What I Have Learned About Action Research

Until beginning this course, I knew very little about action research.  What I did know came from the conversations I had with my site supervisor.  He is a strong believer in action research and models it for the campus staff often.  My site supervisor, Scott, is currently involved in several action research projects on campus--one being the coding of each student with the special program they are enrolled in.  He currently has several lists from each of the programs--Special Education, RTI, Title, 504 and Dyslexia--is creating a master, color coded list.  He is wanting to know how many students are in more than one special program and why.  This will help him in addressing the needs of his students, along with identifying areas of interventions that are and are not being successful.  He will use this information to share with the leadership team and the staff to identify areas for improvement and develop action plans to put into place. 
Action research is the practice of evaluating the methods and procedures one has in place and putting actions in place to improve upon those.  There are several advantages to the practice of action research for an educational leader-- be it an administrator or teacher.  The educator will feel a sense of ownership and responsibility when given the opportunity to identify a need in the school and actively participate in the problem-solving strategies put in place to address that need.  Because of the strong sense of responsibility the educator possesses, they will be motivated to find creative solutions to the problem that are viable and efficient.  Having a familiarity with the identified problem will generate strategies and solutions that are feasible and creative, using knowledge of the campus and district resources available.  Time and resources may be a hindrance to the action research process and limit the amount of concentrated effort that is required for success. 
I'm looking forward to being an active participant in identifying a need on my campus and taking steps to develop creative solutions in order to get positive results.
Cheers!
~Wendy

Dana Fichman, Nancy (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.