Action Research Reflection

After many long nights of watching videos, reading the required Dana text and Harris et al. text, web conferences and blogging, I can honestly say that I have gained a vast amount of knowledge. I have also gained a familiarity with blogging and how helpful it is with collaborating, learning and growing from the comments and suggestions by my peers. The networking experience has been enlightening, encouraging and very motivating. I truly believe that the key to success is collaborating and sharing ideas with others and learning from others ideas as well.

The one area I would like to become more familiar with is how to sustain the development of school leaders. It's an important issue because I don't want to ever become the type of leader who pretends "to know all." (Dana, p.186) To continue to build knowledge in this area, I will look for resources for helpful information, use daily reflections and engage in plenty of inquiry because one day I want to be a role model that displays what is expected of teachers and students. My journey is leading me to change and improvement.

The time and attention you dedicate to a project will determine its success and if you collaborate and share your ideas with others, then others will do the same leading to growth and learning for All! Thank you All who shared with me and helped with MY growth and learning!

Agreed upon Action Research Plan

My site supervisor has repeatedly assured me of her support and reiterated the importance of my action research topic. I expressed my interest in getting my Master’s in Educational Leadership since last year and she was the one who told me to go with Lamar University. She and I have discussed my journey and since day one we knew what I would be working on for my action research. We both felt then and now that my action research topic will be beneficial for me, my colleagues, our parents, and most importantly, all our students. By focusing my action research on the effectiveness of the implementation of, Project Wisdom, an anti-bullying program and its’ effects on school climate, student empowerment, grades and home life, I will be making a difference in our school and in our students.

My supervisor and I discussed time constraints, data collection, teacher, parent and student involvement and how I would accomplish everything that I needed to do considering that I had many other responsibilities. Mrs. Martinez encouraged me to “go above and beyond the call of duty,” because she felt that I was a role model for a lot of students. She believes in me and my vision for a “positive, safe, empowering school and home for all!” I truly believe that my experiences with abuse, bullying and most importantly, success, I will make an impact in students’ lives and in our campus.

I began my action research in January, with my supervisor’s approval and with the help of the curriculum assistant and the counselor, so that I could get ahead of the game. Everyone is being very helpful! My students, their parents and my colleagues know how important this endeavor is to me, so they are all being supportive, helpful and responsible with bringing in the surveys and questionnaires.

 

As a result of the collaboration between my supervisor and me, no changes were made to my action research plan. I did explain that I would keep her informed about any changes or concerns throughout my research. She was impressed with how thorough my action research plan looked and how I planned to collect and analyze the data. She appreciates my resolve and commitment to making our school better for all students.

