Initial Action Research Plan

Professional Development Plan
Goal: Increase effective and relevant professional development training during mandatory in-service training and staff development assigned days on my school campus
Action Steps(s):	Person(s) Responsible:	Timeline: Start/End	Needed Resources	Evaluation
Meet with Site Supervisor and discuss Action Research Plan and Problem Statement.	Site Supervisor (Calvin Singleton)	October 22-26, 2012	Action Research Plan Dana, N. F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Harris, S., Edmonson, S., & Combs, J. (2010). Examining what we do to improve our schools: 8 steps to improve our schools. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.	Site Supervisor discussion and approval of Action Research Project
Attend Professional Development and Trainings (Internal & Out of District)	Site Supervisor (Calvin Singleton) HPN Teachers	October 2012 –May 2013	www.hcde-texas.org website (search for internal workshops and trainings) Region 4 www.esc4.net search for out of district workshops and trainings	Feedback Forms Surveys from Teachers
Survey Students	Teachers Students	October 2012 – May 2013	Self-created survey forms
Discuss Findings with Site Supervisor	Site Supervisor (Calvin Singleton)	May 2013	Surveys Feedback Forms Review of Professional Developments attended by teachers	Findings and Conclusions drawn from meeting with Site Supervisor
Suggest Two or More Professional Developments that can be Implemented at the Beginning of 2013-2014 School Year	Site Supervisor Teachers	June 2013	List of Possible Professional Development & Trainings for Upcoming School Year Research and Information for PD Selections for New School Year	Site Supervisor (Principal) selection of Professional Development to but put on calendar

Action Research Process Overview

Setting the Foundation – Every year the teachers in HCDE participate in at least 12 days of mandatory professional development or trainings. Although these sessions are called “trainings”, many teachers do not feel as though they are being trained, engaged or that these sessions are relevant to their position or considerate of their time. After hearing teachers complain about sitting through boring, useless trainings, and even watching several of my colleagues sleep during these trainings, the need for relevant and engaging trainings is evident. There is a need for teachers to be participants in professional development and trainings that support student engagement in DAEPs. Analyzing Data – In the coming weeks, I will survey teachers and students. Teacher surveys will consist of questions pertaining to what outcomes they expect from professional development, what types of professional development they feel they need or would support them as veteran teachers, and what changes need should be considered when establishing the professional development schedule for the upcoming school year. Student surveys will consist of background information on previous schools and learning challenges, personal issues that affect behavior at school, learning styles assessments. Over the course of the next several months, I will provide feedback forms for teachers and myself after attending workshops and professional developments that will address effectiveness and possibility of implementing strategies and activities that will engage students.                                     Developing Deeper Understanding– Informal interviews with teachers and facilitators of professional developments are where I’ve gathered my initial data. I also used my personal experience. A deeper understanding of professional development will come from seeking out facilitators and advice from my site supervisor (principal) on the how to’s of professional development training. Engage in Self-Reflection – I do feel that I possess the skills to conduct this action research plan. I will also require collaboration with my site supervisor, who just so happens to be my campus principal, and the teachers and students. With my campus principal, we can discuss the process for scheduling professional development and making the necessary changes to implement more relevant trainings for the teachers. I am positive that more questions will arise that allow me to self-reflect even more in depth.                                                                 Exploring Programmatic Patterns – Plausible solutions include teacher inclusion in scheduling professional development for in-service, as well as teachers providing feedback regarding professional developments attended during the year and the facilitators of those trainings. Principal evaluations and overall summative conclusions will also be feedback given from the principal as insight into what areas can use improvement.   Determining Direction  – Fortunately, the teachers on my campus get excited about learning new information, especially if it helps us be better prepared to make our students successful. This collaborative effort will include the teachers and the principal. Resources have been readily made available based off of a directive given by the principal to participate in professional development trainings throughout the year. The timelines have been set and are reasonable as this action research plan will primarily conclude at the end of the year with the expectation that suggestions for the upcoming year will be taken into consideration. Monitoring the plan will occur with feedback with the teachers who participate in attending professional developments. I can only foresee revisions due to the teachers’ actual participation in this study. Sample size may decrease as this is an uncontrollable factor. Ultimate success will only occur if principal allows a change in professional development to include a suggested training for the new year. Taking Action for School Improvement – Considerations from colleagues will be assessed used if feasible. The expectation is that teachers are taking the information, strategies and activities used during professional development and implementing them into their daily classroom procedures. Trial and error, and also feedback information from teachers will also be taken into account and considered in the event any changes to the plan are necessary.                                                                                              Sustain Improvement – As of right now, the positives include and open-minded principal and eagerly, helpful colleagues. I have also attended some professional developments since choosing this topic and the need for inquiry is heightened and I have begun to see training from a different perspective.

