My Action Research Plan

Tool 7.1 Action Planning Template

Goal: The goal is to begin creating a bully free campus in order to provide a safe, welcoming, nurturing and learner centered environment for students at Passmore Elementary.

Action Step(s)
Persons(s) Responsible
Timeline: Start/End
Needed Resources
Evaluation
1. Assess bullying with grades 3rd-5th by using anonymous surveys to get a better understanding of what students’ experiences are with bullying
-3rd-5th grade teachers
- School Counselors

November 17, 2010-December 17, 2010
-Printed surveys
- Teachers allocating time to distribute survey
-Surveys will be reviewed and studied to better understand students knowledge on bullying
2. Provide surveys to entire faculty grades K-5 to gain a better understanding on what faculty knows about bullying
- Administration
-School Counselors
November 17, 2010-December 17, 2010
-Printed surveys

-Teacher surveys will be reviewed and studied to understand faculty perspective’s on bullying and to find ways for our campus to train teachers on this topic
3. Have counselors create lesson plans that target pillars of character and bullying
-School Counselors
September 6, 2010- May 27, 2010
-Counselor lesson plans along with books, videos or handouts
-Counselors will review end of the year report to review lesson plans taught
4. Schedule a speaker with expertise on bullying within district or from local university to train teachers on applicable techniques to address bullying in the classroom and understand warning signs
-Administration
-School Counselors
February 25, 2010-Febraury 25, 2010
-Speaker
-Budget allocation to pay speaker
-Faculty meeting time
Evaluations after training and through group discussions to gain understanding on valuable information learned
5. Create No Name Calling Week Activities School Wide
-Administration
-Teachers K-5
- School Counselors
January 17, 2011-January 21, 2011
-Activities planned
- Teachers allocating time to conduct activities
-Announcement reminders
Have teachers evaluate activities and submit ideas for improvement to school counselors
6. Teachers will conduct class meetings on Mondays to build relationships with students and further discuss pillar of character for that month
-Administration
-Student Advisory Committee
September 6, 2010- May 27, 2011
- 30 minutes of allocated class meeting time every Monday
Administration will evaluate if class meetings are being delivered effectively through walk throughs
7. Faculty/Staff will post No Bully Zone posters outside classrooms and offices to create a bully free campus
-Administration
September 6, 2010- October 1, 2010
-No Bully Zone Posters
Administration will conduct classroom visits to ensure posters are being utilized
8. Administration and counselors will review discipline referrals due to bullying
-Administration
-School Counselors
May 27, 2011- May 27,2011
-Discipline referrals
-Allocate time for meeting and discussion
- By evaluating referrals, administration/counselors will have the opportunity to compare incidents related to bullying from the 2010-2011 school year to the previous year; and further evaluate trends, patterns and areas of improvement
9. Create parent brochure that will discuss ways to help their child with bullying and bullying 101 tips
-School Counselors
January 24 – 28, 2011
-Parent Brochure
-Parents will be given the opportunity to contact counselors for further information and concerns about this topic
10. Team leaders from grades 3rd-5th grade will be interviewed to gain insights of their experiences with bullying in their classrooms and discuss concerns that their teams may have
-School Counselors
February 4, 2011-February 4, 2011
-Allocation of time for teacher interview
Counselors will review written notes taken during teacher interviews and discuss needs and concerns of teachers

Week 2 Research Class Highlights

This week's video assignments and readings were my primary highlight. I believe that Principal Briseno and Director Chargois (these were the scholars I chose to do the assignment on), provided great examples on how action research takes place in various settings. Their suggestions were also vital in understanding the expectations of an administrator at a school and an administrator in central office. The next highlight for this week, was the Dana text. In reading the 9 passions, I was able to better understand how to create inquiry questions by passion. Each passion provided examples that probably most of us experience at our own campuses.

How educational leaders may use blogs

Educational leaders may use blogs to create professional collaborations with other educational leaders from the district, from their state, or within the country. By using this tool, principals can share their thoughts and ideas to a larger number of educational leaders in order to create a support system in a very isolated practice. Blogging can become a spot for journaling and reflecting which in essence can allow educational leaders to think of greater educational ideas!

What I have learned from action research and how I might use it

Action research seems to be a more practical paradigm in conducting educational research. I am able to compare this approach with another research class that I previously took, and it seems interesting to me that although not so long ago (2007), the class focused more on an interpretive/qualitative approach. I am glad to experience this unconventional paradigm of research (action research). It seems to be more applicable and focuses on student success at all times. I believe Nancy Fitchman Dana’s text Leading with Passion and Knowledge allows administrators in training to better understand why we should not only inquire about what we are doing but participate, learn, collaborate and most importantly, reflect on our findings.

It seems that most of us have been inquirers in our practice; however, action research allows us to implement it in a systematic way. As a counselor and administrative intern, I plan to see how our principal feels about action research and how she applies it. I also plan to utilize it for my own professional growth as a counselor by continuously finding ways to better serve my students, parents and teachers. One of the areas of study for me this upcoming year will be on bullying (specifically relational aggression or also known as girl bullying). As a campus we know that certain grade levels are being challenged by this, my goal is to create school wide interventions to diffuse this issue.

Just a test

I am new to blogging. Just testing. Thanks!