept of Inclusion through research and the training available to teachers.
Identify the number of Special Ed and regular Ed students in the inclusion classes for Biology.	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 11/2/10 End:  11/5/10	Student List from Biology teachers	Access the list of students in the inclusion classes in Biology
Review special ed students IEP’s and criteria for placement in inclusion setting	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 11/8/10 End:  11/12/10	Student IEP’s Meet with Special Ed coordinator	Evaluate the criteria for placement in an inclusion class.
Collect student achievement data from teacher and Eduphoria	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  11/15/10 End:  11/19/10	Access to student test data from Eduphoria	Organize data to look for trends or patterns
Classroom observations	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  11/29/10 End:  3/25/11	Permission to observe from teachers	Reflect on classroom observation notes
Monitor and evaluate students common unit assessment data with students that are in the inclusion setting with non-inclusion students in the same classroom	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 10/25/10 End:  3/25/11	Access student assessment data from Eduphoria	Organize data to look for trends or patterns
Survey/Interview teachers –strategies, IEP’s, collaboration time.	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  10/25/10 End:  12/17/10	Interview questions-**What are you doing as a teacher to meet students individual needs?	Examine and reflect teachers answers to questions
Analyze all the data collected and report findings to Administrative Staff and present and improvement plan if needed	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 10/25/10 End:  4/15/11	All data collected	Presentation of findings and improvement plan
Implementation of improvement plan and monitor student achievement data	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 4/15/11 End: 6/3/11	Student assessment data	Progress of student achievement

Action Research Plan

Here is a copy of my action research plan.  I need some feedback for my assignment this week, your comments will be greatly appreciated!

Action Planning Template
Goal: To evaluate the effectiveness of the inclusion environment on special education students in 9th grade Biology
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Read research on Inclusion Classrooms and the Power of Two	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  10/25/10 End:  10/29/10	Internet Resources and Special Ed Coordinator	Examine the concept of Inclusion through research and the training available to teachers.
Identify the number of Special Ed and regular Ed students in the inclusion classes for Biology.	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 11/2/10 End:  11/5/10	Student List from Biology teachers	Access the list of students in the inclusion classes in Biology
Review special ed students IEP’s and criteria for placement in inclusion setting	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 11/8/10 End:  11/12/10	Student IEP’s Meet with Special Ed coordinator	Evaluate the criteria for placement in an inclusion class.
Collect student achievement data from teacher and Eduphoria	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  11/15/10 End:  11/19/10	Access to student test data from Eduphoria	Organize data to look for trends or patterns
Classroom observations	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  11/29/10 End:  1/7/11	Permission to observe from teachers	Reflect on classroom observation notes
Monitor and evaluate students common unit assessment data	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 10/25/10 End:  1/14/11	Access student assessment data from Eduphoria	Organize data to look for trends or patterns
Survey/Interview teachers knowledge on Inclusion/Power of Two	Sandra Marcussen	Start:  10/25/10 End:  11/3/10	Interview questions	Examine and reflect teachers answers to questions
Analyze all the data collected and report findings to Administrative Staff and present and improvement plan if needed	Sandra Marcussen	Start: 1/17/11 End:  1/21/11	All data collected	Presentation of findings and improvement plan
Implementation of improvement plan and monitor student achievement data	Sandra Marcussen	Start 1/21/11 End: 4/29/11	Student assessment data	Progress of student achievement

Action Research Plan

I have to confess, I really struggled with this assignment.  I don't know why but I just did not know where to begin.  I am a science teacher and you would think this would be a piece of cake for me but it was not.  My action research topic was born from a biology teacher asking me "what is the job of the inclusion teacher in my classroom?" This question made me think that she had no idea what's suppose to go on in her classroom with an inclusion teacher.  I also thought about the students and  how is their learning being affected by this lack of knowledge.  Is she the only one with this question? Are the students needs being met? So, here goes my action research plan:

Goal:  To evaluate the effectivenes of the inclusion environment on special education students in 9th grade biology.

Action Steps:
-Research the topic of inclusion/Power of Two
-Gather, examine and monitor student assessment data
-Classroom Observations/Teacher Surveys/Interviews
-Analysis of findings and create an improvement plan if needed
-Report finding to administrative staff and request input for improvement plan

Person Responsible:  Sandra Marcussen

Timeline:  October 2010-May 2011

Needed Resources:
-Review articles on Inclusion
-Training informatio for Power of Two
-Access to Eduphoria (student data)
-Review materials on how to create surveys and conduct interviews

Evaluation:  Mr. Ted Smith, Assisstant Principal, Site Supervisor

The journey has begun!

Road to Success Week 2

This was a very interesting week for my action research class. First, I watched  three videos that offered examples of action research in different school districts.  I learned some valuable ideas like making sure my action research is practical and that it's ultimate goal is to improve student success.  I also explored examples of action research in nine areas that affect schools. 
I am interested in doing action research in the effectiveness of the inclusion setting at our school.  This topic involves some variables such as effective co-teaching, placement criteria, expectations, etc.  I am still working on identifying the focus of my research. Hopefully, after I meet with my site-supervisor this week, we can decide which area will benefit our students the most.

Using Blogs

Educational Leaders can benefit greatly from the use of blogs in schools.  First, they can present new ideas and receive feedback from staff members.  Second, they can create a blog where students and teachers can express their concerns and offer solutions to different issues around the school.  Blogs can also be used to involve parents and the community in school improvement ideas.

Action Research-Path to Success

What do I know about action research?  I have studied different books on action research and I have learned that it is a path to achieve success in schools.  Action research is “a powerful vehicle for learning and school improvement.” (Dana 2009)  Action research is a systematic way for educators to reflect on their instructional practices or to explore a problem and a possible course of action based on their findings.  This systematic approach promotes reflective teaching and thinking; collaboration with others and it leads to professional growth. Action research enhances our ability to solve problems effectively and most important it results in the improvement of educational practices that make our schools true learning organizations.

I plan to use action research during our Professional Learning Communities to find ways to collect and analyze our students' assessment data and determine those instructional strategies that work best for them.  Facilitating action research in the PLC’s with other teachers will allow us to grow professionally and help us become reflective practitioners. It will also allow me to develop the leadership skills necessary to be a good and effective leader in my school.  Action research is an essential process in the development of new ideas for personal and school wide improvement.