Action Planning Template
Goal: Implement and promote Project Wisdom and determine whether there is a positive correlation between school climate, student empowerment/self-esteem, student grades and home life and the use of an anti-bullying program.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Meet with site supervisor to discuss implementation of anti-bullying program as an improvement of school climate, student empowerment/self-esteem, student grades and home life.	Diana Celeste Salinas	January 7, 2013	Action Research Topic and Plan	Review anti-bullying programs and outcomes of implementation.
Literature review on bullying.	Diana Celeste Salinas	January – September 2013	Lamar Online Library   Internet   Input from ECISD administrators.	Identify and review resources and literature that highlight the importance of implementing anti-bullying programs.
Conduct teacher surveys on perceptions of bullying and the need for an anti-bullying program.	Diana Celeste Salinas	February 2013 – March 2013	Surveymonkey.com   24 teachers (4 teachers per grade level – Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th)   Questionnaire on Bullying	Review surveys and identify differences between lower and upper grades.
Conduct parent/student surveys on perception of bullying in schools and the need for an anti-bullying program.	Diana Celeste Salinas	February 2013 – March 2013	Surveymonkey.com   All parents and students will be given a survey and given a week to return surveys.   Questionnaire on Bullying	Review surveys and identify differences between parents of lower grade students and upper grade students.   Review student  surveys and identify differences between lower grades and upper grades.
Conduct in depth interviews with a teacher from each grade level.	Diana Celeste Salinas	April 2013	Voice Recorder   Interview Questions   Notebook- written notes	Voice to test tool. Will transfer oral interview into written document. Anecdotal evidence will be collected and compared with exit interview data to determine the impact of Project Wisdom.
Conduct in depth interviews with Site-based decision committee and PTO.	Diana Celeste Salinas	April 2013	Voice Recorder   Interview Questions   Notebook- written notes	Voice to test tool. Will transfer oral interview into written document. Anecdotal evidence will be collected and compared with exit interview data to determine the impact of Project Wisdom.
Establish a baseline of student performance in the classroom and student behavioral referrals sent to the office before Project Wisdom.	Diana Celeste Salinas	March 2013	Student six weeks grades   Student benchmark scores   Behavioral reports from 2012 and 2013	Charts   Graphs   Comparison charts
Meet with teachers and parents bi-monthly to provide them with Project Wisdom lessons so they can review with children.	Diana Celeste Salinas	January 2013 – September 2013	Project Wisdom lesson presentation and explanation.   Question and Answer	Response to questions from teachers and parents.
Meet with site supervisor to discuss how research findings can improve campus environment, student self-esteem, student grades and home life through continued improvement and enhancement of Project Wisdom.	Diana Celeste Salinas	October 2013	Action Research Artifacts/Results   Literature Review	Feedback from site supervisor.
Share project findings with administration, teachers, parents and students.	Diana Celeste Salinas	November 2013	Action Research Artifacts/Results   Power Point   School Website   Educational Blog	Collect and review evaluation form on presentation.
Revisit my action research plan, post on school website and educational blog for continual improvement and ideas.	Diana Celeste Salinas	December 2013	Action Research Artifacts/Results   Power Point   School Website   Educational Blog http://dianacelestesalinas.blogspot.com/	Review comments and feedback from site supervisor, parents, teachers, and students.

 

 

Action Research Plan

After a long and confusing week I am finally ready to post my action research plan. I am also posting my research project overview. With all the reading that I did for this week's assignment, the Dana text, Harris text, example of student use of cell phones and the videos, I think I pretty much have my brain fried. I just hope that my field supervisor doesn't feel like I need to change anything. My site supervisor is being very supportive in journey to be a principal and I thank God for that! Please feel free to comment on my action research plan and my research project overview. I would appreciate any suggestions!

Action Planning Template
Goal: Implement and promote Project Wisdom and determine whether there is a positive correlation between school climate, student empowerment/self-esteem, student grades and home life and the use of an anti-bullying program.
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Meet with site supervisor to discuss implementation of anti-bullying program as an improvement of school climate, student empowerment/self-esteem, student grades and home life.	Diana Celeste Salinas	January 7, 2013	Action Research Topic and Plan	Review anti-bullying programs and outcomes of implementation.
Literature review on bullying.	Diana Celeste Salinas	January – September 2013	Lamar Online Library   Internet   Input from ECISD administrators.	Identify and review resources and literature that highlight the importance of implementing anti-bullying programs.
Conduct teacher surveys on perceptions of bullying and the need for an anti-bullying program.	Diana Celeste Salinas	February 2013 – March 2013	Surveymonkey.com   24 teachers (4 teachers per grade level – Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th)   Questionnaire on Bullying	Review surveys and identify differences between lower and upper grades.
Conduct parent/student surveys on perception of bullying in schools and the need for an anti-bullying program.	Diana Celeste Salinas	February 2013 – March 2013	Surveymonkey.com   All parents and students will be given a survey and given a week to return surveys.   Questionnaire on Bullying	Review surveys and identify differences between parents of lower grade students and upper grade students.   Review student  surveys and identify differences between lower grades and upper grades.
Conduct in depth interviews with a teacher from each grade level.	Diana Celeste Salinas	April 2013	Voice Recorder   Interview Questions   Notebook- written notes	Voice to test tool. Will transfer oral interview into written document. Anecdotal evidence will be collected and compared with exit interview data to determine the impact of Project Wisdom.
Conduct in depth interviews with Site-based decision committee and PTO.	Diana Celeste Salinas	April 2013	Voice Recorder   Interview Questions   Notebook- written notes	Voice to test tool. Will transfer oral interview into written document. Anecdotal evidence will be collected and compared with exit interview data to determine the impact of Project Wisdom.
Establish a baseline of student performance in the classroom and student behavioral referrals sent to the office before Project Wisdom.	Diana Celeste Salinas	March 2013	Student six weeks grades   Student benchmark scores   Behavioral reports from 2012 and 2013	Charts   Graphs   Comparison charts
Meet with teachers and parents bi-monthly to provide them with Project Wisdom lessons so they can review with children.	Diana Celeste Salinas	January 2013 – September 2013	Project Wisdom lesson presentation and explanation.   Question and Answer	Response to questions from teachers and parents.
Meet with site supervisor to discuss how research findings can improve campus environment, student self-esteem, student grades and home life through continued improvement and enhancement of Project Wisdom.	Diana Celeste Salinas	October 2013	Action Research Artifacts/Results   Literature Review	Feedback from site supervisor.
Share project findings with administration, teachers, parents and students.	Diana Celeste Salinas	November 2013	Action Research Artifacts/Results   Power Point   School Website   Educational Blog	Collect and review evaluation form on presentation.
Revisit my action research plan, post on school website and educational blog for continual improvement and ideas.	Diana Celeste Salinas	December 2013	Action Research Artifacts/Results   Power Point   School Website   Educational Blog http://dianacelestesalinas.blogspot.com/	Review comments and feedback from site supervisor, parents, teachers, and students.

