The Plan

1. Setting the Foundation:
School climate is an important issue to providing a safe learning environment for students. We know that bullying and teasing occur at all levels of education and for this reason many students “disconnect” from school and ninth graders are particularly vulnerable. This is an issue that I and other teachers have discussed in PLC meetings.
Can the school climate be improved by initiating an intervention program like “Challenge Day” or an alternate program, to help the growing number of “disconnected” students in the ninth grade?

2. Analyzing Data:
A random sample of ninth grade students will be given a survey at the beginning of the school year to serve as a baseline and then given again at the beginning of the second 9 weeks to denote any changes in school climate and personal attitude.
Literature review will be conducted on the importance of school climate and education intervention programs.

3. Developing Deeper Understanding:
This is where I have decided to add two other programs that may help our students. After talking with some teachers, other campus leaders and reviewing information on the “Challenge Day” program the cost and the time may not be feasible. I added the survey for the administrators and staff to take so that we may compare their perceptions of school climate with the students and a brainstorming session during the staff development on how we can address the issue from a campus point of view. I believe this will give us a better picture and start taking steps to solve the problem ahead of the intervention program.

4. Engage in Self-Reflection:
Questions have already come to mind before even starting and I am sure that more will continue to pop up as go through the process.
How much do the intervention programs cost?
Do we have the money?
What can we do as a staff without the intervention programs?

5. Exploring Programmatic Patterns:
Could we get the community to help raise funds or somehow get involved in helping solve this issue?
Our principal is very visual; in order to make a compelling case, beyond the data, video clips of the programs in action would be useful.

6. Determining Direction:
This action research is attempting to put data to the problem on ninth graders becoming “disconnected” at school and imposing intervention programs to help with this issue. Because our school is so large, I will be focusing on ninth graders only. Getting the survey data will be time consuming in the beginning but should be completed within the first 14 weeks of school. The remaining task of finding the right intervention program and instilling campus interventions will take most of the school year and will take continuous monitoring the following years.
Including the SBDM committee and student council will help in the implementation of intervention ideas and bring in the student perspective.

7. Taking Action for School Improvement:
Write out a step by step of the action research project and work to include the SBDM committee. Also, student council is a good source for student input and perspective from all grades even though the research is focusing on freshman only.

8. Sustain Improvement:
This will be an ongoing issue. As a staff we need to make sure that the systems are in place to continue making school a safe place for students to learn. Hopefully the intervention skills the ninth grade students will learn will carry over year after year until they graduate. Surveys should become part of a yearly check on this and on incoming ninth graders.
on incoming ninth graders.

The Week in Research

This week I found the nine topic areas that Dana addresses in chapter 2 helpful in allowing me to compartmentalize different questions I have had before and to realize that I've had more "wonderings" than what I first thought. Each topic, along with the examples, brought to mind questions that I had had before and I started a list (because I am a list person ; )so that I could bring some of them up in PLC this year and perhaps have our group address one.

One of the other things about this week that sticks out for me was said in the video interivews and it was somewhat reiterated when I spoke with my site surpervisor as well. The idea that all the questions are not going to be answered in one action plan and that there is a wealth of research and knowledge out there in which to learn from as you go along.

Words of wisdom:
"don't reinvent the wheel" - Dr. Johnny Briseno, Principal, Rancho Isabella Elementary
"don't bite off more than you need to" - Larry Brazille, AP, HHHS

Educators Using BLogs

Blogging can be a great way for educators to collaborate and share ideas, write reflections about what is working or not working at your school and/or share information with faculty and the community. The internet is a great tool to reach a large audience and to reach out to friends and colleagues that may not live nearby, not to mention a way to connect with other educators that may have the same questions or issues that you are going through.

Learning about Action Research

The only thing I had heard about this class from other colleagues who had taken it before me was that it was tough and demanding. Since it was titled "research" my preconceived notion was that we will be given topics to research thoroughly and write and/or blog (a bunch!) about what we found, the references and the process. Needless to say this notion was a bit off and I'm the happier for it. What I've learned so far is that, yes, there is research involved but this is "action research" I am the researcher. Action research puts the educator in the process. We come up with the topic, we define the question to make it "doable", we gather the data and look at the literature that may already be out there and we come up with a plan that fits our schools particular need. Instead of a "one size fits all" approach where someone else, an "outsider", has done the research, proposed a solution and we sit in professional development learning how to implement it, action research makes it more personal.

Now for me, this doesn’t make the research process any less intimidating, or overwhelming because when on earth am going to find time to do this. But two things struck me as I was reading and going through the assignments this week.

1) I am a believer that the learning process does not have a finishing point. I try to model lifelong learning to my students because it’s something I want them understand. We don’t stop learning just because we finish a class or graduate. The action research process is cyclical; therefore it provides this, not only for me but for my students. If I am continually asking and answering questions related to my profession then not only do my students benefit from that they have another example of being a continual learner.

2) There are already built in situations, at least at my school, where action research can blend in. PLCs by their very nature fit the action research cycle. PLCs are small group, collaborative and the intent is to share and discuss with your colleagues you and your schools specific issues of teaching that arise. What better place for action research to happen?

So I am glad that this class is not what I had envisioned and I foresee it guiding me through researching my own questions. Because I do love to research, I do it all the time in my content area, but I get overwhelmed in the amount of information I find and will go off in ten different directions forgetting what it was I wanted to know. So now I have a road map that will guide me in my professional and personal endeavors.