PLAN OF ACTION

SCHOOL VISION:  We pledge ourselves to the continuation of the tradition of excellence in which all students, with the support of family, school, and community, prepare for successful and productive lives.

GOAL:  The goal for the researcher after implementing strategies for helping struggling 9th grade students in core classes will be the reduction of the failure rate in each core content class of English, Biology, and Algebra by 10% within a two year period.

OUTCOMES:  The out come of this research plan is that 9th grade students failing core classes will be reduced in the next 2 years by 10%.

ACTIVITIES:
Study hall program for all incoming 9th graders that will allow:

1.    Extra time in the school day to complete the high school homework load
2.    Opportunity for peer tutoring to occur by upperclassmen in core content curriculum

Providing a transition program in the summer between the 8th and 9th grades in order to introduce 8th grade students to the high school experience with the following activities:

1.    Introduce incoming 9th grade students to upperclassmen
2.    Introduce incoming 9th grade students to their core freshmen teachers
3.    Provide an atmosphere in which students feel a connection between their classmates and their school
4.    Introduce incoming students to the policies and procedures of the high school

RESOURCES/ RESEARCH TOOLS NEEDED:
1.    Surveys for teachers, parents, and students
2.    Student failure reports
3.    Professional development that will focus on the struggles and needs of our student population
4.    Funds to pay teachers to run the summer program
5.    Tutors for the before and after-school tutoring program

RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS ACTIVITIES: Core Teachers, Curriculum Instructional Specialist, and Principals

TIME LINE:  September 2011- January2012

September
• Develop interview questions for students, parents, and staff
• Develop consent forms for students
• Identify students eligible for research

October
• Set up student interviews
• Conduct student interviews

November
• Contact parents for interview times
• Interview parents by phone

December
• Identify core content teachers to interview
• Interview core content teachers

January
* Compact data and begin to analyze and summarize data

ASSESSMENT: Students will be assessed through report cards, progress reports, and study halls.

Revisions to SIP/PIP based on monitoring and assessments:

If students do not meet the required passing rates, then the appropriate staff will re-evaluate what they are doing and make the necessary improvements.

Action Research Draft

Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template

Goal:  The goal for the researcher after implementing strategies for helping struggling 9th grade students in core classes will be the reduction of the failure rate in each core content class of English, Biology, and Algebra by 10% within a two year period.

Action Step(s):

1. Creating study halls designed for freshmen to target their academic needs.
2. Providing a transition program in the summer between the 8th and 9th grade in order to introduce 8th grade students to the high school experience.

Person(s)
Responsible:  campus administrators, counsolers, 9th grade teachers, and tutors.

Timeline: January 2012 – June 2012


Needed Resources:

1. Interview questions for students, parents, and staff
2. Develop consent forms for students
3. Access to the 2011-2012 first semester grades of 9th graders to determine those students who have failed core content classes.  
4. Classroom space and tutors for before and after-school tutoring
5. Teacher professional development

Monitoring the achievement of goals and objectives:

1. Use student grade reports, report cards, and progress reports to monitor the students

Evaluation
     1.  Use data-collection methods of survey and interview to determine which

          strategies were the most helpful to the 9th graders who became successful

Week 2 Post

The lectures and site meeting this week were very informative.  Hearing from all the administrators made this lesson relevant to me as a potential educational leader.  The meeting with my site supervisor was beneficial in that we determined many possible topics for action research.

Educational Leaders and Blogging

The following is a list of good reasons for educational leaders to blog:

1) They can share new ideas and experiences with colleagues

2) They can share problem-solving techniques that others may want to try

3) A blog can be used as a tool to communicate daily information to students and parents

4) A blog is a good place to conduct a survey of faculty, parents, or community members, and the data obtained in the survey can be shared on the blog

What I Have learned About Action Research

In my EDLD 5301 course through Lamar University, I have been introduced to action research and/or administrative inquiry.  I agree with Nancy Fichtman Dana about the fact that most people think research "involves long hours in the library, crunching numbers."  I have a learned that action research is a different type of research that is becoming increasingly popular.  Before this class, I had not heard about action research.  Elliot describes action research as “a continual set of spirals consisting of reflection and action.”  In other words, after identifying a problem, develop a solution, try out your solution, and reflect on the result.  Then, make changes based on the results and start the process over.  In short, Action Research provides one with the opportunity to check the effectiveness of the project.  Additionally, Action Research Projects are good tools for Professional Learning Communities.  With PLCs, the groups are small, and the teachers are able to analyze data in order to make improvements collaboratively; everyone learns together.  Being a science teacher, I thought that action research resembles the Scientific Process; the hypothesis you are testing is your potential solution to a problem.  However, if you find that your hypothesis is invalid, you must formulate a new one!