Action Research Goal

The goal is to close the achievement gap in the education of ELL students by using solid learning programs.
Objective 1: is to close the achievement gap of ELL students so that they can be better prepared for the future.
2: To increase TAKS scores of ELL student so that achievement gaps can be closed.
Data collection and analysis is needed to achieve this. A committee named Improvement committee will collect and analyze data and make valid conclusion from it.
The Action research process which is a 8 step process will be used to analyze data, committee members will engage in self reflection, explore programmatic patterns,determine the appropriate direction and take action to improve the school in this case , implement the best program that will enhance student learning. Disaggregated TAKS data will be collected after AEIS report is available, attendance data will be obtained from the attendance office, the administrators will provide discipline referrals to show if there is a link between limited English proficiency and discipline.
Improvement committee, teachers,parents and students will be involved in the process throughout.
Gap identification and other data collection will be done during the first semester. It is expected that all analysis and the best learning program will be decided during the second semester.
Teachers will obtain initial training during the summer and program will be implemented at the beginning of new school year.
The committee will use surveys, observation and student scores both internal and external to determine improvement and continuous monitoring.

It is interesting to see how much action research is used in the educational sector. After learning how it works, educators apply it without really things that they are working the process.It becomes automatic. It is important to have a specific and definite purpose. Data must be collected or accessed to help in determining best practices or solution. Educators must also consult literature reviews that is investigate what others have done about the topic.Finally the best solutions must be decided and put into practice.

Blogs for Educational Leaders

Everyone blog for different reasons, educators have to join the blogging train because it is a very effective way for sharing information that will help improve student achievement. It can be used to communicate with other educators, it can be used to communicate with parents, to encourage student-teacher discussion and student to student discussion.

Action research

Action research in education is a very useful and essential tool that will have life long effect on student and school improvement. If implemented effectively, it will help to save time and create a more attractive and least restrictive school environment. Just like using inquiry based labs activities in our classrooms, it can be use to rectify curriculum and instruction.Action research involves thinking and questioning.For action research to be effective, all stakeholders must have the same vision; that is all must know the intention and the reason that necessitated the inquiry. It does not necessary mean that things are falling apart but it brings up thinking and questioning like "what can we do to improve?", "how come the students are not learning?", "do we need to revisit the method of instruction?".

Data must be collected and analyzed to determine what is working and whats not. Everyone involved must have an understanding of the process and what is at stake. During data analysis patterns and trends will be identified to determine the direction to follow to find solutions. The committee will set up an action plan to work with and it is important to set up a process for continuous monitoring and necessary adjustment made as needed.

Action research requires a lot of time but it is a life saver. It can be used to improve school's curriculum, budgetting, scheduling and planning.