EDLD 5397 Week 5 Web conference reflections

EDLD 5397 Week 5 web conference reflections

This week’s web conference was very helpful in several areas.  First, it was interesting to see the organizations other classmates are a part of, or interested in becoming a part of, for future career and professional development in the field of education.  There were several organizations such as UEA, that I am not as familiar with, that I should explore to gain more information. 

Additional career fields were also mentioned outside of working in a school district that are possibilities, once the degree is complete.  I found that interesting since I currently live out of state and I am looking for different career options at this time.

Finally, Dr. Mason again answered important questions clarifying assignments such as our action research project and TK20.

Updated Action Research Project December 2011

Draft Action Research Project Progress Report

The Title of the Action Research Project is as follows: Decrease the number of discipline referrals within the special education population, specifically, those who are ED; and ultimately; develop a corrective plan to help the students succeed in the classroom while decreasing behavior issues.

When researching problems in the junior high school, the principal confirmed that the discipline referrals among special education students has risen and needs to be addressed. This also includes Emotional Disturbed children in trouble and assigned to On Campus Suspension or Alternate Education Provision, which results in too much time taken away from classroom instruction. These particular topic has been addressed in the Campus Improvement Plan as well. I do not have access to particular school district data at this time. It will be available by Week 5. However, the state data is startling as special education students are “referred to alternative discipline programs at more than twice the rate of their population within the student body.” (www.texasappleseed.net)

Objectives and vision of the action research project will stress collaboration and support from family and community. “Lindale Junior High commits to create a nurturing environment of high academic and behavioral expectations to ensure that each special education child reaches a high level of achievement, as measured by state and national standards.” The objectives will include a decrease in special education referrals, to develop positive behavior plans and introduce a curriculum to help support the aforementioned plans.

The principal and behavior specialist were involved in the decision making process for the action research plan. The goal to lower the number of special education referrals by 25% is obtainable. In the review of literature, the following websites provide information showing the problem many school districts encounter involving special education referrals and how positive behavior support programs can help eliminate those problems. For example, according to The Texas Tribune, special education students are disciplined twice as often. (www.texastribune.org, 8/16/2010) In addition, many different region service centers in Texas as well as a myriad of other programs are offering Positive Behavior Support training for teachers, students and administrators to help implement effective plans to help students with behavior problems.

Document 1: Texas School Discipline Policies: A Statistical Overview www.texasappleseed.net

Document 2: Special Education Students Disciplined Twice as Often www.thetexastribune.org/8/16/2010

Document 3: Emotional Disturbance http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance

Document 4: Emotionally Disturbed and Special Needs Children www.emotionallydisturbed.net

Document 5: School-wide PBIS www.pbis.org/school/default.aspx

Document 6: Behavior Intervention Plans: 5 Essential Themes that Add Up to Adequacy. www.advocacyinstitute.org/advocacyinaction/BIPstudy.pdf

Document 7: Positive Behavior Support www.esc19.net/programs_and_services.php?service_id=34

I have just begun to share and articulate the vision with most of the staff at the junior high campus. Both the principal and special education diagnostician have been looking over PEIMS results and special education referrals with me and discussing ways to implement the action research plan. I will then share all the information with the other staff members as well. Parents must also be informed of the implementation of any positive behavior support so that everyone can work together on the strategies, even at home with a particular child. Students will participate in the making of their own positive behavior supports and plans to help them feel involved by providing input. In addition, the community can also be included in the upcoming action research project by informing the SBDM committee members, which include parents and community members.

Managing the organization requires commitment and organization. While some tasks have already been delegated, since I am still working on the project not everything can be examined at this time. However, I am responsible for promoting student achievement by lowering discipline referrals and keeping students in the classroom. I have also maintained my own professional development by continuing research in professional journals, books and Internet websites regarding special education behavior improvement plans.

Collaboration is the best strategy to be used in managing the operations of this particular action research project. In the beginning, I am sure some teachers will not be as receptive to the implementation of very specific behavior improvement plans. I plan to make sure teachers are informed before hand and all stakeholders are given time for input and are given a brief survey via email at the end of each six weeks to see if the plans are working for their particular students.

The action research plan will respond to community interest and serve the needs of students in the special education department by helping them succeed in the classroom and society with fewer behavioral problems. Furthermore, by participating in further research on the behavior commonly seen in special education students, research based methods will be introduced to help students learn how to better understand and control their behavior.

