Reflections End of the Research Course

This course change all my expectations about investigation and research.  The way that Action Research Plan was introduced was very handy to my starting point.  As the weeks were passing and refining our projects, we getting more insights what this is about.  The develop of our actitud as an action research practitioner, head learner and life long learner.  My perspective change and from now on, I will apply this knowledge to my personal and professional life to face problems and look forward for possible solutions.  I feel sorry because my son told me that my impressions from this course were as like I find a new religion.  But it is truth that after these five weeks, I feel more confident in solve conflicts.  And I am willing to communicate and share more and try to look for issues in my campus to try to start a new action research plan.

Gloria's Attendance Action Research 2010

Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template
Week 3 Draft of Action Research Plan
Action Step(s)	Person(s) Responsible	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Search on google education web sites articles on how attendance, discipline and parent involvement; impacts performance of students	Myself. I will start my Search and take notes.	Aug'10- March'11.	Internet, communication by e-mail with my site supervisor, interviews with the assistant principal in charge of attendance, counselors, and grade level team leader.	I will ask review to my site supervisor and other colleagues.
I will create surveys for parents and personal interviews of reasons of absences.	Parents and myself.	September'10-March'11	Survey Monkey, parents, teacher conference time for interviews.	I will ask review from assistant principal in charge of attendance.
I will meet with counselors about discipline issues and referrals.	Counselors and myself.	October'10-March'11	Referrals records, meet with teachers of repetitive students that are often in the office.	I ask suggestions from the two counselors and teacher in charge of time out department and referrals.
Record of absences from 2009-2010 of bil.PK groups.	Myself.	Nov'10-Feb'11.	Permanent records.	Assistant principal will review this draft.
I will interview parents about what events of the school atended in 2009-2010.	Myself and parents.	Dec'10.-Feb'11.	Teacher conference time for interviews	My site-supervisor will review the data.
I will find out the best strategies that work for increase performance in students in terms of these factors.	All stakeholders and myself.	Aug'10-March'11	Internet, stakeholders, colleagues, records.	My site-supervisor, colleagues, administrators, counselors will revise and make suggestions.

Week 3: Draft of Action Research Plan

http://docs.google.com/?hl=es&tab=wo#all

Inquiry

By suggestion of my site supervisor: I will narrow my inquiry:

How increase performance in Hispanic Group, prekindergarten level, in terms of attendance, discipline and parent involvement?

Reflection Week 2

Week 2 Background - Real Life Research

As I was working on my week 2, I learned and decided that the action research will be my new
state of mind of how I will face my professional and personal life from now.
My inquiry: How we can improve the performance in all students in terms of attendance, discipline and parent involvement?
I become addicted to read all my professional classmates blogs. I really enjoy get new ideas from all of those.

Analysis of How Educational Leaders Might Use Blogs

The use of blogs is beneficial to learning communities because it is a wonderful way of communication. We can use this technology to share new strategies and general information about any topic. Many teachers use blogs to share all the experiences in their classrooms with parents, teachers, and community members.

Action Research Differ from Traditional Educational Research

EA1218EA5301Assignment01Part1Q2
Action Research Differ from Traditional Educational Research

Action research differ from traditional educational research in the following: action research promotes the active involvement of practitioners as administrators and teachers, in some cases even students. Traditional educational research involves outside experts.
Traditional educational research have not include the voices of the people who work in the trenches of the school building on a daily basis and are therefore best positioned, to understand better the educational experiences for all members of the schoolhouse -administrators and teachers.
Action research movement focuses on the concerns of practitioners (not outside researchers) and engages practitioners in the design, data collection, and interpretation of data around their question.
Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks. C.A.: Corwin Press.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2009). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.

Why Do Action Research?

EA1218EA5301Assignment01Part1Q1
Why Do Action Research?

Administrative inquiry or action research refers to the process of 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. Inquiring professionals seek out change and elect on their practice by posing questions or ”wonderings” collecting data to gain insights into their wonderings, analyzing the data along with reading relevant literature, making changes in practice based on new understandings developed during inquiry, and sharing findings with others, so administrative inquiries become a powerful vehicle for learning and school improvement. Inquiry is an essential component in order to establish a firm foundation for school improvement. The inquiry process, based on logical reasoning, requires the collection of information in a systematic way. Based in this inquiry is the process of thinking and questioning that undergirds the Framework for Examining School Improvement.
Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks. C.A.: Corwin Press.
Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2009). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps from analysis to action. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education.

Start the Foundations for my Action Research

My action research will be on attendance with two other supplemantary topics: discipline and parent involvement. I started to read all literature and up date all the information that I have access from my campus. I am so exciting for receiving my first acceptance to my scholar interview. Unfortunally, I failed to set up my second interview due summer vacations, but I am not give up and wait.

Gloria's Attendance Action Research 2010

After reviewing the readings from Dana and Harris books about action research my findings are: Traditional research was doing by individuals outside of the school setting and action research is involving staff inside as principals, administrators and teachers. Action research is develop for people that are directly involve in the issue that we need to solve or improve.
I will able to use my new skills on action research in develop a new project in how to improve attendance in my campus. We already set up some strategies as call parents when the student is absent and include some advices about the benefits to the students that attend the school on regular basis sending information in weekly letters from principal and classroom teachers. Other think that my principal did was a meeting with focus on the high relevance that attendance means in the school in purpose of student learning and funding.
In develop my action research on attendance, I will improve at the same time my communication skills and learn from my classmates other issues that probably we need to work with in our campus as well. Action research skills will become part of my daily personal and professional self grow.