Nov. 21, 2010

In this blog post, I will be referencing the book Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as Action Research by Nancy Dana.

Traditionally, educational research concerning campus improvement has been conducted by "outsiders", often times university professors, brought in by the school district to oversee the practices of the district or specific campuses within that district (Dana, 4).  This often leads the principal and teachers to feel like they are being left out of the decision making process and may even unneccessarily bring about a feeling that campus is under some sort of scrutinity.

In 1986, Carr and Kemmis developed the term action research.  This new way of thinking is much more hands-on and interactive.  In action research, the principal collaborates with his/her staff and the campus itself is now viewed as the cooperative problem solver.  One misconception about this new paradigm is that it requires principals to admit failure in their administration (Dana, 4).

According to Dana, one of the best examples of action research is the recent development of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).  In the math PLC that I am involved in at Canyon Jr. High, we actively work together to try and improve our math instruction campus-wide, while also looking for ways to measure and improve student success.  We are, in essence, our own problem-solving team.  We work together to make sure a teacher is always available both before and after school to help whatever students show up for extra help.  We also build assessments that will be used to measure student success and we evaluate the results of those assessments to determine which students need to be brought in for tutorials during the school day.

Action research takes time.  Adding something else to your schedule or doing something differently requires a time adjustment.  Dana spends several pages discussing the importance of time management, not only for changing practices, but also for reflection.  Part of making action research work is taking the time to reflect on the effectiveness of your new practices.  Action research works when the stakeholders (principals, teachers, and other practitioners) are the active problem solvers, and effective strategies are put into practice to reach the desired outcome.