Action Research and Implementation

Action research is the process that a principal takes in order to have a methodical and purposeful study to benefit their own administrative duty and taking an action to change it based on the findings. This includes creating questions and collecting data to answer them appropriately in order to gain insight. In order to fully acquire pertinent information, one may research journals and other literature, gain insight from other principals make changes to systems in the school and share their information with others. This is a powerful gateway for school improvement. As an administrator, I will be able to use this to find weaknesses in student education, teacher instruction or everyday processes such as the cafeteria line or dismissal procedures. There are many ways that you can implement an action research project throughout your school and school district. For example, instead of sitting in a boardroom and listening to someone talk during Superintendent/District Meetings, some school districts are organizing principals into smaller groups where they are given tasks to perform in order to identify an area of need in their school. Another way to implement is through leadership teams at your school. Leadership teams build a culture of collaboration that helps reform education, accountability, and improve standards of the school. The team shares problems, responsibilities, and decision making with the administration. Lastly, you can implement action research through, Professional Learning Communities. When a part of a PLC, you are learning from practice. This is a group of faculty who meet regularly to study more effective learning and teaching practices. PLC’s enhance the possibilities for conducting an inquiry and cultivating a community of inquirers.