Action Research

 Principals want solutions to their problems from parental involvement to improving the reading skills of kindergartners.  School leaders are now addressing these problems by conducting their own action research. This may be done by creating teams of teachers working collaboratively or forming committees at the district level to solve problems occurring district-wide.  An example of teachers working collaboratively may include teachers meeting during a common team planning period.  With the proper guidance, teachers should be able to identify a problem that needs to be addressed and work together to solve it.  Additionally, many districts are currently experiencing budget shortfalls and may need to cut programs that could possibly affect the district’s ratings.  The process of action research; assessing the problem, documenting the steps, analyzing the data and making decisions based on the data (Ferrance, 2000) is critical in finding solutions to these problems.  Not too long ago, districts were able to purchase software programs and printed materials that promised results sometimes without much research behind it. With action research, campuses are able to analyze the programs or teaching methods that best suit their students and not necessarily incur a monetary cost.  The benefits of action research are endless. I hope to expand my knowledge regarding action research and be able to implement it on campus and at the district level.

Ferrance, E. (2000). Themes in education action research.  Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/themes_ed/act_research.pdf