Draft Action Plan

I will gather data from all first grade students below level on the first reading assessment. Jensen Fortner and Reading specialist September 2010- May 2011
Fountas/Pinnell running record data/AIMS web data
I will chart the selected students’ growth each six weeks to determine what the data shows. Data will be disaggregated by gender, socioeconomic status, race, etc. to identify trends. At the end, data will also be compared with students in the control group.

Implement a wide variety of fine arts activities during workstation time in one first grade classroom.
Jensen Fortner
Consult with art and music teachers for ideas September 2010-May 2011
Art supplies, drama supplies, music supplies, etc.
Student interviews will be conducted with those participating. I will be gathering qualitative data regarding how students perceive the activities and their benefits, as well as any effect they feel toward their academics. I will seek to determine if there is any effect on students’ academic self-confidence as well.

Review of relevant literature Jensen Fortner September 2010- May 2011
Journals, internet sites
I will summarize findings on the subject of fine arts and academic achievement, as well as recent trends to reduce or eliminate fine arts in some schools

Teacher reflections- I will record my findings and share with my team, administrators, and reading specialists.
Jensen Fortner September 2010-May 2011 Journal
I will keep a journal record of my observations with the children, focusing on areas of interest I notice with each child and their level of interest/involvement, as well as progress I observe.

Week Two Reflections

This week I am struck by the fact that action research can be anything you need it to be. It can be simple. It can be complex. It can involve leadership. It can involve social justice. It can even involve the day to day management of a campus. The purpose is to continually improve a school based on needs. What a valuable tool for all teachers and administrators.

Uses for blogs as a leader

An educational leader could use a blog to communicate with parents and the community on a daily or weekly basis. A blog could also be used to share a leader's journey wiht their own action research. This would model the process for staff and build the school community. It would also be fun for students to read a blog about the everyday happenings in their principal's job, or even just thoughts from the principal.

Action Research

I have learned that action research is a valuable tool for educators and educational leaders. It is the process often used in learning communities, for example where teachers seek to determine an issue students are having in learning a skill, and find ways to help them using different teaching methods or materials. This was an important tie-in for my understanding since I have learned about learning communities in prior classes. It is also easy to identify with this use, as I can instantly think of many issues during the last school year where this type of research would have been incredibly beneficial. I plan to use it to improve my math instruction this coming school year. I have wanted to research some different methods of teaching first graders basic math concepts such as ordering numbers.

It is much different from traditional educational research, as it involves actual decision making by those most closely affected by the outcome. When I originally read 'research' I immediately imagined a research project resulting in a research paper. Rather, action research is the process of determining an issue, researching ideas, implementing a change and monitoring the effect it has. Then the process can continue as ideas are tried, and data is measured. I also found it interesting that though literature is often used, what an expert says is not the conclusion. Actual measurable improvement in student achievement is the ultimate goal. In addition to teachers, it can be used by leadership teams, administrative teams, and individuals.