Finally, the potential interaction between community members and special education students involving the Behavior Improvement Plans to help modify behavior problems will be essential for the success of the program.

Sharing my Action Research Plan

Sharing Your Action Research Plan, Progress, Findings, and Recommendations

Read chapter 5 from the Dana text, The Travelogue: Sharing your work with others, pp. 135 – 169, and write a description of how you will share the progress and process of your action research project, as well as discussing ways to disseminate your action research project findings and recommendations. Be sure to include information on the four critical tasks you must include in effectively sharing your action research project, see the Dana text, pp. 163 – 169:
1) Provide background information.
2) Share the design of the inquiry (procedures, data collection, and data analysis).

3) State the learning and supporting statements with data.
4) Provide concluding thoughts.

As you describe your dissemination plan, identify who might be your target audience. Identify any specific persons or groups, and explain why you want to share your research with them.

Use this workspace to tell about the target audience to share your Action Research Project Results.

I will begin to share the results first with the middle school campus where I am currently working on the action research plan. More specifically, the principal, special education diagnostician and all teachers will be given the information as the plan progresses along. From there, I will share all the information with the other campuses in the district as well as the administrators. If new programs need to be adopted for behavior strategies, the school board will also be included to not only share the results, but to hopefully find their support for any additional funding that might be needed to make the plan work. Parents must also be included in the implementation of any behavior plans so that everyone can work together. In addition, the community can also be involved with helping in the implementation of the behavior plans. Several of the behavior strategies require a mentor type program and members of the community can volunteer for these positions to help students succeed in their behavior. I also know principals and administrators in other districts will be very interested in hearing the results and the strategies used to help the plan succeed.

Based on your reading from Chapter 5 of the Dana text, describe how you plan to share your research. Be as creative as possible and remember to think out of the box - be sure to include technology and how that can impact your dissemination plans.

Use this workspace for writing about how you plan to share your Action Research Project Results.

Workspace

On the blog I currently use, I plan to post my findings of my action research project. In addition, I have found various principal blogs that I can also use to share my information. I would be very interested in sharing my findings with teachers at an in service or staff meeting as well as a school board meeting using a power point in conjunction with my oral presentation. The presentation would include key facts to show how the project came about as well as graphs to show how special education referrals have decreased as a result of the Behavior Improvement Program. All parents of special education students would receive a write-up with simple bulleted points to show how the project is helping their child. I would also build a database and post it on the school website where interested outside parties (such as other principals not in the district) could ask for permission to join in order to see the results of the action research study. The information shared with others can be far-reaching throughout the state as well as nationally, as I have seen information on the Internet that verifies many states struggle with an excessive number of special education referrals.

After reviewing the four critical tasks you must include in effectively sharing your action research project, briefly explain why each of these tasks must be covered in your sharing. You will review this in more detail in Week 4 as you draft your action research report format.

Use this workspace to explain the importance of these four critical tasks.

Workspace

Providing background information for the action research plan is essential in sharing the initial need for the project and what led to this particular area of study. Sharing the exact problem can help others experiencing the same thing relate and seek to find out more to eliminate or fix the problem. In sharing the design of the inquiry, it is essential to focus on data collection and analysis. Without data to back up the area of focus, there is no way to prove what action needs to be taken to remedy the problem. In the same way, as the research begins, data collection such as surveys and tracking data in areas like discipline, where my plan if focused, is essential to the success of the program. It is also important to share very specific details so anyone studying the plan can understand the research from start to finish. In addition, stating the learning and supporting the statements with data is the third critical task. Being able to defend the action research plan is necessary in supporting the findings. Of utmost importance is the fact that the case is stronger when evidence is provided from multiple sources. This gives the plan a deeper, more complete foundation and shows its importance to not just my school, but multiple audiences. Finally, the fourth critical task is providing concluding thoughts. While the initial questions from the study may or may not be answered fully,it is important to reflect upon the research process and its success or failure. The “wonderings” mentioned in this task can make way to further inquiry and future projects.

Webconference EDLD 5397- Week 3

This week's web conference proved to be very helpful concerning our action research plans. Dr. Mason discussed that most of our plans are too broad and need to be narrowed down to one intervention or strategy. This helped me to narrow two focus areas down to one for my own research project. It was also important that she stressed the purpose of our action research plan is for us to learn exactly how to implement something that is research based and will work in a classroom. Many clarifications were also made to help with the assignment for the week. Since the action research plan is a continual work in progress, this web conference was most informative by giving strategies and suggestions I had not thought of before.

