Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template

GOAL: The goal of this research action plan is to determine the effectiveness of looping and conclude if looping should be a mandatory practice for 1st/2nd grade teachers as well as 3rd/4th grade teachers.

Analyze test data (from 2007 – 2010) to determine differences in achievement for looping students versus non-looping students.
Shannon West, Billy Snow, Principal
August 2010 – December 2010
Test data broken down by classroom teacher as well as information as to which teachers were 2nd year loopers.
Document differences, if they exist, in a spreadsheet and determine percentage of difference.

Compare attendance records of students who looped with their teacher versus non-looping students to see if attendance improved in classes in which students looped up with their teacher.
Shannon West
Kay Vadasy, PEIMS secretary
August 2010 – December 2010
Attendance records
Create a line graph to show the differences in attendance.

Determine disparity in discipline referrals between looping teachers versus non-looping teachers.
Shannon West
Kay Vadasy, PEIMS secretary
August 2010 – December 2010
Discipline records
Create a line graph to show differences in discipline referrals.

Interview looping teachers
Shannon West
August 2010 – December 2010
Looping teachers
Collect data to determine the pros and cons of looping from a teacher’s perspective. Use this data to present findings at the end of the research action plan.

Interview looping students.
Shannon West
August 2010 – December 2010
Looping students
Collect data to determine the pros and cons of looping from a student’s perspective. Use this data to present findings at the end of action research.

Interview looping parents.
Shannon West
August 2010 – December 2010
Looping parents.
Collect data to determine the pros and cons of looping from a student’s perspective. Use this data to present findings at the end of action research.

Make recommendations based on the information collected.
Shannon West
Billy Snow, Principal
December 2010
All research information collected.
Recommendations made.

Action Research Plan

My campus administrator loves the idea of looping and has many of his teacher loop with their students from grades 1 to 2 and then from grades 3 to 4. Some teachers love looping. They love the idea of building relationships with their students and their families, but other teachers think they cannot master two sets of standards and teach both sets adequately. So, my action research topic will address the benefits of looping. More specifically, I will answer the question, “Does looping positively affect academic achievement?” If looping positively affects academic achievement, I will look to answer the question, “To what extent does looping positively affect academic achievement?” The goal of this research project is to determine whether my campus administrator should make looping mandatory or if he should continue to encourage looping but allow ‘master’ grade level teachers to remain in place.

Plan of Action:
I will survey all teachers (looping and non-looping) to receive their feedback in regards to looping. I will also survey looping students and parents to garner their input. These surveys will be sent out during the first two weeks of school. Second, I will collect and analyze data from 2007 – 2010 and specifically compare data from looping versus non-looping teachers. I will specifically look at TAKS data, so for this purpose, I will look at 4th grade TAKS results. Attendance records and office referrals will also be compared to see if any correlation between looping and non-looping teachers can be made. Throughout this process, I will work with my campus administrator, the PEIMS secretary, and looping teachers.

Resources Needed:
This research process will require teacher specific TAKS data from 2007 - 2010, attendance records, and office referrals.

Timeline:
Surveys will be sent out during the first two weeks of school. Data will be collected and analyzed throughout the first semester in hopes to have recommendations for the principal by January, so he can make knowledgeable decisions about teacher placements for the 2011 – 2012 school year.

Conclusion:This research will allow me to make data driven recommendations in regards to whether my campus should continue looping as it will lead to conclusions regarding the affects of looping on academic achievement.

Week 2 Reflection

Action research is an important aspect to effective leadership. Nancy Dana, author of Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Researcher, offers many areas of inquiry, but many of them overlap. I can see how working collaboratively could help a principal jump start his or her research because just by reading some of the questions the principals presented, I, too, started applying those questions to issues on my current campus. For example, I am interested in building a neighborhood like environment in my school, and the idea of Morning Meetings was intriguing to me. I began to wonder how they worked, how much time they took to conduct, and what were the real outcomes of these meetings. These questions could be the beginning of a research based inquiry.

Educational Leaders and Blogging

I absolutely love the idea of using blogs in education. Teachers could use blogs to update parents about events in their classrooms. Students could post new concepts that they are learning. Administrators can use blogs to highlight school events or achievements. They can use private blogs as a sound board for educational concerns. Blogging opens up windows of conversation with people around the world. If an administrator sets up his/her network correctly, it could be an invaluable resource.

Action Research and Its Application

Action research is a continual process of questioning, analyzing data and information about the questions, answering some questions while asking even more. This process allows principals to step back and take a reflective view of the happenings on their campuses and take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to dealing with concerns or issues affecting the campus culture or success. Because administrators should be reflective in nature, this process is ideal because it forces pondering issues and then analysis of data that surrounds those issues.
As a future administrator, I believe action research will be a beneficial tool for me to use. Not only do I foresee me conducting action research with other administrators, I also see action research being conducted with my leadership team and with grade levels. Taking a proactive approach to issues or concerns on my campus will be of utmost importance, and action research will allow me to do that.
I believe that, in order for action research to be beneficial, teachers are going to need to know what it is and how it differs from normal research. They will need to know that they will be required to take an active approach in not only posing questions but also looking at data that can answer those questions, and then developing a plan to answer that question appropriately. They should also know that answering their questions through active research will probably dredge up new questions that should also be addressed.