Making a Plan - It's a Living Thing

I spent this third week of the Research class creating an action research plan. At first, I struggled with breaking it down into so many steps. After all, I knew where I wanted to go, didn't I? As I started enumerating the steps and deciding who would be responsible for what, I realized that there were more people involved in this research project than I anticipated. That actually took some of the pressure off me and opened my eyes to the collegial effort the faculty on my campus put forth on a regular basis. Everyone wants our students to succeed.

As I was listing the steps, I found myself circling around back to the beginning to insert something I missed, something that I would need later in the process. In reflection, I am not sure my research would have been successful if I didn't have a detailed plan. Now that the plan is solid, I see the end and feel confident that I can move forward with it.

Settling on a Subject

In week 2 of my research class, we reviewed the areas of passion for action research in education. It was an interesting experience. It uncovered areas that I hadn't previously considered for action research, like action research on social justice. I had to come up with three possible topics and discuss them with my site supervisor. Unfortunately, the topic that was near and dear to my heart is one that is way too big of a bit to chew. I ended up being practical and choosing an action research topic that flows well with my internship plan: In what ways can access to a literacy library improve student literacy in the K-2 classroom? This is practical for me because I am already the chair of the literacy committe and one of our main tasks is maintaining and encouraging use of the literacy library.

My other two topics, the ones that didn't make the cut, are still important to me and I plan on watching my environment through those goggles this school year. The other two topics are:

• Does improving a student’s reading level positively affect all academic subjects?
• What role do teachers play in positively involving parents in the school or classroom?

I didn't choose the first one because it seems like a given to me, but I certainly would like proof. I do plan on working closer with parents this year after learning so much in the School Community Relations class.

But What’s the Big Deal about Blogging in Education?

Educational leaders can use blogs in a myriad of ways. I’ve seen blogs where the principal updates the community on school happenings. I’ve seen blogs that discuss education and politics. I’ve seen blogs that are reflective of professional learning. I’ve also seen blogs that help teach others about ideas or technology. All of the blogs I’ve seen are trying to inform others and reaching out to a community, be it the local community or a professional community. It’s about making connections.

On the flip side, educational leaders might use blogs, not as authors themselves, but as resources in their own work. Some might follow blogs that are writing about a topic that is relevant to the school leader. Others might read them to find excellent ideas for their own schools. The bonus about blogs is that readers can insert themselves into the conversation by commenting. This often sets off professional conversations, more connection-making. Reading them or writing them, blogs are a positive in the educational leader’s world.

What is Action Research and Why Should I Care?

When you hear the words ‘professional development’ what comes to mind? Do you imagine yourself in a library or presentation room sitting with others like you, absorbing the lesson (or not)? Most people do. Professional development (PD) has certain connotations. It feels like you should be open and receiving what the ‘professionals’ impart. But then something comes out of left field to challenge all those perceptions. It goes by many names, administrator inquiry, action inquiry, and, as I’ll use it here, action research. Action research is when a practitioner, in this case a school administrator, chooses something in his or her work to study in-depth. Through this study, the school leader gains insight about the issue and about him/herself and how he/she reacts to the issue. The idea is to research, reflect, and then take action. The practitioner grows in the process of learning for school improvement. This is professional development at its strongest. To reflect upon a problem and search within and without to find a workable solution is rich and deep growth. That’s why I should care about action research. I want to be able to grow in meaningful ways that serve my school community.

Finding and Following Principal's Blogs

Doing reading for graduate school can be some pretty dry stuff, but every once in a while it lights a fire under me. Nancy Dana's book Leading with Passion and Knowledge: The Principal as an Action Researcher has a pretty interesting section on reflective blogging for principals. Sadly, some of the information is outdated with links that lead nowhere, but that is the nature of our dear, dear Internet. So I went through what was available and found some keepers.

School leader blogs to peruse:

• Leading 180 Days
• Principal Reflections
• Practical Theory: A View from the Classroom
• Principal Learner
• PHSdirectorBLOG
• Learning to Collaborate
• The Elementary Principal
• From the principal's desk
• The Transformationist
• Kimberly Moritz BlogPosts
• The Woodland Brag Blog
• Education for All
• Chalkdust101
• dangerously ! irrelevant
• Education Innovation
• Principal of the Matter
• Sentiments on Common Sense
• The Principal Blog
• Creative Tension
• grand rounds
• School-of Thought

 Blogs for school news:

• Almost Monday: Wildwood's Weekly Staff News
• Spring Trail Tiger Times
• Georgetown Elementary School

Professional blogs for school leaders:

•  LeaderTalk 

These links originally came from Support Blogging! - Links to School Bloggers, but many of the links were broken, so I culled and came up with these.