Sunday, May 5, 2013
Week 4
This week I was able to touch base with my site supervisor to have a short discussion regarding my action research plan. It was tough finding time to meet with my site supervisor, who is heavily involved in all of the testing we have going on this spring. We discussed my inquiry: How does participation in extra-curricular activities affect grades/scores of African American males? My site supervisor wants to make sure that I carefully select my sample groups and make sure that contrasting groups match up well. I will pull my extra-curricular participators from our 5th period football athletics class and will pull my non-participators from 6th period P.E. As I pull the data for these students, I must take into account varying factors to make sure that the groups provide accurate data for the study.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Week 3: My Action Research Plan
Action Planning Template
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Goal:How does participation in extra-curricular activities affect grades/scores of African American males?
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Action Steps(s):
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Person(s) Responsible:
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Timeline: Start/End
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Needed Resources
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Evaluation
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I will identify a target group of 20-30 10th/11th grade African American males that are participating in 5th period football athletics at Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, Texas
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Dustin Blann (Lead Researcher)
Carmen Lopez
(Data Specialist)
Marvin Sedberry
(Athletic Director)
Richard Smith
(Site Supervisor)
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Begin:
August 2013
End:
August 2013
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Student Info Software: needed for accessing and researching student data
Data Specialist: needed for access to specific grades/testing data
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The evaluation will be complete when we are able to select 20-30 10th/11th grade African American males that meet the criteria for this study.
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I will identify a target group of 20-30 10th/11th grade African American males that are not participating in extra-curricular activities at Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, Texas.
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Dustin Blann (Lead Researcher)
Carmen Lopez
(Data Specialist)
Marvin Sedberry
(Athletic Director)
Corey Sims
(PE Teacher)
Richard Smith
(Site Supervisor)
|
Begin:
August 2013
End:
August 2013
|
Student Info Software: needed for accessing and researching student data
Data Specialist: needed for access to specific grades/testing data
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The evaluation will be complete when we are able to select 20-30 10th/11th grade African American males that meet the criteria for this study.
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Follow the academic progress of our target students (both participating and non-participating AA males).
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Dustin Blann (Lead Researcher)
Carmen Lopez
(Data Specialist)
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Begin:
September 2013
End:
May 2014
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Student Info Software: needed for accessing and researching student data
Data Specialist: needed for access to specific grades/testing data
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Every six weeks the progress of our target population will be evaluated and documented.
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Compare and Contrast the 2013-14 curriculum based assessment scores between AA males participating in an extra-curricular activity versus AA males not participating.
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Dustin Blann (Lead Researcher)
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Begin:
August 2013
End:
June 2014
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Student Info Software: needed for accessing and researching student data
Data Specialist: needed for access to specific grades/testing data
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The evaluation will be complete when we are able to access the final curriculum based assessment scores for the 2013-14 school year. We will contrast that data with non-participating AA males.
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Thursday, April 18, 2013
Week 2 Reflection
This weeks assignments in EDLD 5301 were very thought provoking. There were interviews to watch, interviews to conduct, pages to read, brainstorming, blogging, etc... After visiting with my site supervisor, I have decided to focus my action research study on the inquiry: How does participation in extra-curricular activities affect grades/scores of African American males? I decided on this topic for two reasons. First, African American males are a key focus group at my home campus and secondly, I have been a high school coach for 12 years and have seen the impact athletics can have on a young persons life. I feel that this study will provide me and my co-workers with some with some insight that we can use to better our campus and our district.
My favorite assigment of the week was watching the interviews with school leaders who discussed action research projects and gave suggestions for conducting action research. In reflection, watching these interviews gives me a strong insight into the current state of education. We are now data driven. What used to fill cabinets and warehouses is now readily available at our fingertips. You must use this valuable information to makes changes quickly when needed and to be research oriented. At the core of this revolution is the success of the individual student. Action research allows us to customize our curriculum to the needs of our students rather than spitting out the same generic format over and over. I find it refreshing and a major step in the right direction.
Thanks for reading and see you next week.
