Spring into Action Research!

I have learned that action research is a vital part of education.  It is important to reflect and review current practices implemented in your school and make the necessary changes.  Unlike traditional research, action research is a cyclical process.  The administrator identifies a real life situation that is in need of improvement at their school.  Once the problem is identified, an individual or group gathers information and establishes a plan.  The plan is put into action and evaluations and reflections are recorded along the way.  The data that is collected helps steer the desired outcomes.  Once the desired outcomes are achieved, the situation is re-evaluated and new problems are defined.  The process starts over with the new area of improvement in mind (Dana, 2009).   Action research is not about reinventing what has already been done, but rather using the research out there to serve as a tool in helping you to achieve the behavior or practices desired. 

Action research will be useful in tackling an ongoing problem experienced by the first grade teachers at my school.  In first grade, students are given a weekly homework assignment to read twenty minutes nightly to a parent and a reading log is to be signed. Often times, parents do not see the importance of reading with their child, and the reading log is not returned to school.  Last year we had a higher retention rate than in previous years.  A first grader has a possibility of being retained when their reading level is below a Rigby 18.  I would like to know if there is a connection between students that read with an adult nightly and their reading levels compared to students that do not read with an adult nightly and their reading levels.  This information will be useful in designing supplemental instruction to those not receiving support from home. 

Dana, N.F.(2009).  Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action                     

          researcher.  Thousand Oaks, CA:  Corwin Press.