Final action research plan summary...

The action research project that I chose to analyze and address is:

In what ways does direct one-on-one teacher-to-student mentoring decrease discipline referrals and improve academic performance. 

When speaking with my site supervisor we have concluded that there is a select group of students that account for the majority of discipline referrals, meaning that the same students tend to get written up for behavior problems over and over again. These students are also in danger of being retained in their current grade level and have shown a pattern of low academic performance. My assistant principal and I have decided to investigate whether or not a direct mentoring program that focuses solely on these particular students would curb misbehavior, decrease time missed in the classroom from “in and out of school” suspensions, and increase the academic performance of these students.  We have looked at the correlation of missed days of school because of behavior interventions and academic performance; we have found that students who missed a significant number of school days have also performed poorly in the classroom. We believe that a mentoring program that matched students with a positive role model would hold the students more accountable for their actions and would give them a support structure to model positive behavior and teach the students how to be constructive citizens of our campus. 

My action research plan...

After much careful consideration and thought I have decided to focus my action research project on determining what impact direct mentoring will have on behavior intervention? I feel that this topic will place positive role models in a position to teach students the characteristics needed to become a productive citizen and an exemplary student. This topic will benefit the students who are being mentored and it will also give the teachers a chance to develop their relationship building skills and improve their teaching capabilities. I feel that this project will have the greatest impact on my school because it will help students and teachers progress and will cultivate a culture of compassion and learning from each other; I believe that the mentors will learn just as much as the mentees.  

How educational leaders can use blogs...

Blogging is a powerful tool that can be used to share news on the professional level and the personal level. As an educational leader one can use the blog format to share news with the staff members, students, and outside community. A blog can be used differently from a campus website because with a blog outsiders can communicate and respond to the news with the leadership team and with each other. The blog gives 24/7 access to all campus stakeholders and creates an interactive medium where ideas can be shared. A school leader can gather insight on the reaction to campus happenings and can reflect and formulate ideas based on the feelings of the community; the blog creates community wide connectivity.

What I have learned about action research...

Action research is the systematic study of my own practice. It is a self reflection of the things that I do in my professional career. Action research, sometimes called administrator inquiry, is an analysis of my strengths and weaknesses, and a strategy of developing myself through research, reflection, questioning, and data analysis. Simply put, I find problems that I can work on within my profession, design change, analyze the change that has taken place, and then share my experiences so that others can benefit from my experience.  Administrator inquiry is a powerful tool because it prioritizes the individual and works on problems from the inside. Traditional research and development focuses on outside sources of learning and is a linear process where individuals are expected to learn and progress in a particular fashion. Action research is a cyclical process where change takes place as it is needed and focuses on projects that are necessary now.

I will use action research in my professional career as I develop into a leadership position. Every school is different and therefore there is no set linear process of gaining the experience necessary to lead the institution. I plan on becoming a quality leader by learning from the issues that affect my school and gaining as much valuable experience through action research as possible. I will maximize my study time by fixing real life issues rather than reading about them in a university textbook. Through internships and various campus projects I will develop my skill sets and blossom into a leader on my campus.