My favorite assigment of the week was watching the interviews with school leaders who discussed action research projects and gave suggestions for conducting action research. In reflection, watching these interviews gives me a strong insight into the current state of education. We are now data driven. What used to fill cabinets and warehouses is now readily available at our fingertips. You must use this valuable information to makes changes quickly when needed and to be research oriented. At the core of this revolution is the success of the individual student. Action research allows us to customize our curriculum to the needs of our students rather than spitting out the same generic format over and over. I find it refreshing and a major step in the right direction.
Thanks for reading and see you next week.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Action Research
In the "old days" of traditional educational research, principals had to rely on outside resources to provide them with a format for success. Education was thought of as a straight forward system where teachers and principals were little more than technicians. It seems strange that the leader of a school would be so dependent upon someone at a university setting to give them the answers for what's best in their "own back yard". Using the old frame work, principals were set up for failure in my humble opinion. In many cases, school leaders were left try to fit square peg in a round hole. Thankfully a new form of research was introduced and widely accepted in academia.
Action research allows principals to be the experts. The administrator uses their reality to create theory and identify problems. The principal researches the issues and initiates change according to their findings. This system is ideal for many reasons. First, principals are in the best position for deciding what the key issues are on their campuses. Not all communities are the same, so educational leaders can use their front line experience to decide what the biggest barriers to success are in their school. In the past, finding and admitting campus issues was thought of as admitting failure and surely would lead to being in the superintendent's "dog house". This was an unrealistic mind set and surely not one that allowed school leaders to be problem solvers. One of the great benefits of action research is that it allows a principal to be a visionary. Principals using action research don’t have to rely on someone at a university to solve their problems. The principal can further research their schools dilemmas through leadership teams. Collaboration creates ownership and constitutes true and meaningful change.
I plan on using action research to tackle what I feel is a key issue in education (and our society in general). My question is: What effect does not having both parents at home have on an individual student's academic success? I feel that there should be significant data at my school regarding this topic. I have worked in several schools where two parent homes were a rarity. That being said, I have seen many students rise above this adversity and I would like to find out what makes the difference for those kids. It should be interesting. I'm looking forward to the journey.
How educational leaders might use blogs:
Educational leaders can use blogs in several ways. Blogs are a way for an individual to share "news". A principal could use a blog as part of a leadership team. Leadership teams consist of a combination of a principal and two or three teachers. This group works together to identify problems or "wonderings", then they can share their research with one another before deciding on a course of action to solve the problem. With a blog, the team leader could post "wonderings" or research and the other team members could provide feedback through comments on the thread.
Action research allows principals to be the experts. The administrator uses their reality to create theory and identify problems. The principal researches the issues and initiates change according to their findings. This system is ideal for many reasons. First, principals are in the best position for deciding what the key issues are on their campuses. Not all communities are the same, so educational leaders can use their front line experience to decide what the biggest barriers to success are in their school. In the past, finding and admitting campus issues was thought of as admitting failure and surely would lead to being in the superintendent's "dog house". This was an unrealistic mind set and surely not one that allowed school leaders to be problem solvers. One of the great benefits of action research is that it allows a principal to be a visionary. Principals using action research don’t have to rely on someone at a university to solve their problems. The principal can further research their schools dilemmas through leadership teams. Collaboration creates ownership and constitutes true and meaningful change.
I plan on using action research to tackle what I feel is a key issue in education (and our society in general). My question is: What effect does not having both parents at home have on an individual student's academic success? I feel that there should be significant data at my school regarding this topic. I have worked in several schools where two parent homes were a rarity. That being said, I have seen many students rise above this adversity and I would like to find out what makes the difference for those kids. It should be interesting. I'm looking forward to the journey.
How educational leaders might use blogs:
Educational leaders can use blogs in several ways. Blogs are a way for an individual to share "news". A principal could use a blog as part of a leadership team. Leadership teams consist of a combination of a principal and two or three teachers. This group works together to identify problems or "wonderings", then they can share their research with one another before deciding on a course of action to solve the problem. With a blog, the team leader could post "wonderings" or research and the other team members could provide feedback through comments on the thread.
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