 

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

(Harris, Edmonson, and Combs, 2010) 

 

 

 

Action Research Project Process Overview

Setting the Foundation Through collaboration with my site supervisor, it was determined that school climate and student empowerment was a challenge worth trying to conquer. It was noted that student performance could be improved through implementation of an anti-bullying program. After discussing several other topics such as the Promethean Board, RTI, and Inclusion, we settled on the issue of bullying. Thus the question: Will the implementation of an anti-bullying program, Project Wisdom, improve school climate and promote and empower all students and what impact would it have on student grades, self-esteem and home life? Analyzing Data Data will be collected from various sources regarding anti-bullying program implementations. Research indicates that the Project Wisdom program may be an effective method to use for the action research topic. Evaluation of this data will be utilized to gain further insight and develop a plan for future reference. Develop a Deeper Understanding Collected data will incorporate all stakeholders in the process. Anecdotal evidence has been gathered from the principal, teachers, students and parents indicating the need for support in the area of school climate and student empowerment through an anti-bullying program. In addition to reviewing applicable readings, questionnaires, interviews and surveys, reflection of the materials collected will help to gain an extended understanding of the effective, essential and qualitative nature of an anti-bullying program for all students. Engaging in Self-Reflection I have the skills and resources as well as the support of my site supervisor to conduct this research. I also have the support of the teachers and parents in this project. The need for self-reflection will be vital to evaluating and addressing further needs, changes and considerations in my action research project. Exploring Programmatic Patterns As I begin to assemble the data I will continue to work and engage my site supervisor in identifying and changing processes as needed. One of the pitfalls I have identified is that I have not been trained on the delivery of Project Wisdom lessons. Another pitfall is that the library is not stocked with many of the resources listed on the Project Wisdom curriculum. Finally, my feeling is that the counselor is more qualified and better equipped to implement the anti-bullying program. Determining Direction I believe that plan I have established is appropriate for the identified action research inquiry and that the processes to collect data are workable and feasible. I am confident that I can conduct the action research plan as written. I need to be considerate and flexible regarding timelines and stakeholders willingness to participate and adjust my plan accordingly with the assistance of my site supervisor. Taking Action for School Improvement Utilizing my written action plan I will begin addressing the steps to gathering the information I have outlined. Stakeholders will be identified and used in the process to gather the needed information. I will confer regularly with my site supervisor to inform and collaborate throughout the data collection process. A summative report will finalize the results of my action research plan. Please see Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template (in Part 2 of this week’s assignment) for my proposed activities and evaluative methods. Sustaining Improvement Results of this research will be shared with my principal. I will also collaborate with principal to determine the implications of this research on school climate and students empowerment and if and how it impacted student grades, self-esteem and home life. Additionally, I will post the results of my project on my blog and invite others to comment.