Educational Problems of Interest

There are many small problems in education that interest me - discipline, missing work, low grades, social behaviors, etc.  However, many of them seem to revert back to the one idea that I believe could solve many of them - parental involvement.  This is an important problem to me because I teach at a Title I school of just sixth graders and I already see parents becoming uninvolved in their child's education.  However, I'm not always convinced that the problem lies with the parents choosing to leave the child on his/her own, which is what I want to research.  This is a critical area because students can often go astray educationally and socially without proper parental guidance.

Let me set this situation up for you.  First of all, my campus is the child's first school away from elementary and I feel that there are quite a few parents that don't know how to be involved.  Also, I believe that students are learning, at this early age, how to keep information from their parents when they don't want them to know (either they don't want to do the work assigned or don't want to tell their parents information that could get them in trouble).  This is where I want to bridge the gap - I want to provide paths of learning for the parents to be able to understand what is happening from this point forward with their child's education.

I have the belief that this action research study would be beneficial in solving this problem because I have a strong faith in people.  I have a faith that people want the best for their children, we just have to provide them with a pathway to help that happen.  In my opinion, if we set the parent up now with being involved in the education at this level of schooling, they'll be knowledgable for the future and will, hopefully, continue to stay involved.  I want to have monthly parent meetings where the parents learn how to access their students grades from an online account, learn how to communicate with the teachers (set up an email account for them if needed), review important projects and their guidelines, and just simply show the parents what to expect of their child.  I know that we provide this to parents in the syllabus, but how many parents truly read all eight syllabi all the way through enough to understand what is going on all of the time?  This task, on top of filling out paperwork and signing papers, can be a lot for a parent at the beginning of the school year.  My hope is that grades, discipline, etc. will improve just based on the fact that an avenue of communication has been opened between the teacher/school and the parent.  I'm excited to see if this works.

Action Research Template

Action Planning Template
Goal: To provide direct services to families to reduce barriers to student learning.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Develop a Shared Vision, Literature Research, Initial Student Research, Planning, Self-Reflection, Exploring Programmatic Patterns, Determine Final Direction	Robert Seibert	December 21, 2012 – January 18, 2013	Time, Literature on Past Research (Online Database), Documents (Past Parental Contact Logs), Quantitative Data (Student Grades and Test Scores) found through Eduphoria and Skyward	Excel spreadsheet used to document information (grades, scores, and parent contact), Blog
Parent meeting to discuss and implement ways in which the parent can be involved in the child’s education	Robert Seibert	January 21, 2013	Time, School Cafeteria and Computer Lab, and Staff Members	Attendance Log, Meeting Agenda, Observations, Digital Pictures, Parent Surveys, Blog
Progress Monitoring	Robert Seibert	February 12, 2013 – February 15, 2013 March 25, 2013 – March 28, 2013 May 1, 2013 – May 3, 2013	Time, Documents (current parent contact logs), Quantitative Data (Student Grades and Test Scores) fround through Eduphoria and Skyward	Excel spreadsheet used to document information (grades, scores, and parent contact), Parent Interviews, Parent Surveys, Blog
Final Evaluation	Robert Seibert	May 27, 2013 – May 31, 2013	Time, Documents (current parent contact logs), Quantitative Data (Student Grades and Test Scores) fround through Eduphoria and Skyward	Excel spreadsheet used to document information (grades, scores, and parent contact), Parent Interviews, Parent Surveys, Blog

Format based on Tool 7.1 from Examining What We Do to Improve Our Schools

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010)

Week Two Reflection - Action Research 5301

Week two has brought about many new questions and ideas for action research.  Initially, I had no doubt that my research would be geared toward parental involvement.  However, as the week went by and I continued to read the text, I began to question myself.  I have been pursued by leaders on my campus to conduct other small projects - peer mentoring and student intervention groups to mention a couple.  In the end, I could not seem to move away from the passion that I had for affording parents the opportunity to become involved in their child's education.  I am interested to see the changes that could potentially occur given the chances for the parents to understand what's actually happening inside of the walls of their child's school.  More than anything, I want to help the many students on campus that are economically disadvantaged gain every edge possible to break the cycle that has entrapped many of their family members.  I look forward to learning exactly how to form questions and conduct the research in the weeks to come.

How can educational leaders use blogs?

Through the readings (Dana, 2009) and other research on blogging, two ideas on how blogging can be used by educational leaders stands out in my mind - REFLECTING and SHARING.

Reflections, essential to improve in all aspects of life, are, in my mind, the most important part of blogging.  Journaling ideas, thoughts, data, and actions can lead to a better understanding of the "why" in one's leadership experience.  Putting thoughts together and organizing the information can only be helpful to the position, if used properly.

Beyond that, blogs can be used to share the ideas, thoughts, data, and actions that you post with peers and, on occasion, with students.  Sharing with peers can elicit feedback and further help enrich the experience of being an educational leader.  Sometimes it takes someone else reading through one's ideas to fill in the small gap that was missing to take the blogger to the next level.  Also, allowing students to view the blog provides them with a greater insight into their own education and the process of it, and can also model a passion for writing.

Questions can be answered, thoughts and ideas confirmed, and data can be discussed further to create a valuable tool that improves inquiry and the educational experience for all involved.  Without a doubt, if used properly, educational leaders can use blogs to improve the learning of students, the teaching of teachers, and the overall experience of life within the walls of the classroom or school that the leader cares so deeply about.

References

Dana, N.F. (2009).  Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action     

researcher.  Thousand Oaks,  CA: Corwin Press. 

Action Research - What is it and how can I use it?

According to Nancy Fichtman Dana (2009), administrative inquiry or action research “refers to the process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study of his/her own administrative practice and taking action for change based on what he/she learns as a result of the inquiry” (p. 2).  Through this inquiry, administrators will review the facts on the topic, ask questions of all involved, and continue to seek out information to fully complete the research (Harris et al., 2009, p. 5).  This system of investigation is adapted from teacher action research, both of which are intended as a tool to advance professional development for the individual and improve the educational process at the studied school.  As a result of administrative inquiry, the administrator should better understand his/her position and how he/she fits in as a leader in the efforts to improve the school.
     
Action research in schools can be used in many different ways, all of which should be designed to improve instruction when concentrating on student achievement (Ringler, 2007, p. 36).  I will be able to use administrative inquiry to improve the productivity in my classroom.  Through implementing research plans, I will have the ability to validate my current teaching practices, change the methods that need changed, and enhance student learning through improved methods of communicating information.  Through action research, my hope is to build upon what I already do in my classroom to provide an even better environment and way of teaching that benefits all of my students.

References

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 imrove our   
            schools: 8 steps from analysis to action.  Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.

Ringler, M. (2007).  Action Research an Effective Instructional Leadership Skill for Future

            Public School Leaders.  AASA Journal of Scholarship & Practice, 4 (1), 27-42.