Week 2 Reflection

Upon completing the course work for Week 2, I feel that I have crammed a lot of knowledge into my head.  I felt that it was helpful to look at the action research project in the eyes of the 9 different categories.  I thought that it was interesting to think of examples in each area and why each area is important.  I went into this week thinking that my action research project was going to be about school performance, but I am now thinking that it is more about curriculum development.  This perspective is going to impact my method of approach with this research.  What a week!

Action Research

Yesterday we had an all day leadership meeting, that may or may not have ended at a local establishment serving adult beverages.  During this meeting, I had the opportunity to discuss my action research project.  There were two other people there who had just completed their own action research project (through a different university).  My principal talked to me about how she felt that I could built a research project around helping the primary (K-2) grades develop a plan of attack to help improve the future scores on the STAAR test.  I think that this would be a very beneficial project.  Our school was also given an instructional coach for the next school year who will be on our campus four days a week (the district has several on hand that get to most schools).  She just completed her principal certification through Lamar, so she is excited about helping me.  We are planning to work together (she will be working on the grades 3-5) to develop the school wide plan.  My task is to now find the wording to make this a question that warrants an entire year of study.  My principal also gave me some other wonderful opportunities, such as being a part of planning the new behavior plan for the school and developing a reward type system for encouraging attendance and punctuality!  I am going to be so busy the next few weeks getting those things together.  Especially since I had to move my classroom, and all of my things are in boxes as I type! 

How can educational leaders use blogs?

Blogs can be useful for educational leaders.  Reading and reflecting on the thoughts of others can help give a person a different perspective on something.  It also gives an educational leader the opportunity to learn about what others are dealing with, and sometimes helps give a sense of camaraderie in a lonely profession.  We can learn and bond with others through sharing experiences. 
An educational leader can also benefit from reading the comments that others have made on our posts.  Sometimes a pair of fresh eyes can give a new idea to help spark change or inspiration.  Blogging is the new way to build community among a group of people that otherwise would never know each other.

What is action research?

Through our reading this week, I have discovered a new approach called action research.  This is an interesting process that helps anyone improve or solve a problem in their life or career.  We are specifically learning about action research from a principal's perspective in this course, so I will focus my post on that aspect of action research.  Principals are faced with many challenges everyday in their schools.  Sometimes a problem can be a small one that requires a few minutes of thought and then action.  Other times the problem is one that involves taking big steps for change.  A principal should take time during their day to reflect upon the issues within their school. As a result of the reflection, there will no doubt be an issue that stands out.  The principal should focus on that issue and form a question worthy of an in depth research.  The first step is to go out and learn as much as possible about that topic.  Take all the information and use it to guide the action.  The principal must reflect regularly throughout the entire process to ensure they are moving forward and collecting evidence.  Action research is not complete without a proper reflection. 

My name is Ebony Morehead.  I am currently enrolled as a graduate student at Lamar University.  My ultimate goal is to become a school principal.  I currently teach kindergarten, and I just completed my tenth year as an educator.  I live with my husband, Dave, our three kids, Xander (6), Alexis (3), and Jayden (3).  We have three dogs, Bella, Scarlet, and Paco. 
This blog will follow my journey as I complete my action research project.