My Action Research Journey - The Plan

Action Research Statement/Question:

Can the faculty/staff of this elementary campus develop and/or implement changes to school climate which successfully promotes and integrates college and career readiness strategies in order to increase student and parent engagement in their educational life? How can we increase awareness, belief, and motivation in our students to become highly engaged 21^st century learners at the elementary level through school climate?

The stated vision of RISD is to create an environment where all students learn, grow and succeed.  As the district continues to strive for improvements a district improvement plan was developed with specific outlined goals to achieve the vision.  A portion of the plan states:

-       Goal 1: Students are highly engaged in their educational life

Objective 3: Increase links between home and school by providing systemic opportunities for parent engagement.

-       Goal 2: Profound curriculum is the foundation for learning

Objective 2: Integrate 21st Century learning and Texas College & Career Readiness (TCCR) skills and strategies into RISD curriculum PK-12.

Achievement of the district’s goals and objectives will improve instructional effectiveness and student performance to prepare all students for their global future.

Psychologist Albert Bandura defined self-efficacy as one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations.  Self-efficacy can play a major role in how one approaches goals, tasks, and challenges.  Self-efficacy is developed from external experiences and self-perception and is influential in determining the outcome of many events.  According to Bandura’s theory, those with high self-efficacy are more likely to view difficult tasks as something to be mastered rather than something to be avoided.  Can a student’s belief (self-efficacy) in the attainment of college or career goals be influenced by the climate of an elementary school?

The purpose of this study will be to describe the school climate and it’s alignment with the district goals and objectives.  This study will describe the impact of any changes and strategies implemented at the elementary campus in order to create a climate focused on the 21^st century learner; specifically college and career readiness.

The research questions are:

1. Is the campus successful as defined by:

- percentage of students who believe they will attend a college or have a career goal

- percentage of teachers implementing college and career readiness strategies in the classroom formally (as integrated into the curriculum) and informally (as integrated into language, attitude, and teaching and/or classroom management techniques)

- percentage of students absent less than 10 days per year

2. Will the attitudes of administrators, teachers, students and parents toward teaching and learning change for the better as a result of the implemented changes made to school climate?

- improvement in student awareness of possible future goals (college or career)

- improvement in student participation and engagement in their educational life

- Statistical improvement in the number of parents and/or family members participating and engaged in their student’s education.

Action Planning
Goal: Increase and/or integrate college and career readiness skills in the elementary school culture to increase student and parent engagement, motivation and involvement (self-efficacy)  in student educational life.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Survey current student self-efficacy of college/career goals	Kristin Harris	November 2012 – December 2012	Create Survey Teachers to administer survey to students	Rating scale with report
Survey current teacher and administrative views of student and parent attitude and involvement in students’ educational life	Kristin Harris	November 2012 – December 2012	Create Survey Teachers to take survey	Rating scale with report
Survey current teacher and administrative views of student self-efficacy	Kristin Harris	November 2012 – December 2012	Create Survey Teachers to take survey	Rating scale with report
Engage and involve all teachers and students in Enrichment Clusters	Principal and Enrichment Cluster Team	November 2012 – June 2013	Facilitated by school administration	Data reflecting student participation
Collaborate with teachers and staff to develop and integrate college/career readiness skills, language, and events in the classrooms and throughout the school	Administration Campus Improvement Team Kristin Harris	November 2012 – June 2013	Facilitated by school administration and teachers	Teacher self reports Admin reports CIT report
Evaluate changes in student self-efficacy levels	Kristin Harris	November 2012 – June 2013	Create Survey Teachers to administer survey to students	Rating scale with report
Evaluate changes in teacher/staff perception of parent involvement	Kristin Harris	November 2012 – June 2013	Create Survey Teachers to take survey	Rating scale with report
Evaluate changes in quantitative data to correlate with student self-efficacy	Kristin Harris	November 2012 – June 2013	Create Survey Teachers to take survey	Rating scale with report

Action Research - College and Career Readiness on the Elementary Campus

Action Research Topic:

How can our faculty work together to create a school climate that successfully promotes and integrates college and career readiness strategies in order to increase student and parent engagement in their educational life? How can we increase awareness, belief, and motivation in our students to become highly engaged 21^st century learners through school climate?

I have finally narrowed down the inquiry I want to address!  There are so many things I wonder about and want to improve, but this topic is really aligned with our school and district vision. 

As an educator I believe a student can become a lifelong learner by introducing the concept of college, high expectations and academic achievement at an early age.  The earlier the better! Teachers can do things on a daily basis to instill in young children the belief that they can go to college and promote the work ethic needed to make it. College may not be for everyone, but it is important to encourage students to aim high.  If they don't pursue a degree program, the skills learned can be applied associates degrees, certification programs, and other career building opportunities.

Blogging develops community and learning

Learners process information based upon their shared experiences with others, entering into a phase of learning that includes: attention; retention; reproduction; and ultimately the motivation to alter behavior.  One’s community and environment are vital to one’s learning.   As a proponent of Social learning Theory I believe principals engaged in blogging develop a strong sense of community amongst each other and can learn from shared experiences.

What is Action Research?

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.  Administrators can use this process to gain insights into their own practices and behaviors as leaders in their school and use these insights to improve both their methods and the school.  Participation in administrative inquiry as a principal or a leadership team shows a commitment to improved student learning.  This type of research focuses on the concerns of those practicing in the field and not those of outside researchers.  The valuable insite of those practicing in the teaching and learning process is overlooked by traditional forms of research. Action research is intended to bring about change while traditional research examines a practice in order to better understand or improve it.  Action research used as a reflectional tool by administrators and leaders is an essential skill for understanding and improving schools.  It’s interactive, practical, and built around student, teacher, and/or principal need.

There are many benefits of action research.  It focuses on the concerns of the principal not those outside the school setting.  It is intended to bring about real change, not just talking about change or theory.  As the principal or leader reflects on their own practices improvements can be implemented and the leader becomes more effective in their role.  Action research as part of a leadership team encourages collaboration which can develop educational reform, acoutablility and improved standards.  Professionals support each other in the study of one another’s schools and administrative practice when joined in a PLC.