Why Professional Development as an Action Research Plan

Highpoint North is a Harris County Department of Education DAEP, or Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, located in Greenspoint in the greater Houston area. I have been a Generalist teacher on this campus and I am currently in my seventh year of teaching. During my time at Highpoint North, I have taught Math (all seven years), Science, History, Career Portals and Teen Leadership at the middle school level for grades six through eight. The student population is primarily minority with African American and Hispanic students making up the greatest percentage of students, and Asian and Caucasian students the other 2%. 85% of students are male and 15% female. Although all of the students are At-Risk of something, the State of Texas considers them to be at-risk due to the fact that they receive free or reduced lunch, and because they live in a low socio-economic area. 

Many of the students who are sent to Highpoint North are sent for issues that are out of our control or out of the control of the client district. Issues that are out of our control include drug-related problems, sexual, mental or medical problems. Because client districts fail to address the most crucial needs the students have, students tend to act and real problems are ignored and neglected. When this happens, in my opinion, client district simply find it easier to “get rid of” the students and send them to us for a short period of time and expect the DAEP to “fix” their students. Issues that are out of the control of the client district include multiple C&Ds, assault of staff, skipping school, and truancy. In my opinion, most of these issues could be handled by the client districts if staff would take the time to build relationships with the students to gain trust and show the students that they are loved and not just a paycheck. I do not believe this of all educators.

My action research delves into including effective and relevant professional development and training to engage students on the campus of Highpoint North to decrease the number of behavioral issues we have and to improve student engagement in the classroom. Our campus is unlike any other DAEP campus I have been on. Most people do not believe that our school is a school for “bad” kids. We do not have that many incidents on campus, but when we do, the majority of our behavior issues are due to lack of knowledge by student, lack of relevance to student and lack of engagement provided by teachers for students. Some teachers are excellent at providing classroom activities that engage students, but administration is not so good with providing resources for to teachers for increasing engagement although funds are not a concern. If administration provided resources that assist teachers with increasing student engagement, our already low numbers of student misbehavior issues could be decreased. Relevant professional development and training is one of necessary resources. For seven years, I have sat through the same internal in-service trainings, and can quote each facilitators personal stories and experiences. These facilitators are paid to train us, although we are not learning any new information, or taking away in relevant and effective resources to use in our classrooms with our students. Boredom has completely set in for all staff, and we would look forward to these mandatory professional development days if we, as teachers, could learn something and then turn around and implement these strategies in our classrooms. I personally do not like to be bored while I teach, and I am always searching for new and innovative ways to keep my students engaged and have them learn at the same time. I also have to have fun with my students.

So what do I want to know? In what ways can effective and relevant professional development be provided and implemented into the DAEP to minimize behavioral issues and increase student engagement?

By including professional development and trainings where teachers learn and are engaged allows teachers to be effective and make learning relevant for students and engage students. Changes in the types of professional developments staff participates in benefits, students, teachers, principals, client districts, parents and officers. Students will want to be in class causing the teacher to spend less time on classroom management which in turns allows principals to handle less discipline issues. If principals have less discipline issues then so do the officers and client districts when the students return. Parents see what is necessary for their child to be successful and can also express this to client districts, as well as be a participant in their child’s education.

Finding A Wondering

As this second week comes to a close, there are a few things that I have reflected on. The reading has expanded my thoughts and feelings in regards to the things that are actually happening on the campus of my school, and I realize that I am not alone in my thinking and that my thinking has not been far off at all. There are so many areas I could foresee pursuing an action research project with from staff development to students to my peers and even the current administration that I work under. Even after looking at the topics that my classmates have chosen, I'm excited with the thought of action research. As stated by Dr. Chargois, I'd rather be green and growing rather than brown and dying. I think there are a lot of schools and teachers that are brown and dying and could benefit from action research. I definitely see myself researching specific interests and exploring solutions that have worked for others to minimize and even eliminate some of the issues and concerns that I may be facing as an educator. Unfortunately, the position I am in doesn't really allow for consistent use of quantitative data due to that fact that it is dependent upon so many extenuating factors and circumstances. I truly look forward to the challenges.

Action Research: What I've Learned

After delving into the readings on action research, I've learned that I unintentionally engage in action research more frequently than I ever thought. Action research empowers the practitioner, myself, to verbalize a question or problem that I think is crucial to the success of my colleagues and students, and then collaborate with other practitioners to research potential solutions and also implement the necessary changes for transformation. I prefer action research as compared to traditional educational research because as an educational leader, I am the person in the trenches with my students, parents and coworkers. Although I am grateful for researchers and theorists outside of my classroom looking into certain areas for me, until we as practitioners take off the training wheels and explore these areas for ourselves, true transformation will never take place.

Blogging Usefulness for the Educational Leader

Current and future educational leaders should definitely consider using blogs to help convey vision and inform stakeholder. Blogs are not only a source for networking, but an outlet to provide stakeholders with insight regarding key components which aid in developing successful outcomes for campuses, staff and the students served. Educational leaders can also have a significant influence on the lives of colleagues and students by integrating this form of technology within curriculum as exposure for students, and even teachers, to enhance learning.