Blog URL: http://Stephanie.Myrick.blogspot.com

Blog name: Stephanie's Across the Ocean Action Research

Revised Action Research Plan- Week 4

My site supervisor has been very busy packing up the old school and getting ready to move to the new facility, so meeting with her this week has been very difficult.  However, when we finally were able to connect and talk about my plan, she was very pleased with what she saw.  She did not suggest I revise anything in particular, we just talked further about extending the plan to include other grades in the future for students with Emotional Disturbance issues.  In addition, we talked about a future action research plan to follow current ED students as they move up to high school, who are currently supervised by a behavioral specialist in junior high.  I find both of these topics intriguing as future projects.  I still have my action research plan posted on my blog and gladly welcome any comments. 

Research 5301 Week 5 Reflections

At such a busy time of year, this class has flown by.  There are many exercises we were assigned throughout Research 5301 I have found beneficial.  The internet articles I have discovered provide general information about my action research topic, emotional disturbance, and has helped to further my knowledge in the subject area.  Also, those same internet searches have aided in breaking down percentages about the national and state average of students who are affected by ED.  In addition, there are important articles written by psychologists on strategies to use when interacting with these children.  The following websites were utitlized when interacting when designing my intial action research plan. www.jsc.montana.edu-articles-v6n3.pdf.url and www.emotionallydisturbed.net  Furthermore, a required textbook that was very informative was Nancy Fichtman Dana's book, Leading with Passion and Knowledge, The Principal as Action Researcher.   I feel I will refer back to this book many times throughout the rest of my classes because of the information it contains about action research and leadership roles as principal.  I am looking forward to seeing how my action research plan evolves the further I become involved in my classes. 

Action Research Plan

Here is my action research plan.https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1jhvnnIGvDnmIVcdrH5QPrzaqQqRY_fjlzoBjeZOs-FE

Lessons learned on Leadership- Week 2

This week, while reading our assigned Dana text, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership stood out to me as something that I want to commit to memory.  By posting them here it will be one more way to remember them.  Leaders should:  model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart.  Most importantly to me at this point is all school employees need to be encouraged in any way possible, when possible, and as a future administrator, I want to remember that. 

How can educational leaders use blogs?

I see a blog for educational leaders to be a great tool to utilize especially in the area of positive reinforcement.  I can visualize a "Good Job" or "High Five" section where the principal or other educational leaders can praise teachers/coaches for a job well done.  In addition, an "issue bin" blog can be started so teachers can express concerns through the blog.   Rather than send an email to an already full inbox of a principal, the specific issues can be addressed all in the same place and will be readily available to refer to at anytime.   To branch out upon the "issue bin," a specific topic could be chosen and as a collaborative group, anyone interested could add comments or suggestions. Finally, there could be an "announcements page" where important faculty information could be posted for those unable to attend or in lieu of a faculty meeting.  As I continue my educational journey, I am certain there are many other ways an educational leader might use a blog that I will discover along the way.    

What I have learned about action research

 

Action research was a somewhat vague term to me before completing the assigned readings for the week.  I have learned the best description in the Dana text refers to action research as the "process of a principal engaging in systematic, intentional study." Harris also addresses the topic by saying inquiry requires collection of information in a systematic way.   After watching a principal and how busy their days are, I automatically thought about how one would have time to complete this type of research. However, as more information and suggestions were discussed in the different texts, it seems more can actually be accomplished when working to resolve a problem, than if a principal just reacts all day to many different problems. To address concerns of action research being time
consuming, helpful suggestions were made to combat this problem.  For example:  acknowledging that there will never be enough time, but one must commit to make time in order to engage in this important work.  Also, scheduling a certain block of time each week and journaling to further research the chosen topic of study was helpful advice as well.  I honestly did not think of a principal journaling, but to be able to look back and see what was once an inquiry is now a resolved issue, the results would be very rewarding. 

As a person new to the principal scene, there will be many ways I can use action research.  First
and foremost though, I desire to learn and understand more about professional learning
communities.  There will be new ideas adopted such as curriculum, where using action research will be essential to determine the validity and benefits of the new material.  Also, in the area of professional development for teachers, evaluating the best way to approach training is something that is important to me.  Now, I must begin to use action research to better understand the benefits and how it really works.